Determined to become one of the few and the proud

13 Jul 2007 | Lance Cpl. Charlie Chavez Marine Corps Recruiting Command

 If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. For one Company M recruit, the road to beginning and finishing recruit training was a constant struggle filled with disappointments and finally the reward of becoming a Marine.

Private First Class Craig J. Sazama, Platoon 3275, a Detroit native, enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve after the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City. Empathetic to the pain that rippled throughout the country, Sazama felt obligated to stand up for his country and enlisted in the Marine Corps in early 2004.

Sazama assimilated into boot camp and was close to completing the end of the first month of training when he visited the medical branch for knee-related problems. While Sazama was being examined for his knee problem the staff noticed that he had a condition known as barrel chest—a rounded or bulging chest resembling a barrel typically affecting taller individuals.

The medical staff worried that the condition was a sign of Marfan Syndrome—an ailment in which the connective tissue for the eyes, heart and body systems is not acting correctly.

Sazama was released from recruit training in 2004 because of the barrel chest condition. Not to be denied the chance to become a Marine, Sazama and his family contacted a specialist doctor to investigate cause of the condition.

“The doctor cleared me of having Marfan Syndrome and so I began the road to enlisting again,” said Sazama. “I was going to school but it was getting very repetitive, and I needed to make a switch in my life to achieve something more.”

Sazama’s parents stood behind their son’s decision to join and did their best to help him through the medical proceedings. His parents were concerned with the thought of their son having problems, but Sazama was focused on the fact that there was nothing wrong with him.

“He is a very determined individual,” said Don Sazama, father. “His letters have seemed much more positive and it seems like he has more mature approach.”

The Sazama family moved from Detroit to Grand Rapids, Mich., after Sazama enlisted in the reserve a second time when cleared by the specialist.

Hitting another speed bump on his path to enlistment, Sazama was charged with driving under the influence on Thanksgiving 2005.

Sazama was forced to wait another year before he could come to boot camp. His probation needed to conclude and he was required to maintain a clean record for a year after.

“We tried to be instructive parents not destructive,” said Don. “After his D.U.I., he basically realized what was important, to become a Marine.”

Sazama maintained a clean record and completed his probation which allowed him to leave for training.

Once in training, the 23-year-old did his part to stand out as an older recruit and provided leadership to others when things went wayward.

He also took the role of being a recruit seriously by learning from his drill instructors the Corps fundamentals of instant willing obedience to orders, maintaining moral standards and leading by example.

“He basically needed a mentor other than his parents and the Marine Corps fit that role nicely,” said his mother Helen Sazama. “With everything that happened he constantly pushed forward and that is important.”

Sazama took the education he had accumulated before the Marine Corps and applied it to boot camp.

“He learned quickly and did what was expected of him and was very mature,” said Staff Sgt. Jaime Nicholson, Company M, drill instructor, Platoon 3275. “He put forth the effort and I think he has the personal attributes to help him excel as a young leader.”

Sazama will not soon forget his senior drill instructor and the determination and discipline that he has instilled in him.

Sazama will soon attend the School of Infantry at Camp Pendleton, Calif., where he will become an infantryman.

He also anticipates returning home to finish his college education because he is only a few credits shy of a Bachelors Degree in accounting.
Marine Corps Recruiting Command