CURTIS HENRY
Sports Editor
From Monday to Friday, he’s in the classroom, he’s on the rugby field, and he’s learning more about the campus. But at age 23, Jeremy Lilga is far from your typical freshman at Fredonia.
Lilga grew up on a farm in Eden, New York, regularly helping his father with the cows while also competing as a three-sport athlete at Eden High School. Lilga, recently graduated from high school, decided to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2011. The next four years would shape Lilga into the person he’s become today.
“A lot of the things, a lot of standards I hold myself to, are straight from my time in the Marines,” said Lilga. “I’m the type of guy who’s gonna shake your hand and look you in the eye and have that type of personal communication. I’m kind of old school, I guess.
“It’s pretty simple. I’m not better than anybody, and I’m not less than anybody,” Lilga said.
Lilga’s time in the Marines taught him virtues and disciplines that, he says, aren’t learned elsewhere.
“Really, it just taught me integrity and the value of brotherhood,” said Lilga. “I met some really great guys in the Marines, and we were always in it together. That sense of brotherhood is something that can’t be matched anywhere else.”
Lilga was in a battalion of 250, and his platoon was made up of about 50 others. They became his friends, teammates, brothers and much more. They were also the group that Lilga would spend the vast majority of his time with from dawn until dusk over the course of his four years of service.
His unit would travel, first around the country and then all over the world. The initial chunk of his four years was spent in the U.S., making stops in South Carolina, Missouri and California, among others. He would go on to be located all over the world, in countries ranging from Kuwait to Dubai, and from Korea to Singapore.
“In some of our locations abroad, we had a Cinderella curfew when the day was done,” Lilga explained. “Basically we had to be back by midnight, sharp. But until then, we were granted a little bit of free time to do pretty much whatever we wanted once the day’s work was over.”
While abroad, Lilga’s role was as a part of the Marine Expeditionary Unit. His unit’s job, while stationed, was to be ready for response action in the event of any nearby danger or crisis. This could range from combat breaking out to the occurrence of a natural disaster.
“Where we were stationed for a while, we were essentially the first line of defense in places like Syria,” Lilga said. “Luckily nothing too big happened while we were out there, but there were some tense days.”
Lilga returned from serving in July of 2015. He took a year off to work and help out on the farm before starting his academic career here at Fredonia. Lilga is now majoring in criminal justice.
“I didn’t really know I was going to go to college until I figured out that it was actually worth it. Now I’m here, and I’m excited to be getting a start on my post-military career,” said Lilga.
Joining the rugby team was among the first things that Lilga did upon his arrival at Fredonia. His brother was a member of the team as well, making his integration into the team easy.
“It was about finding that sense of brotherhood again. To an extent, joining the rugby team has done that for me,” said Lilga.
Teammate Devin Wood spoke highly of everything that Lilga can bring to the table. He highlighted the discipline that Lilga displays, a key attribute that stems from his time serving.
“Jeremy is a guy that always leads the pack,” said Wood. “On days when we’re doing conditioning or something, he’s always telling people to keep pushing when they think they can’t go further. He’s more of a leader than any freshman I’ve seen. He’s more of a leader than most guys are on the team, honestly.
“He’s definitely a guy that I can look up to, even though he’s new,” continued Wood. “His service is something that I admire. Putting the country before yourself is one of the most admirable things that a person can do, in my opinion.”
The upcoming Veteran’s Day will be the second that Lilga has been a part of since his time serving has ended. However, Lilga’s thoughts on the holiday may be surprising to some.
“I don’t know if this isn’t politically correct or anything like that, but to me Veteran’s Day isn’t all that it’s made out to be,” said Lilga. “I think that the media kind of makes it out to be more than it is. It’s necessary and it’s a good day to show respect to veterans all around, but it isn’t like Memorial Day. Memorial Day is definitely the more important of the two, because on Memorial Day you’re paying tribute to and remembering those who served and paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Veteran’s Day is a little bit different, just because not all vets have served in the same capacity.
“It’s necessary, but the media puts vets on a pedestal. It’s just my thoughts on the subject, honestly,” he said.