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Face of Defense: Man Drops More Than 100 Pounds to Join Marines
Face of Defence ^ | Sgt. M. Trent Lowry, USMC

Posted on 12/09/2008 4:29:36 PM PST by SandRat

RAWAH, Iraq, Dec. 9, 2008 – Before Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Allan Desruisseaux could become a Marine, he had to become a loser.

Click photo for screen-resolution image
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Allan Desruisseaux, a telephone system and personal computer repair technician with Regimental Combat Team 5’s Provisional Rifle Platoon 3, patrols the streets of Rawah, Iraq, Dec. 4, 2008. Desruisseaux dropped from 326 pounds to his Marine Corps recruit training graduation weight of 189. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. M. Trent Lowry
  

(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
Desruisseaux lost more than 100 pounds between his first visit to a Marine Corps recruiting substation and the day he graduated from Marine recruit training in April 2007, just 10 months later.

“It was one of those 180-degree turnarounds in life,” said Desruisseaux, 21, a telephone systems and personal computer repair technician with Regimental Combat Team 5’s Provisional Rifle Platoon 3, from Mesa, Ariz.

At 326 pounds, Desruisseaux decided to join the Marine Corps, but was turned down by recruiters at Recruiting Substation Chandler, Ariz.

Desruisseaux’s ex-girlfriend, who had just left him with their infant son, told him he would not be able to make it through boot camp anyway. But instead of giving up, Desruisseaux took the doubt around him and transformed it into motivation.

“I took that as a challenge, and I wanted to prove them all wrong,” Desruisseaux said. “I was told it would be impossible for me to join, so I said, ‘I’ll show you, then!’”

Desruisseaux began a steady regimen of cardiovascular exercise and healthy eating as he worked to obtain his goal of joining the Marines as quickly as possible.

His determination led him to drop 100 pounds in six months.
Desruisseaux returned to the recruiting substation five months after his first visit and watched the Marines’ jaws drop. He weighed in at 226 pounds.

“Everyone in there freaked out and couldn’t believe it was me,” Desruisseaux said. “I had to show my ID, but once I could prove who I was, they were happy to start the enlistment paperwork.”

Despite losing the weight, Desruisseaux still faced a physical-fitness challenge. When he originally tried to enlist, he could not complete one dead-hang pull up, and his time in the one-and-a-half-mile run exceeded the required 12 minutes.

Desruisseaux continued to work hard, and by the time he graduated from boot camp, he could do seven pull-ups and run three miles in about 21 and a half minutes. Standing just over 6 feet tall, he weighed in at 189 pounds, which was well under his maximum allowed weight of 208.

“He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s pretty [strong],” said Sgt. David Lara, 30, a squad leader with PRP-3. “When you used to be over 300 pounds like he was, and now you can regularly crank out 17 pull-ups, that’s strong.”

Now deployed to Iraq, Desruisseaux said he shocks his family and friends every time he goes home to visit.

“In the states, I do a lot of cardio, because it’s running and burning fat, and it’s easy to find the time and place to run,” he said. “On this deployment, though, I’m trying to gain as much muscle and get as big as possible so people will see the improvement. It’s a great feeling when people from home see me and say, ‘You look completely different.’”

In Iraq, Desruisseaux is serving as a basic rifleman with the PRP-3.

“He’s a good Marine; he does what he’s asked and he really knows his stuff,” said Cpl. Jordan Carranza, a fire team leader with PRP-3. “He quickly retains the knowledge and utilizes it.”

Desruisseaux has embraced his role in the Marine Corps and is proud of his accomplishments so far. “The Marine Corps has given me a lot of good memories and the opportunity to get my life back on track,” he said.

He plans to earn a degree in American history, and said he wants to make a better life for his son, Michael, who just turned 3.

“I love him very much,” Desruisseaux said. “It’s hard to be away from him, but it’s worth it -- the time spent away -- because by being in the Marine Corps I can help provide for him. He’s the only one on my mind right now.”

The last step in Desruisseaux’s improvement plan is to have surgery to remove excess skin from his heavier days. It is an operation his mother, Lorri, had more than five years ago after she had a similar reduction in weight.

“When I lost the weight, it made me feel good, because I knew my mom was proud,” Desruisseaux said. “I feel great. The fact I accomplished this just shows that hard work pays off.

