Erik Matthew Westfall, a 2014 graduate of Tahoma High School, just completed 13 weeks of boot camp at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego on Jan. 30.

Erik is proof of how perseverance can pay off.

He struggled in school and had dropped out of high school while living in Oregon.  He knew that he would be unable to achieve his long term goal of becoming a U.S. Marine without a diploma; the Marine Corps is currently not accepting recruits with GEDs.

So he moved to Maple Valley to live with family and re-enrolled in school.

Erik knew it would be an uphill battle for a fifth year senior at a new school in a new state, but he worked hard and had a house full of family to help guide, encourage and keep him on track. Erik was required to get a waiver for his eye astigmatism after completing his Marine Corps physical – this waiver took six months to get; and all along he did not know if he would be accepted or not. There were many times when he could have given up but he didn’t.

Erik Westfall is now Private Westfall; a United States Marine. With boot camp behind him, he is on his way to Camp Pendleton where he will continue his advanced infantry training. His family is extremely proud of how he turned his life around and reached his goals.

Howard and Lynn Van Erem
Grandparents