If you were at OBI in the 1990's, the young marine on the March 2002 cover of Soldier of Fortune Magazine may look familiar. It's Sergeant Mark Tully, class of 1998, and recently returned from three months of service in Afghanistan.
Mark and his brother Mike attended OBI as middle schoolers until graduation. Everyone thought highly of both boys, and both have fulfilled their own dreams- and a family legacy- of serving in the Marine corps. Mike is still in the middle east awaiting possible deployment.
Mark is leaving the corps this year and heading to college. He stopped by OBI for a couple of days to catch up with old friends. He received a hero's welcome, as students and staff expressed their appreciation for his service to the country in such a historic mission.
Tully originally served in Marine intelligence, but eventually made the move to the more physically adventurous reconnaissance service. On 9/11, those OBI staff who knew Mark assumed he might be one of the first to go into battle, and they were right. Recon is high risk and dangerous service, and we often thought of both young men as we heard reports of action in Afghanistan.
"We were in Australia on shore leave, when the word came around that all sailors and Marines were to report back to the ship immediately," Tully recalled. "We watched the planes crashing into the towers and the Pentagon, and I thought it was a movie. But we knew that we would be heading somewhere soon, and that we would probably be among the first involved."
While most of the media was starting to speculate when American troops would go into Afghanistan, Tully was already on the ground doing his job. "We secured airfields and other sites important to the future operation. We were very busy before anyone in the states knew we were there."
Tully spend most of his time at Camp Rhino, the U.S. base outside of Khandahar. When asked if he was afraid of mines, Tully said "We did our operations mostly at night, and I was always the driver. I thought about mines a lot at the start, but eventually you have to say that it's all in God's hands, and just do your job." Tully said he frequently referred to his Gideon New Testament and an old copy of Daily Bread. When asked if there were other Christians in his unit, he said " those who already were, and those who quickly became ones."
Asked if he saw any bad guys, the usually buoyant Tully nodded with unmistakable seriousness. It was a lighter note when Mark was asked if he got to ride a horse. "Just a humvee," he grinned.
The Soldier of Fortune cover was a surprise. The original picture was taken by the AP, and Mark didn't know it was going to be used on a publication. The photo not only appeared on the cover of SoF, but on Retired Officer magazine as well.
Though serving in the Marine Corps fulfilled a childhood dream, Mark now has other plans. He wants to graduate from college with a degree in Psychology. He is grateful for his time serving the country. "I never thought that I would be part of something so important, but it was the right time to be a Marine."
For those at OBI who remember a slightly chubby Baker Hall Boy becoming a handsome young high school athlete, (he was 15th in the state cross country meet in 1998) it was rewarding to see how God has further developed and used one of our graduates. Many OBI staff shared memories of the Tully brothers, and expressed their appreciation for the encouragement that comes when successful students return and share their accomplishments.
OBI salutes the Tully brothers and all our graduates who have served in the military. We are always happy when they return to campus and give us a reason to keep working with the kids God sends us today.