Happy Veterans Day from St. Joseph Catholic! SJCHS Spotlight: Major Marc R. Welde, United States Army Marc graduated from St. Joseph in 1995, he completed his undergraduate degree at Weber State University, and he received a Masters of Science degree from Chapman University. Currently, Marc is a Medical Service Corps officer in the United States Army. On his career Marc commented, “. I chose this career field because I had a profound duty to serve this great nation. My father and one of my sisters served in the military, both who were wonderful examples to me. I wanted to follow in their footsteps. Furthermore, I looked forward to the opportunities the military had to offer both professionally, and personally. I was born in Spain and lived the first 12-years of my life in Europe while my dad was serving in the United States Air Force. It was a great experience for me as a child; I wanted to provide the same for my family. Since joining, I have lived in three states and two countries (Korea and Germany), and have conducted business in more than seven other countries. I have deployed five times, four combat deployments (2 each to Iraq and Afghanistan) and one operational tour to Kosovo. Another thing that drew me to military service was the diversity of the career field. I have served in various capacities since joining, both with the conventional and Special Operations forces. For those that remember me from high school, I had a bit of ADD (and still do). A military career is perfect for someone like me because I get a “new” job every couple of years and can never really get bored!” Mark shared that one of his favorite memories of his career so far was “serving with the 75th Ranger Regiment, an elite special operations unit based in Georgia. One of my duties there was working with Rangers who were injured during combat operations, many of them severely. In addition to serving as the Senior Medical Operations Officer, I served as a liaison between the medical community, their families, and programs that aided in their recovery. These men are warriors. I was humbled each day to see what these men sacrificed and their will and desire to recover so they could fight another day. I will never forget the men of the 75th Ranger Regiment and the service they provide to our nation.” Since high school Marc has received several awards and decorations for his service in the Army, including two Bronze Star Medals and the Combat Medical Badge for his service in Iraq, and the Joint Service Commendation Medal for his service in Afghanistan. He completed the United States Army Ranger School, earning the Officer Leadership Award. Marc explained that his education at St. Joseph “provided the basis of who I am professionally. The rigors of the curriculum taught me to work and study hard (although I probably didn’t apply myself like I should have in HS. But hey, I turned out ok). Being in such a small school also afforded me the opportunity being involved in many activities such as sports, yearbook, and theater (no, not the acting part!).” One of his favorite memorable moments at St. Joseph was when he competed with a group of students in the AT&T Collegiate Investment Challenge in Mr. Hart’s business class. “We took first place in the national high school division, and beat out many Ivy League colleges. I am surprised I didn’t take my career to Wall Street… the good thing is that I learned a lot about personal finance and investing, which I have applied since graduating high school.” Currently, Marc is stationed in Baumholder, Germany, serving as the Battalion Executive Officer (Chief of Staff) for the 421st Medical Battalion. He has been married to Rachel Farr for 13 years; she is a high school choir teacher. “She has an amazing voice and has an innate ability to brighten any room with her musical talent.” They have three “active, wild and crazy boys,” Andrew, Luke, and Benjamin. “I wouldn’t be able to do what I do if it weren’t for the incredible support my family gives to me. Rachael is an amazing woman and mother.” Marc enjoys doing anything with his family that is outside. “As a family we enjoy traveling and being involved in as many outdoor activities as possible. I continue to be an avid skier, fly-fisherman, and photographer (thanks to Mrs. Barker). I also enjoy playing sports, and competing in endurance sports such as cycling, triathlons and marathons. If it’s outside, we love it!” Marc wanted to leave this message for the St. Joseph community: “To the current students… I am so impressed with the expanded curriculum, arts, and sports opportunities St. Joes has to offer. Get involved in as many things as you can in school, during and after. Like I said, the size of St. Joes affords you opportunities to be involved in so many things, whereas your peers down the road simply don’t have the same opportunity. There is so much to learn during high school, in the classroom, on the field, anywhere. There are lessons in everything you do. However, some of the most important lessons are learned through mistakes.” By Lily Bosworth (class of 2015)
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 21:03:15 +0000
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