A career in the Marines

 Retired Col. Tom Sward is pictured standing in the snow last week. Sward served for 30 years in the Marine Corps. Sally Finneran/Bigfork Eagle

When Tom Sward left his childhood home in Evergreen for a Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of Idaho, he had no idea he was headed for a 30-year career in the Marine Corps.

Sward retired as a Colonel, from his service with the Marine Corps in 2007 and returned to the Flathead, where his family was living in Bigfork.

“I really didn’t have any idea when I went in that it would be a long time,” he said. “I loved it. It was an adventure.”

Bigfork graduate Brennan Lobo recently joined the Marines. Photo Courtesy of Sharon Lobo

This Veteran’s Day he will share stories of his adventures, and how he got there with students at Swan River School for their Veteran’s Day assembly.

Initially, Sward said, he wanted to be a naval officer. But he also needed help paying for college, so he went into the Navy ROTC program at the University of Idaho. It was there that he met some Marines who were in the Reserves, and realized they were the kind of people he wanted to serve with.

“I just found myself in like company,” he said.

His sophomore year he chose the Marine Corps option, and he commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the Marine Corps when he graduated in 1977 with a degree in business management.

From there Sward began a career of leadership, commanding at every level from platoons through regiments.

In his leadership roles he helped other Marines train and develop, and it became other Marines’ successes that Sward cites as some of his favorite memories.

“Most of my efforts during the day were to develop young men,” Sward said. “It was those experiences that just kept me in.”

He recalled a time after Vietnam, when a Marine who had deserted, was assigned to his platoon. The Marine had been a sergeant before he left, and his rank was dropped back to private when he joined Sward’s platoon. Sward assigned him to the radio, and helped him work his way back to his former rank.

“He worked really, really hard,” Sward said.

Sward was on the ground floor of the Marines’ introduction of light armored vehicles in the 1980s.

He trained Marines in the Reserves on light armored vehicles. The reserves trained two days a month, and for one four-week stint in the summer, then they were deployed to Iraq. 

“My highlight was the success of the Marines I worked with,” Sward said. “Those are the experiences that I cherished.”

While Sward has good memories from his time, some were harder. Toward the end of his career he attended numerous funerals for Marines killed in combat. He described how an entire town would come out to mourn.

“Those are memories that aren’t as happy,” he said.

Though he is retired, Sward is still busy helping the Marines part time as a civilian contractor providing support analysis for training operations. Five to seven times a year he travels overseas to provide support on major exercises.

“It’s been very rewarding because I’m still connecting with the same kind of people,” he said.

While Sward loved being a Marine, his advice to youth that are thinking of following that career path is to be sure it’s what they want, and it’s their decision. 

FOR 2014 BIGFORK High School graduate Brennan Lobo, serving in the United States military is his childhood dream.

Lobo left Bigfork last month to pursue his dream and is in the midst of Marine Corps boot camp in San Diego.

Lobo always wanted to go into the military, inspired by his grandfather who was in the Army. His mother, Sharon, still has writings and school projects Lobo did as a child that express his desire to serve in the United States military.

Lobo spent most of his childhood living in Costa Rica, where his father, Manuel is from. Sharon is from Louisiana and Lobo is a dual citizen of both countries. When the family moved to Bigfork three years ago to do work with Mountain Song Church, Lobo enrolled at Bigfork High School and began trying pursue his goal of serving the United States.

He graduated high school right before his 17th birthday, and tried to convince his parents to sign paperwork to let him join the military before he turned 18. However, Sharon and Manuel weren’t quite ready yet, so Lobo joined the Marine Corps Delayed Entry Program in Kalispell. The program incorporates recruits into the inactive Reserves, and begins them on some training before they eventually go to boot camp, and into active duty. Lobo was a squadron leader in the Delayed Entry Program, and the experience prepared him so he would be ahead of other recruits.

“I know how to talk, how to stand,” he said. “It’s definitely prepared me for sure.”

Because of the program Lobo entered boot camp as a Private First-Class, where regular recruits will come in as Privates.

Like Sward, Lobo was initially looking at a joining a military branch other than the Marines.

Initially Lobo thought that he wanted to join the Army, but after talking to recruiters and doing some research he discovered that the Marines would be a better fit.

“The Marines are still holding on to the type of military I had in my mind,” he said.

The active work environment and competitive structure of the military is part of what drew Lobo to the Marines, but he also hopes that it will enable him to affect change.

“I want to learn the skills to help people help themselves, and I can do some good in the world,” he said.

Unlike many recruits, Lobo had to make a personal sacrifice to follow in order to serve, and denounce his Costa Rican citizenship.

“I guess it’s a career choice,” Lobo said.

“We are happy and support his decision,” Manuel said.

Though serving the United States is a lifelong dream of Lobo’s he doesn’t know if it will become a lifelong career. He plans to serve for his commitment of about four years, and then will see if he wants to continue on the military career path.

Regardless of his future career, Lobo was excited to head to boot camp.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to try and I just can’t wait to get started,” he said.

By SALLY FINNERAN Bigfork Eagle