Marine PFC Robert (Ignatius) Kuropatwinski of Los Alamos at his graduation Jan. 28 in San Diego. Courtesy photo
Marine PFC Ignatius Kuropatwinski visiting the Los Alamos Daily Post World Headquarters Feb. 6 to talk about his path to becoming a Marine. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
caclark@ladailypost.com
Los Alamos native Robert (Ignatius) Kuropatwinski, 18, graduated Jan. 28 from Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) to became a United States Marine.
Ignatius graduated from Los Alamos High School in 2021 and entered the Marines in November. He recalled how the training encompassed 13 weeks of grueling mental and physical challenge.
“The greatest moment of the training was receiving the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor (EGA), which is the official emblem and insignia of the United States Marine Corps. It was that moment when we went from a recruit to a Marine,” Ignatius said.
He began thinking about life in the military around middle school and was leaning toward the Navy or Marines.
“I was in my sophomore year in high school and in NJROTC we had Gunnery Sgt. Juan Lara who was a Marine,” Ignatius said. “He inspired me and gave me that final push to join the Marines.”
Because he spent six years in the Boy Scouts and earned his Eagle Scout he received the title of Private First Class (PFC), for which he receives a little more pay, he said.
Ignatius is the son of James and Shelly Kuropatwinski, and he has three sisters. He spoke about how much he had missed them and how great it was to see them, adding that they all broke down when they saw each other at his graduation.
“After 13 weeks at boot camp, Ignatius is now a United States Marine!” Shelly said. “Hearing all the challenges he went through and succeeded at makes me proud to call him my son. All his sisters, his dad, his girlfriend (Jenny) and I got to go to San Diego and see him graduate with his platoon. It was quite a wonderful and emotional weekend.”
James also spoke about the pride he has for their son.
“I’ve watched the YouTube videos of Marine recruit training at MCRD San Diego, and Ignatius shared some stories of the drill sergeants – yeah, recruit training is a thing unto itself,” James said. “Watching Ignatius march in formation with Platoon 3221, Kilo Company last week was a very breathtaking moment for the whole family. Not only Shelly and I were there for boot camp graduation; but his sisters Destini, Moira, Kaitlyn, and his girlfriend Jenny also were there. We all saw a changed guy. We all cried.”
Ignatius credits the members of his platoon for helping him make it through those 13 weeks of training.
“There were times that I thought ‘This is not okay – this is not what I signed up for’ but that’s just part of the process. They break everyone down and build them up,” Ignatius said. “There were days when I looked around and saw my brothers crawling in the mud and I thought why give myself a rest when they are putting their heart and soul into it whether it’s repelling off a tower or crawling in the mud.”
Ignatius commended his Staff Sgt. Vance for teaching them how to “embrace the suck” and carry on with a smile despite the level of pain they were going through.
“When my drill instructor gave me my Eagle, Globe, and Anchor – he looked me in the eyes and said, ‘Welcome to my brotherhood’ … in that moment the past 13 weeks all became worth it,” he said.
Ignatius has finished his 10 days of leave in Los Alamos visiting family and friends. He boarded a plane Tuesday in Albuquerque to report to his infantry training battalion at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
He will serve there for 14 weeks before being sent into the fleet and stationed somewhere in the United States: perhaps Camp Pendleton, MCRD or 29 Palms (all in California), Camp Lejeune (South Carolina), Hawaii, or even Okinawa Japan.
“If I’m in the top 10 percent of my class I get to choose where I go next,” Ignatius said.
When asked whether he thought he would make that top 10 … well that gleam in his eye said it all.
Marine PFC Robert (Ignatius) Kuropatwinski in San Diego for his graduation with visiting family members including his sisters Destini, Moira and Kaitlyn and his girlfriend Jenny, and his mom and dad Shelly and James Kuropatwinski. Courtesy photo
Marine PFC Ignatius Kuropatwinski Feb. 6 at the Los Alamos Daily. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com