Will Lake mimes concern as he replaces a set of very badly worn brake pads. Lake is now a mechanic in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Andy Lake and Kara Watters Lake of Brookfield haven’t seen their son in four months.

While that is not unusual during the COVID-19 pandemic, in this case it is not because of quarantine.

It’s because William Lake is a Marine now.

At 7 a.m. in North Carolina, while many of his peers are still in bed, or getting ready for college classes, Pvt. Lake has already finished his morning routine and is in uniform starting his day.

While it may not have been his first choice, joining the military has always been in the back of Lake’s mind. Lake had been enrolled in Job Corps, a vocational program operated by the U.S. Department of Labor. He was on track gaining experience in the automotive industry when the service was temporarily shut down last March, and feeling directionless, Lake began to consider enlisting.

“I’ve worked quite a few jobs and traveled a little bit, and I was feeling like I was hitting a lot of dead ends,” he said. “So, joining was kind of a way to get back on track…I really wanted to do something for my friends and my family.”

Will Lake is now a private first class in the U.S. Marine Corps. (Provided)

Enlisting in the Marines was a big moment for Lake and his family, but one he undertook in secret. “He came home once in the summer after Job Corps canceled because of COVID. I knew he was going away somewhere, and I didn’t know where, but he would leave every afternoon,” said Lake’s father, Andy. “He said he was up to something big, but he didn’t want to tell me until it was for sure … When we found out, I know I was pretty amazed that he shot so high.”

A Family Tradition

Lake said he wants to be someone his family and community can look up to, especially his younger siblings.

“It meant a lot to me,” noted Andy Lake, “because my father was the same way, and my grandfather. Our family should do whatever it could do whatever it could do to help other people,” he said.

Ken Cadow, one of Lake’s former teachers, spoke highly of his former student.

“I feel like Will has a really strong sense of who he is, and I think he will continue to hold onto that. Contrary to most people that haven’t been in the military, it’s not a brainwashing environment. They really depend on personal judgement, and a strong sense of self, and I think that’s going to serve him really well there,” Cadow said.

Will Lake is now a private first class in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Lake, he added, is a caring, thoughtful, and playful person, whose sense of community and humanity is really important.

“Anybody can do this,” said Lake “You just have to put in the work and see it through.”

Training was as difficult as he expected. “They break you down so they can build you back up,” he said, adding that “there were times where I didn’t want to get up in the morning, and I didn’t want to be yelled at all day, but you just keep that in your mind that I’m not going to quit.”

A Long Journey

“He was able to call us once to let us know he arrived there, but he went with nothing but the clothes on his back, a $20 bill, and a little plastic bag filled with his Social Security cards,” his mom, Watters Lake, said.

It was weeks before the Lakes would hear from their son again. They waited for his address so they would be able to start mailing him letters.

“We really couldn’t write to him for probably a month until he got settled in there, and once we did, that was honestly something that I really treasured, Lake’s mother said.

While acknowledging that the military may not be for everyone, Lake said for him it was the right call at the right time.

“It’s a challenge [like] you’ve never seen before, and I’d say it was the best and worst moment of my life. It was the hardest thing, and most intense thing, but in a way, I felt completely prepared for it,” he said.

After boot camp and a month’s wait, Lake is now starting his training for his new specialty as a mechanic with Motor T. Stationed in North Carolina, Lake was recently promoted to private first class.

You can find this story published in The Herald.