Ellwood senior tackles Army Reserves

By JOHN D’ABRUZZO

jd’abruzzo@ncnewsonline.com

Football camp was no sweat for Alex O’Brien.

By the time the Ellwood City Lincoln High senior strolled onto the playing surface at Helling Stadium in late August, he was in the best physical shape of his life.

He’d lost 40 pounds since the end of his junior year.

But O’Brien, a 6-foot, 202-pound tackle, didn’t have a vacation like most high school kids. He spent his summer break in basic training as a member of the Army Reserves.

“He came back from boot camp and was in great shape,” first-year Wolverines coach Don Phillips said. “Not having seen him before, I didn’t know what to expect. All the kids were excited and talked about how much weight he lost.”

Losing weight certainly wasn’t O’Brien’s main agenda.

O’Brien, who turns 18 on Dec. 10, enlisted with the consent of his parents, Randy O’Brien and Theresa Dill, as a “split shipper.”

According to Sgt. Jordan Totten, an army recruiter in New Castle, fellow Ellwood City senior, Gerald Horinka, and Union’s Leanne Preston are other two students from Lawrence County who chose the Army’s split option while they are completing high school.

“It definitely takes a certain type of person (to enlist while still in high school),” Totten said. “By far, it’s the most uncommon way of enlisting. Most high school kids would rather spend their summer relaxing with friends.”

For O’Brien, enlisting was something he felt he had to do.

“I think everybody should serve their country,” O’Brien said. “I’ve always wanted to serve and it came my time to make the decision.

“I knew right off the bat. Money or no money, I knew it was for me.”

ALL HE CAN BE

It wasn’t until recently that O’Brien gave the military a serious thought.

“It came to my mind last year, but my parents weren’t too excited about it then,” he said. “I left them alone for a while, but once I talked to the recruiter and found out everything the Army would give me, I talked to them again.”

In March, O’Brien enlisted.

From the day he signed his contract, O’Brien started an eight-year journey with the Army Reserves. He receives a $20,000 bonus for joining, $10,000 of which he will receive when he finishes his training and the remainder in two $5,000 increments when he completes his contract.

He also receives $190 a month as an active member of the reserves.

That money is being set aside for college. O’Brien doesn’t know where he wants to attend next year, but he plans on majoring in criminal justice.

He was shipped to Fort Knox, Ky., on May 20, which was about a week and a half before school let out for the summer. He spent the next 10 weeks in training.

“It was so weird to go from civilian life to army life because you get told when to do it, how to do it and not why to do it,” O’Brien said. “You’re told when to eat and when to sleep and they control you from the minute you wake up until the minute you go to bed.”

O’Brien spent his days — from 5 a.m. to about 9 p.m. — adjusting to military life. He, however, had an easy time with the adjustment.

“I expected it to be something that I’ve seen on TV; something like a Navy SEAL-type of thing,” O’Brien said. “It was tough, but it wasn’t what people made it out to be. It was pretty enjoyable after a while.”

O’Brien also received valuable instructions he knows will help him throughout his life.

“They definitely instill a lot of discipline in you,” O’Brien said. “You mature a lot when you go there.”

Following his graduation from high school, O’Brien will head to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri for 11 weeks where he’ll train as a chemical specialist to learn about procedure and safety related to hazardous material.

As a reservist, O’Brien spends one weekend a month and two weeks during the summer with his unit in Chippewa, Beaver County. Although most of the weekend trips run from Saturday morning until Sunday, O’Brien believes he will have to miss one football game this season when his unit conducts field exercises.

“For a kid to do what he did and to make that commitment, that’s special,” Phillips said. “There’s no doubt about it; he’s a special kid.”

O’Brien’s commitment is strong, knowing very well he could end up being deployed in the future. And the thought of joining a war is something he actually welcomes.

“It might sound crazy, but I didn’t join just to get money for college,” he said. “I joined to go do my Army thing.

“That’s one of my main reasons. I probably wouldn’t have considered (enlisting) as much if a war wasn’t going on.”

BACK TO THE GRIDIRON

O’Brien returned to Ellwood City on Aug. 10 and everyone who welcomed him back saw a big difference in his appearance.

Although he didn’t notice his weight loss, he soon realized most of his civilian clothes didn’t fit anymore.

“Whenever you’re looking at yourself every day, you really don’t see it,” O’Brien said. “It wasn’t until I came home and everybody saw it and I could see pictures of myself. It was amazing.”

He didn’t have much of a break, either. Following his return, O’Brien had only two weeks before the start of football camp.

“It didn’t really affect me that much because I knew it was going to happen,” he said. “It was tough getting back into the grind because I didn’t have much time with my friends and family.”

But once he got back on the field, he noticed camp wasn’t as tough as it was the previous season.

“Last year, I would be huffing and puffing after a couple of plays,” O’Brien said. “This year, I can really stick it out and go. I’m in a lot better condition.”

This is only his third year playing football. O’Brien went to Seneca Valley during his freshman year and moved to Ellwood City at the start of his freshman season.

“I didn’t know too many people when I moved here, so since most of my buddies played football I thought I’d give it a try,” O’Brien said.

The Wolverines are 0-2 and riding a 17-game losing streak. Ellwood City plays host to Montour for a WPIAL nonconference game at 7:30 tonight.

O’Brien already knows his last day in football pads will be when Ellwood City hosts Riverside on Oct. 24.

“Even if we don’t do all that well this year, we’re really going to be helping (Phillips) for next year,” O’Brien said. “He’s a really good coach. He knows how to get it done and knows what to do with us.

“Our attitude as seniors is we’re probably never going to see these people (opponents) again, so we want to leave them with the impression that we really came to play football this year.”