\”I had to get better because I had to get back to work,\” Baronie said. \”How fast could I get back to work? That\’s what it came down to. I think me knowing that I had a job sped up my recovery.\”

Overwatch Key to Recovery

Baronie is one of the Marine Corps\’ nearly 3,000 injured who have returned to active duty. And he is not the only leader in the company who was injured in combat.

Activity as Therapy

Staying active is key to healing, Baronie said. It is dangerous for Marines to stay isolated in their rooms for hours or days at a time. Baronie said he doesn\’t want any \”professional X-Box players.\”
The battalion staff work out of temporary trailers arranged in a horse-shoe pattern beside 1940s-era red brick barracks. Wooden wheelchair ramps snake between the buildings. A new $27 million barracks complex is under construction that will move the Marines closer to the hospital and other treatment facilities on base. The West Coast battalion has a similar barracks construction project planned.

Baronie cuts them no slack, though, for missed appointments. \”The reason why you were sent here wasn\’t to pull triggers,\” he tells the Marines. \”It wasn\’t to go into the field. It is to heal. You go to your appointments. You have to do your part to get better.\”

\”Life doesn\’t stop when you get wounded. You\’ve got to have some type of responsibility and, whether you choose to stay in the Marine Corps or move into civilian life, you\’re still going to have to press forward,\” Baronie said.

\”What happens when you go into the civilian world and that corporation you work for … is trying to make money and you don\’t come to work? They might not care that you\’re wounded. You may hear two words — you\’re fired.\”

The career planner for the company is himself an injured Marine who has stayed on active duty with a permanent disability, working limited duty. Marine Corps leadership has vowed to keep all injured Marines on active duty who can still work in some capacity. The limited duty assignment allows the Marine to receive a disability assignment from the service, for later benefits, but to stay on active duty in a job they can perform. The Marine can later decide to leave the service if he or she finds the circumstances too difficult.

For many, that next step is sometimes a greater dilemma than their recovery. Mixed emotions swell as they are forced to reconcile what they want to do with what their bodies will now allow them to do.

\”These guys are torn right now because all of them are grunts (infantrymen). They left high school and didn\’t want to go to college. They wanted to join the Marine Corps and they wanted to shoot and blow up stuff,\” Baronie said. \”And now … they may be able to stay in the Marine Corps, but they know that they won\’t be able to go back to that grunt community. They\’ll be found unfit to do that strenuous [job].\”

\”If the Marine Corps mission is slacking because of me, it will be time for me to go,\” Baronie said.
But for now, as Baronie moves around his company, inspecting repairs, talking to Marines and stopping in their small kitchen to see what is cooking, it is clear that he is one of them.
His injuries give him credibility. They know he has \”been there\” and do not hesitate to pull him aside to talk. Sometimes it\’s about problems. Sometimes it\’s just to talk.. Occasionally a \”wheelchair jousting\” match will break out in the halls, or — Marines being Marines — they begin good-naturedly beating each other with their crutches.

For Baronie and his Marines, this is home. \”I don\’t want to work anywhere else. I love just coming to work and hanging out with them. These guys are awesome,\” he said.

(Editor’s note: This is the latest in a series of AFPS articles about seriously injured servicemembers who are returning to active duty.)

The Ramblers scored almost at will for the first three periods to win the annual city series by a 52-7 count before more than 3000 chilled fans.

Meanwhile it ended a winless campaign for the Blue and Gold gridders, although they did manage to break their offensive famine of not having scored a point.

Gene Miller, Lennie Lacavara and Frank DiGiacomo scored two touchdowns apiece in the one-sided victory while Dick Talley and George Gibison tallied single six pointers apiece. Miller converted after four of the eight teedees.

Jim Ashe made Gloucester\’s touchdown on a two yard plunge and also was the loser\’s standout player of the day in the backfield.

The Rams pushed across 20 points in the first period, followed with 13 in the second session, and closed out its scoring by posting 19 markers in the third period.

Coach Hopkins used his first stringers all the way as he gave his seniors a chance to play in their finale for the Maroon and Gold.

To single out a star for Catholic would be a hard proposition as all performed well on both offense and defense as they captured their third straight from the Public High eleven. The first five games of the series were won by Gloucester High.

Gloucester received and couldn\’t advance and punted to its own 29 in the face of a stiff wind. Gibison, Lacavara and DiGiacomo covered the 29 yards in five plays with the latter going over, Miller converted.

Another wind-blown punt gave the Rams the ball on the Blue and Gold 37 and in four plays it was 13-0. The payoff came on a 17 yard aerial from Miller to Lacavara after the latter had set the score up with a 22-yard end sweep.

Bob Viet set Catholic up again when he recovered a fumble on the Gloucester 20. Miller passed to Lacavara on the first play for the score. Miller converted.

Gibison was next to score when after the Rams drove 40 yards he plunged over from the one. Miller converted.

Lacavara intercepted a Gloucester pass near the end of the first half and returned it to the Gloucester 26. Gibison made five yards and after passing 11 yards to Talley, Miller swept the end for the score.

The sixth teedee came on a two yard pass play from Miller to Talley, and the seventh score came shortly after when Gibison was on the throwing end of a pass to Miller. The play covered 45 yards.

DiGiacomo made the final Ram touchdown when he scooped up a fumble and raced 37 yards to paydirt on the last play of the third quarter.

Walt Doherty set up Gloucester\’s score when he intercepted Miller\’s pass on the Catholic 32 and ran it back to the seven. It took Ashe three plays and he was into the end zone for his team\’s touchdown. Ken Lohberger booted the extra point.