Friday, May. 16, 2008
Army Uncle Swears in New Marine Officer
By Nicholas Sakelaris
Staff Writer
The 2004 Carroll graduate raised his right hand as his uncle, Army Col. Phil Swinford, swore him in as a second lieutenant in front of dozens of family and friends at the Timarron neighborhood amenity center.
Phil Swinford returned a few weeks ago from a 15-month tour of duty in Baghdad, where he trained Iraqi soldiers.
From his great-, great-grandfather to the present, the Swinfords have a rich tradition of serving the military, but Jeff will be the first Marine. Phil Swinford poked fun at his nephew for choosing the Marines but also said that he is proud of his nephew.
After taking the oath, Jeff’s father, Ben Swinford, pinned his son’s second lieutenant bars on his uniform, completing the ceremony.
Jeff Swinford’s long-term goal is to be a military attorney, known as a judge advocate general [JAG].
"I want to take advantage of the full potential God has instilled in me," young Swinford told the crowd.
On May 3, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business management from Oklahoma State University.
His mother, Kathy Swinford, said Jeff grew up watching Tom Cruise spar with Jack Nicholson in the courtroom in A Few Good Men. He got his first taste of law when he volunteered for Southlake’s Teen Court several years ago.
"He really cares about his fellow Marines. He’s really concerned about justice," she said.
"I think that’s what sparked his interest," she said.
All his life, he has been an overachiever.
Swinford got his pilot’s license while in college, finished in the top 10 percent in the business school at OSU and, last summer, graduated first out of 200 applicants in the Marine Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Va.
For that last honor he got his name on the traveling commandant trophy, which has been at the display case at OSU.
"Your name will always be on that trophy," said Michael Gehrki, a Marine selection officer based in Oklahoma City. "People will look up to him and trust him and that’s essentially what it’s all about."
When he finishes law school, he will go back to Quantico for basic training and more formal officer training.
"He’ll learn everything from how to lead an assault in an urban environment, which we know he won’t do, to which knife and fork to use at social settings," Gehrki said.
After that he will go to Naval Justice School to learn military law to become a full-fledged JAG.
Also present were several members of St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Hurst, which the Swinford family attends, as well as his grandparents.
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