Former Warwick Boy Scouts now in military service

Blacksburg, Va. - United States Marine Sgt. Steve Marley, the son of Stephen and Patricia Marley of Warwick, recently drove six hours to collect one silver dollar. The dollar, however, was not the real reason that Marley traveled from Camp Le Jeune, N.C., to Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, Va. He took the trip because his friend, Robert Barnett, the son of Bob and Peggy Barnett of Warwick, had just graduated from Virginia Tech and was about to be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. Also, another fellow “Warwickian,” Michael Dembeck, the son of Wendy and Robert Dembeck of Warwick, was also receiving his gold bars at the same commissioning ceremony. All three young men: Barnett, Dembeck and Marley, had been members of Warwick’s Boy Scout Troop 38. Barnett had kept in touch with Marley, even when the sergeant was stationed in the Middle East. And he recently told him when and where he would be commissioned. Marley wanted to be the first enlisted man to salute his friend and following an old military tradition, the new officer, Lt. Barnett, would be obliged to hand him a silver dollar. Sgt. Marley, who served three tours in the Middle East, including one in Afghanistan and two in Iraq, is about to complete his four-year enlistment. He plans to join the New York City Fire Department. Sgt. Marley was recently awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received when a nearby IED (Improvised Explosive Device) exploded. Lt. Dembeck’s wife, Leslie, whom he met at school, was also commissioned a second lieutenant that same day. The couple will be stationed together at Fort Hood, Texas, following their Officer Basic Courses. Lt. Barnett is currently in Officer Basic Training and later this summer, he plans to win his parachute wings at the Army’s Jump School. His first operational assignment will be in South Korea. Both Barnett and Dembeck were Eagle Scouts, the highest rank in scouting and one that only two percent of all Boy Scouts achieve. “We all agree that being in the Boy Scouts,” said Barnett, “provided an early introduction to many of the practical and leadership skills needed for military service as well as other careers. And all of us agree that we owe a debt of gratitude to our mothers and fathers for their support.”