PHOTO: Marine Corps Pfc. Linard Addison Jr. checks to ensure the morning accountability report is correct at the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit command post, Camp Lejeune, N.C., May 22, 2014. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Joshua W. Brown MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Marine Corps Pfc. Linard Addison Jr. said he was only 12 when his father died, and that his service is a way of fulfilling his late father’s expectations. “He told me I should strive to be the best, and that’s why I joined the Marine Corps,” he said. Addison -- who hails from Marion, South Carolina, and is an administrative specialist assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit -- said he knew even at a young age that he wanted to serve. “My dad was in the Army, so for a while, that’s what I thought I wanted to do,” he said. “But when I got into high school, I realized that the Marine Corps was the best.” Addison said he didn’t have a specific specialty in mind, but he knew he absolutely wanted to be a Marine.

“I was real close to my dad, and I wanted to make my family proud,” he added. Addison said his mother and his siblings -- four brothers and two sisters -- were happy about his decision. “I’m the middle child,” Addison said. “I want to set the example for my younger siblings.” His younger sister recently turned 18, he added, and would like to be a Marine after she finishes college. “I want to set the example by coming in and working hard, doing my best, and improving myself every day,” he said. Though he is one of the youngest and most junior Marines in the unit, his responsibilities and expectations are the same as every other Marine in his section. “He works hard, he seeks to learn more, and he’s improving quickly,” said Marine Corps Sgt. Michael K. Burns, Addison’s noncommissioned officer in charge. As a Marine recently out of military occupational school, Addison is still in the process of learning all the facets of his profession. Burns said he is doing well and is a squared-away Marine. “You can tell he’s hungry to learn more,” Burns said.

“He’s always focused on the task at hand and knows what he has to do to get it done.” Addison said he wants to learn all he can in the Marine Corps and incorporate it into his life. “Four years from now, I see Addison as a sergeant,” Burns said. “I think he’s passionate about his job.” He added that he can imagine Addison as a drill instructor who will mold the next generation of Marines. Less than a year into his first enlistment, Addison said, he isn’t certain whether he will re-enlist, but he plans to make the best of it in the meantime. “I’m just thankful for what I have and where I am,” he said. “I’m thankful to God [and] my family, and I have hope for the future and what it may have in store for me.”

Written May 30, 2014 By: Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Joshua W. Brown 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit Republished and redistributed by permission of DoD.