After joining the U.S. Marine Corps and completing basic training in San Diego, Julian was assigned to the Combat Logistics Battalion, and soon found himself in the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan — two different tours.
He quickly advanced from private to sergeant, and was placed in charge of a platoon and a dozen supply trucks into the combat zones. On one excursion, his truck rolled over an IED, or improvised explosion device, but because of the truck’s armament and size, only his gunner suffered minor shrapnel wounds.
Julian has been on Saipan and Guam for his R&R, seeing friends and family. He will be returning to his Hawaii base after his leave.
Julian has been awarded several Expedition medals for his service. Because of his highly regarded military status, Julian will be attending Recruiters School in San Diego for eight weeks, and after that, he hopes to be assigned to the Pacific Regions for his recruiting duties. He has already served six years, and is not certain at this stage about re-upping again — he has developed several college goals.
The Marine Corps motto has been adopted totally by Julian — Semper fidelis — always faithful to the service of the United States of America.
As a reminder about the military service of the men of our island, Julian’s brother Nick Ranas Jr., another MHS graduate, is a member of the US Navy and has been assigned to California, Afghanistan and Japan.
