Face of Defense: Mom Expresses Pride in Sons’ Service

By Marine Corps Cpl. Brandon Thomas

1st Marine Corps District

GARDEN CITY, N.Y., Feb. 9, 2015 – Parents go through an array of emotions when their children join the military, from the sadness of letting their children go to pride in their children’s decision.

Dana Ritcheson knows these feelings all too well, as she has taken the trip to California twice to see her sons graduate at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.

“I’ve seen so much change in my sons since they joined the Marine Corps,” said Ritcheson, a Murphysboro, Illinois, native. “They both really grew up in the Marine Corps.”

Different Paths to Marine Corps

Her sons -- Sgt. Joseph Ritcheson, an information systems management technician with U.S. Central Command, and Cpl. James Ritcheson, an administrative specialist with 1st Marine Corps District -- are identical twins, but they didn’t join the Marine Corps together. Sergeant Ritcheson joined right out of high school, while Corporal Ritcheson joined at age 23 after attending college.

“Joey always said from early on that he wanted to be a Marine,” Dana Ritcheson said. “Jamie did not vocalize that opinion until much later. I distinctly remember when the recruiter visited Joey. Jamie didn’t even want to be in the room.”

The corporal said he decided to enlist when he saw what the Marines had done for his brother.

“My brother played a big part in my decision to join the Marine Corps,” he said. “In 2011, when I decided to join, he had already purchased a brand-new house in Florida, a new car, and was doing something with his life.”

The brothers now share a commitment, a legacy and a purpose.

“I was glad that he decided to join the Corps. I knew it would be good for him,” Sergeant Ritcheson said. “You would be surprised how small the Marine Corps is when you have someone who looks exactly like you.”

Tangible, Intangible Benefits

As was the case for many people before them, the Ritcheson brothers said, they chose to join the Marine Corps for the tangible and intangible benefits it provides.

“I’ve been in about three years now,” Corporal Ritcheson said. “I’m definitely a better person now. I look back at my friends who stayed home, and they’re still doing what they were doing three years ago.”

Their mother said she initially experienced the natural trepidation of sending two of her children off to become Marines, but now she’s brimming with pride over their achievements.

“I’m just really proud because they’re doing something that’s important,” she said. “They are doing something that they enjoy, and it has been good for both of them.”