Alexander Woytkiw joined the United States Marine Corps while he was in his third year of college. He was doing well in school, but he did not know what to do with his life. So, he randomly decided to join the Marine Corp since it represented who he was. His twin brother, Adam, also joined. Alex was a Special Operations Marine (Specifically, a Ground Intelligence Operator on Marine radar teams with special operations). Even though the job was technical, Alex had tons of fun and liked the sense of community. Looking back on his military career, he is proud of it and will never regret it. It changed his life and gave him a sense of direction.
When I asked him the question, “What was more challenging: dealing with Chad or being on the battlefield?” Alex replied, “Deploying on the battlefield was more challenging because that was real. Chad was fake and would call out other people. Deploying and fighting a good is not in comparison.” This reminded me of the time Alex, JoJo, and Chad went into the woods during their visit to Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. It was like a fight between good versus evil. When my mom and I watched that episode, we chanted, “Go, Alex! Get him!” He did defeat Chad and was congratulated by the other guys when he returned.
Finally, Alex had great advice for young people who want to join the military. He said, “I believe that people have a calling and flame inside their heart. That flame is symbolic of the desire to service for your country. If you know you have that burning passion and do not pursue it, you will wake up and regret not making that decision when you are older. If you feel it, just go into it. Just know that it is not something you can quit, and it will be lonely at times.”
