By Marine Corps Cpl. Timothy LenzoRegional Command SouthwestFORWARD OPERATING BASE JACKSON,Afghanistan, Oct. 1, 2012 – The sound of power tools and commands come from thebattalion aid station here, startling a few Marines walking by. Two corpsmenstand out from the crowd of sailors inside the building as they work on aremodeling project.
More than a decade after their pathsfirst crossed in Operation Iraqi Freedom, the former Marine and Seabee areunited as corpsmen with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment. The two servicemembers started their military careers in different fields. One trained to be aMarine, the other a Navy Seabee, but now they work together here.
“When I joined the Navy, I had a degreein construction, so that’s what the Navy wanted me to do,” said Navy PettyOfficer 2nd Class David Cergol. “At the time, the Seabees were undermanned, soit was more important for me to help them.”
Cergol, from Pittsburg, started workingconstruction when he was 14. After 10 years in the civilian world, he decidedhe wanted a change, but found himself again working construction for the Navy.
“The Seabees are a great group ofpeople, but I ultimately joined because I wanted to be on the front lines andbe with the Marines,” he said.
Unlike Cergol, Navy Petty Officer 2ndClass Jordan Fitzgerald started his military career with the Marines. He servedwith 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, and was part of Operation IraqiFreedom.
The corpsmen’s paths first crossedduring the initial push into Iraq. Fitzgerald served in the infantry and foughton the front lines. Meanwhile Cergol, working as a builder with the Seabees,followed behind the infantry, helping with security.
“We were both able to talk about thetowns we went through, and the forward operating bases being set up,” Cergolsaid. “He was more the tip of the spear, and I was more behind, doinglogistics.”
After their first enlistment, the twoservice members decided to sever ties with their old units. Fitzgerald, fromYucca Valley, Calif., considered joining the Navy SEALs before deciding on adifferent future.
“Being a grunt, I had a pretty good ideaof what corpsmen did,” he said. “I knew corpsmen went with Marines, and I’m notthe guy who likes ship life. Also I enjoy helping people, and knew I’d behelping Marines.”
While Fitzgerald looked at other jobsfirst, Cergol knew from the start he wanted to be a corpsman. He helped as aSeabee because that’s where the Navy needed him, but he jumped at the chance tostart his career in the medical field.
“I enjoy the medical side,” he said. “Iwanted to be with the Marines, and I wanted to make more of a difference andultimately save lives.”
The two use their prior jobs as toolsfor their current jobs. Cergol became certified to operate the heavy equipmentaround the forward operating base. He regularly helps by driving forklifts andconstructing new fixtures. “I’m able to draw on my experience with the Seabeesto strengthen security and improve overall living conditions,” he said. “When Iwas in Iraq, one of the bases we stayed at had little to no security. We wereable to get together and build up the walls and better secure our buildings.”
During that deployment, a suicide bomberattacked the base. “The additional walls definitely paid off,” Cergol said.“The walls ended up protecting us.”
Cergol and Fitzgerald recently took on aconstruction job inside the battalion aid station here.
“Being a prior Seabee makes him moreversatile,” Fitzgerald said of Cergol. “Right now we are remodeling the BAS tobetter suit our needs, and his experience as a builder definitely helps.”
Cergol said his experience as a Seabeehelps him in tangible ways, while Fitzgerald’s experience as a Marine is moreabstract. “He’s very disciplined,” he said. “You can tell he used to be aMarine. He still has that rigid discipline about him.”
Fitzgerald’s past also gives him animmediate connection with the Marines he cares for. “I think it gives meinstant credibility,” he said. “After all, I’ve done more deployments than themajority of them.”
He also has learned a great deal ofleadership from the Marines, he added, and this skill helps him teach thecorpsmen under him.
“I think the Marine Corps teachessmall-unit leadership better than the other branches,” he said. “The MarineCorps taught me how to manage situations really well.”
Though their focus is the health of theMarines and sailors, service members might see Cergol operating a forklift orFitzgerald correcting his corpsmen on the proper wear of the uniform. The twomoved on from the early part of their military careers, but have found they usetheir original military skills every day.
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