“It’s nice to have the help of others, but just because you don’t doesn’t mean you give up,” he said. “Anybody can change their life.”

(Marine Corps Sgt. M. Trent Lowry serves in the Regimental Combat Team 5.)

Click photo for screen-resolution image Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Allan Desruisseaux plays with his son, Michael, before enlisting in the Marine Corps. Desruisseaux lost more than 100 pounds to enlist in the Marine Corps. Courtesy photo  
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TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: frwn; iraq; loss; weight

1 posted on 12/09/2008 4:29:36 PM PST by SandRat
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To: 91B; HiJinx; MJY1288; xzins; Calpernia; clintonh8r; TEXOKIE; windchime; freekitty; A Navy Vet; ...
FR WAR NEWS!
If you would like to be added to / removed from FRWN,
please FReepmail Sandrat.

WARNING: FRWN can be an EXTREMELY HIGH-VOLUME PING LIST!!

2 posted on 12/09/2008 4:30:00 PM PST by SandRat (Duty, Honor, Country! What else needs said?)
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To: SandRat

Can he contact OPRAH.... ?


3 posted on 12/09/2008 4:38:10 PM PST by traumer
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To: traumer

The man wanted to be there and didn’t let anything stop him. You’ve gotta respect that.


4 posted on 12/09/2008 4:42:20 PM PST by IGOTMINE (1911s FOREVER!)
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To: SandRat

Holy cow. Outstanding.

I am by no means a 300 pounder, but I did once lose 50 Lbs in about 8 weeks. It was a lot of work and I was highly motivated. People said that I had made myself appear gaunt.

I was hardly that, but it was a big change. I went from about 250 lbs down to 200 from the end of June to the beginning of September that year.

I can certainly appreciate what this fellow did. Amazing.


5 posted on 12/09/2008 4:43:42 PM PST by Radix (Posting cynical responses ever since...."What time is it anyhow?")
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6 posted on 12/09/2008 4:45:01 PM PST by A.A. Cunningham
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To: Radix
Holy cow. Outstanding.

Been there done that, unfortunatly more than once.

And I *was* a 305 pounder (and am again). I took about twice as long, but it's the last 25 or 30 pounds that are the hardest. I was already a commissioned officer in the Air Force Reserve, but inactive. I wanted to go active again during the Reagan administration. I made it, with about 2 lbs to spare, not knowing I'd shrunk a 1/4 inch which lowered my maximu allowable weight.

OTOH, these days, the Army will hire Omar the Tent Maker to make ACU uniforms for reactivated "early retirees", who retired 10 years ago during 'toon time, if they need their skill set badly enough (the one I know about is a computer/IT specialist, and is now sitting in tent full of computers somewhere in Iraq).

7 posted on 12/09/2008 4:56:16 PM PST by El Gato ("The Second Amendment is the RESET button of the United States Constitution." -- Doug McKay)
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To: SandRat

Great story!

Semper Fi!


8 posted on 12/09/2008 5:05:54 PM PST by incredulous joe ("No road is long with good company. " - Turkish Proverb)
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To: SandRat
He's accomplished 100 times more than the 1 ever has or ever will....would make a better POTUS too, even at just 21

Kudos to this man and his desire to serve our Country....our leaders could learn much from him about character.

9 posted on 12/09/2008 5:16:36 PM PST by Las Vegas Ron (Sho me da BC...mo)
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To: Radix

We had a contest at work last winter. People put in 25 dollars and the first to lose 25 pounds would win the cash. I lost 25 pounds in 23 days and won 300 bucks.


10 posted on 12/09/2008 5:20:23 PM PST by Straight Vermonter (Posting from deep behind the Maple Curtain)
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To: IGOTMINE

I do respect him


11 posted on 12/09/2008 5:45:50 PM PST by traumer
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To: SandRat

Well, he will certainly do better now.

My son once pointed out (while subtly jabbing me in the gut) that humping 80+ pounds of armor and gear i the summer, 12+ hours a day will really burn the fat.

WHen he fihished has last tour, I swaer he looked like a POW from WWII he was so skinny.

So, I suspect this remarkable young man will be in even better shapeat the nd of hi stour - now if he could find a woman that was less of looser....(walking away from her own child, ug)


12 posted on 12/09/2008 7:04:08 PM PST by ASOC (This space could be employed, if I could only get a bailout...)
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