"Whatever my country would ask me to do, I would do it, just as a moral obligation I had, to my country, to the Marines, and just to the guys in my unit." (Audio Interview, 14:52)

Stephen M. Collins, Jr.

Stephen Collins on USS Kearsarge [2003] War: Iraq War, 2003-2011; Afghan War, 2001- Branch: Marine Corps; Marine Corps Unit: Company A, 8th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division; Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division; Marine Corps Reserve; Company E, 4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division Service Location: San Diego, California; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Fort Knox, Kentucky; Nasiriyah, Iraq; Camp Shoup, Kuwait; also: Fort Knox, Kentucky; Camp Dwyer, Afghanistan Rank: Staff Sergeant; Staff Sergeant

At the time of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Staff Sergeant Stephen M. Collins, Jr., was a Marine Corps reservist and a medical student. Suddenly he had to balance the demands of his educational pursuits with his military obligations and the possibility of deployment. Though many of his colleagues and fellow students asked if he would leave the Marine Corps to focus on medical school, he says he felt a moral obligation to serve his country. He was called to active duty in 2003, and deployed to Iraq and Kuwait as a tank commander with the 8th Tank Battalion in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In an interview conducted for VHP just a few months after he returned from his deployment, Collins reflected on his experience, and shared a straightforward view of his service, saying "I did my job. I did the best that I could do, and I made it back."