“My grandfather was a Marine and my hero, so it was set in my mind from an early age that that is what I wanted to be.”
Cameron West achieved his goal in 2008 when he was offered and accepted commission as a United States Marine Corp Officer 2nd Lieutenant. Lt West was then accepted into and passed the challenging Infantry Officer Course, and assigned to 3rdBattalion,5thMarines as an Infantry Officer platoon leader. His first deployment in 2010 sent him to Sangin, Afghanistan.
On a patrol in early fall he was hit by an IED explosion that severed one of his legs. Quick reaction by his Marines and Corpsman saved his life, enabled him to be evacuated from the fire field, first to a military hospital, then finally to Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego.
“Recovery was quick at Balboa Naval Hospital. They usually got Marines up and walking in some sort of fashion within 5-6 months depending on your injury. Many of us did skiing, rafting, hand cycling but most important was hanging out with our fellow Marines and service members. There were so many injured during that deployment that we were able to lean on each other when needed or answer the call when a brother was not in the right headspace.”
Capt West was in the news in 2013 following the Boston Marathon bombing, when he and other combat injured amputees visited hospitalized victims who’d suffered similar injuries.
“There were so many reports of amputees from the blast. It seemed as though they had many of the same physical wounds and traumatic experiences that our entire group had had, so we felt like we could share in those feelings and hopefully be a beacon of hope to them by walking into their rooms on prosthetics and showing them this is not the end of their lives but just the beginning.”
Cameron eventually returned to his home state, where he now lives in Acworth Georgia. “We stay pretty busy with three wonderful kids. Ella, Robert, Ethan. 8,6,4,” he says. "They do gymnastics, cheerleading, basketball, I coach baseball and they do jiu jitsu with me and hiking." Capt West’s positive energy and natural optimism is infectious, and his willingness to tackle new challenges is an inspiration. Most recently he and another amputee climbed Mt Kilimanjaro at 19, 341 feet high.
"It took us 6 days to summit and 8 days on the mountain total. It was a wonderful experience and was a good challenge to take part in. The highlight of the entire trip was the Tanzanian people. They were full of such kindness and love and enjoyed smiling, laughing and good conversation." He credits his friend and amputee Marine Adam Kisielewskin who runs the non-profit “No Person Left Behind” for the trip. The organization supports Purple Heart recipients by getting them back in the rugged outdoors.
Conversation with Cameron turns back to wh he is here to represent as Grand Marshal of the Memorial Day Race.
Other Marines, including his close friend Lt Robert Kelly, continued the fight in Sangin, but 25 ultimately lost their lives there, and it is those men whom Capt West helps us honor by his presence at our race. It is also these Marines whose tribute banners line our race route each year. Capt West was among other Darkhorse veterans who participated in the 2013 race with our first Grand Marshal Josue Barron.
Capt West directs us back to the reason for Memorial Day and tells us,
"To me Memorial Day is about remembering. Remembering those that we still and always will love. It is also about Honoring their sacrifice to us all. We live up to their sacrifices by living our own lives in the present as fully as we can, as they did, even if sometimes we feel we may fail. It is our duty to live up to the courage that these young men showed all of us not long ago."
Having Capt West present as our Grand Marshal is an honor and a reminder of who and why we honor on this day, that we never forget all the young men and women who have given their lives in service of our country, whose courage stands above the sands of time. Semper Fi.