Camp Grayling, MI -- Standing confidently with the smell of expended mortar rounds still lingering around him, U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Tyler Farias, a mortar man with Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, out of Fort Devens, Massachusetts, looks out over a mortar range at Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center, Michigan, during exercise Northern Strike 17.
Farias, a Reserve Marine, has been in the Marine Corps for two years and nine months. Originally from Tiverton, Rhode Island, he joined the Marine Corps Reserves because he valued the camaraderie and teamwork that the military has.
After playing lacrosse and rugby for six years as a kid, Farias had developed a deep appreciation for teamwork. He believed the Marine Corps was the best fit for him because they were the hardest working and the most ready to deploy. Similar to rugby and lacrosse, being in the Marine Corps requires teamwork and lots of communication.
“Teamwork for me has always been a big thing in my life playing sports,” said Farias. “Growing up and being always around teams, always putting that jersey on and representing something.”
Farias chose to be a mortar man because they are known for being a closely-knit group of Marines that work together to complete fire missions for the Marine Corps.
“This is the one my recruiter recommended to me. He thought it would be the best fit and he was 100% right,” said Farias.
Completing fire missions and working closely with his mortar team, Farias thinks of his teams as a second family, spending time together after drill weekends and annual trainings.
“I drove to Connecticut, Maine and New Hampshire just to go to dinner with these guys,” said Farias. “These are the guys I like being around and these are the guys I can trust, so I like being around them better than anybody else.”
When asked about who embodies the camaraderie and teamwork of the Marine Corps, Farias mentioned both his platoon sergeant and squad leader.
“Sgt. Joseph Goparian is definitely someone I look up to because of the way he cares about his Marines,” said Farias.
Farias also looks up to his squad leader, Lance Cpl. Jeremy Urquhart because of the depth of knowledge he has within his occupational specialty and the values that they share together.
“He is a really good friend and a really good Marine and he’ll back us up on anything,” said Farias.
When Farias isn’t training with the Marine Corps, he studies Criminal Justice at Bristol Community College and Purdue University. He also serves as Quality Control for Spectrum Lighting Incorporation, a million dollar corporation providing quality, commercial, industrial lighting products and energy saving solutions. In the past Farias has produced products for Ferrari and is currently evaluating and creating products for Lamborghini.
Farias’s desire to be part of something bigger than himself and to preserve a sense of belonging has been a major driving factor in his life and his career, shaping him into a person that demonstrates his commitment to his country, his family and his Marines.
“You have to honor what you do and stay true to who you are,” said Farias. “You have to have faith, Semper Fidelis, always.”