By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

Sarah Noble swore up and down that her son Tyler Breton had grown taller.

But, his height is the same.

The way he carries himself is different.

“When we went to see him in September for the graduation, we asked if he had gotten taller. He said, ‘No,’ ” said his mom Sarah Noble. “Tyler carried himself well before he left. But now, it is even more obvious: The way he carries himself, the way he responds, the way he processes things is different. The way he stands, he looks taller.”

Two young men from the lake region area, Tyler Breton and Ayden Foster, were pinned as United States Marines a week apart. That happened at Parris Island, South Carolina. They were shipped out in June and graduated as Marines in September. Immediatelyfollowing their respective graduations in which they saw family who hadn’t seen them in 13 weeks, the individuals were bussed to Camp Geiger, North Carolina, to await Military Occupational Specialities (MOS) training. 

It was then that Breton and Foster ended up in the same platoon. The young men wrapped up their schooling this month, and had a quick graduation ceremony on the morning of Jan. 12.

Last week, Breton and Foster got their first leave. They returned home to Maine after more than seven months away. 

Both of them explained why they decidedto become a United States Marine and what they learned.

Breton graduated from Lake Region High School (LRHS) in 2018 and tried the traditional college route. 

“I went to Husson University for a year.I ended up coming home and working for the Bridgton Recreation Department for two years. I worked with all the kids in the after school programs and coached them in soccer, basketball and baseball. I was looking at a different branches of the military: Navy, Army and Marines,” he said.

Marines seemed to have the most appeal to him.

“I wanted to be set apart. I wanted to have that title of being a Marine. It inspired me to go out and get in shape, and go from there,” he said. 

Getting into shape meant running three miles in 20 minutes and focusing oncore strength with planks, crunches and pull ups, he said.  

Ayden Foster graduated with the Class of 2021 at LRHS. He made his decision to join the Marines within a few months of graduation.

“I wanted to do something bigger. I wanted to do something better. I wanted to get out of the small town. There weren’t opportunities for me here, really,” he said. “My grandfather was in the Navy. My uncle was in the Marine Corps. They talked to me about it. Said it was great. It’ll turn you into a better person. I saw how it changed my uncle.” 

“At boot camp,I learned a lot of discipline, a lot of customs and courtesies. I learned how to talk to other people a lot better. I learned how to talk like we are all friends. And, I learned a lot about the Marine Corps,” Foster said. 

“Once you’ve completed boot camp, it is the greatest feeling in the world, to know that that sets you apart from everyone else is amazing,” Foster said. 

MOTHERS FIND SUPPORT 

Meanwhile, two mothers rekindled a friendship after they discovered their sons — both of whom graduated from LRHS a few years apart — enlisted in the Marines and went to boot camp on Parris Island. 

“It was completely an odd experience. We say goodbye and all of a sudden they are gone and you don’t hear anything,” said Meagan Foster, Ayden’s mom. “The night they get to Parris Island, you get this exciting, horrible phone call. It’s like a 15-second scripted call, stating who he is. ‘I have arrived. Do not send anything. I will send a letter. This is goodbye for now.’ ”

“Then, it is just waiting for letters. You are constantly waiting for the letters in the mail. It is a surreal experience when you finally get one. You see their handwriting. Okay he has reached out. I’ve heard from him. It’ll be okay for this week.”

“Sarah [Noble] and I grew up together when we were little girls, then drifted apart,” Meagan said. 

“This has totally brought us back together. We can lean on each other. We ask, ‘How are you doing?’ We understand how it feels to have very little communication for such a long time.”

Ayden wrote infrequently and always asked what’s happening in Bridgton. She looked to support groups for advice on what to write or not write in her letters. She was told to keep it positive. One of the hardest things not to write was: I miss you so much, she said. 

“I had a little phrase at the end of every single letter that I would write: ‘The dog misses you. The cat misses you. The other cat just doesn’t care.’ My letter kind of ended on a ‘ha ha’ note,” she said. 

“After they complete the crucible and become marines, they are allowed a call. It was so emotional. His first words were: ‘I did it mom. I am a Marine,’ ” Meagan said.“I cried and I shook and I didn’t expect such an emotional reaction. To hear his voice after that long was just amazing.” 

Tyler’s mom Sarah described the Marine tradition, the Crucible.

“In order to become a Marine, the last 54 hours before being pinned a Marine, they have a 54-hour test. They hike 48 miles. They have 50 pounds of gear. They have to go through 36 warrior stations. They have to go through 29 team building experiences,” she said. 

“They are taxed. Everything they go through in 13 weeks comes down to these last 54 hours. It is intense. Tyler said it was the hardest thing they went through,” she said. 

“After he was pinned, he was FaceTiming us for the first time in 13 weeks. All these parents on the Facebook page were saying they were waiting for that call. It was so emotional,” Sarah said. 

SERVING AS MARINES TOGETHER

At Camp Geiger, Breton and Foster started MOS training together in October.  

“Sarah and I thought it was fabulous. They were a week part in their training, and ended up in the same group [pontoon],” Meagan Foster said. 

Becoming a Marine has changed both men.

“I haven’t noticed the changes, but all my friends have. They noticed I am a lot more calm, relaxed,” Foster said. “I learned there is a time to be aggressive like in training, and there is time to relax. That is a switch you’ve gotta flip.”

Foster might not seem taller to his mom, but he rises earlier, she said. 

“This has been weird. His biggest thing is breakfast. He was never a breakfast eater. When he first came back, he said to me, ‘I just want to go to breakfast.’ He is up and at ‘em early in the morning,” she said. 

“He was so funny the other day. He flew into Boston, and stayed the night there with a friend. He said, ‘I don’t think I want to ever come back to Maine in the winter again,’ which is hilarious because he was a hockey player most of his life,” she said.

The warmer weather in the Carolina spoiled him, she said. 

Breton listed the warmth during the winter months as one of the things he likes about that state.

“I loved it. I can’t complain about the weather. It was 77 during Christmas time. But, it does get cold there,” Breton said. “The sunrises are amazing. We are out in the field a lot so I get to watch a lot of sunrises.” 

However, there are things for which he yearned while away from Maine.

“I miss hunting season this year; and just being up here during the fall when the leaves are starting to change. The Fryeburg Fair— I was sad I couldn’t eat fried dough and walk around and look at everything. On the Fourth of July, I missed the fireworks on the Causeway and down in Bridgton.”  

What Foster liked the most about North Carolina was meeting new people, getting to know people from all over the nation. What he missed the most about Bridgton were his friends that he grew up with most of his life. However, when he missed his friends or his mom, he would get more focused on the task at hand.  

“I’m just going to push through. The sooner I can get through with this training, the sooner I can see my family,” he said. 

“Now, I’m looking forward to being deployed. Meeting new people and strengthening the relationships he made while training to become a Marine,” Foster said. 

Breton had some words of advice to people interested in becoming a Marine. 

“I would say, ‘Definitely don’t be afraid of missing out on opportunities. If that is something you want to do, don’t second guess yourself. A lot of people get there and think it is too hard. But it’s all in your head. You have to prove in your head that you can do it. Prove to yourself that you can do anything that you can set your mind too,” he said.