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Marine returns from two wars
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Posted on Aug 03 2011
VFW Pacific Commander Barry Hirshbein welcomed one of the islands’ local warriors, USMC Sgt. Julian Ranas, back to Saipan and invited him to join the local Veteran of Foreign Wars organization on Beach Road. Ranas was born and raised on Saipan and graduated from Marianas High School.
After joining the U.S. Marine Corps and completing Basic Training in San Diego, Ranas was assigned to the Combat Logistics Battalion, and soon found himself in the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan (two different tours). He quickly advanced from Private to Sergeant, and was placed in charge of a platoon and a dozen supply trucks into the combat zones. On one excursion, his truck rolled over an IED (Improvised Explosion Device), but because of the truck’s armament and size, only his gunner suffered minor shrapnel wounds.
Ranas has been on Saipan and Guam for his R&R (Rest and Relaxation), seeing friends and family. He will be returning to his Hawaii base after his leave.
Ranas has been awarded several Expedition medals for his service. Because of his highly regarded military status, he will be attending Recruiter’s School in San Diego for eight weeks, and after that, he hopes to be assigned to the Pacific Regions for his recruiting duties. He has already served six years, and is not certain at this stage about re-upping again—he has developed several college goals.
His brother, Nick Ranas Jr., who is another MHS graduate, is a member of the U.S. Navy and has been assigned to California, Afghanistan, and Japan. [I](Joe Race)[/I]
