Pete Holevas of Queens, New York, said he was inspired to enroll into the U.S. Marines because he wanted to serve his country and told of his inspiration in a interview with Markos Papadatos, and his military experience.
His parents are from Nafpaktos and he has been to Greece twice and said he intends on going again. “I am proud to have Greek blood and I have lots of heart, I think it’s because of that ‘Spartan blood.’ I go to the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Flushing, Queens, whenever I am home,” he said.
He also wanted to make his family proud since many of his family members were in the military and he wished to proudly carry on this tradition. “This is why I chose to join the most elite fighting force in the world,” he said.
His boot camp training began on Sept. 11, 2012 and he became a Marine on Dec. 1. “My contract with them is for six years and down the road I will be thinking about re-enlisting. I love it,” he exclaimed.
He said, “Marines live by the core values of honor, courage and commitment. They taught me that very well and I am more disciplined and I have more respect now. My parents are proud of what the Corps has done for me and I am very happy that I adopted all of these values and I am using them in my everyday life.”
He said that his greatest influences in life include his family, especially his mother. In addition, he has looked up to his drill instructors that worked hard for three months to turn him from a civilian to a United States Marine.
Regarding his plans for the future, he stated, “I am a reservist and I have the opportunity to come back home after all my training. I plan on getting my Bachelor’s Degree at the John Jay College in Criminal Justice, in an effort to become a police officer in the future and I hope to simultaneously be a Marine.”
For Greek-American youths thinking of enlisting in the military, he advised them to do so. “The benefits the military gives you are good but especially the pride and the honor it is to serve the best country in the world is very reassuring. My advice is to join after high school and get a good job in the military and start your career there.”
“I would like to thank all Greek-Americans that supported me while I was in boot camp, especially the Greek Church which gave me lots of faith in God to never give up,” he said. He added that, “I would like to thank everyone who supports the military. I joined to serve and fight for the American people so that they can go to sleep at night and not have to worry about their lives being in danger. I love the Marine Corps and I would like to extend my gratitude towards the Greek-American community for their support.”
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