"Why?" Wilson School professor Uwe Reinhardt asked of his son, Marine Cpt. Mark Reinhardt '01 and another Marine officer as they sat in a bar in San Diego. "Why did you do this?"
"Because no one else does," came the response from Mark. "There are all these kids from the barrio and the Dakotas and the farmland, great young guys going [overseas] to stand tall for America, and they need leaders."
Mark, an economics concentrator and former Ivy Club president, had made up his mind to join the United States Marine Corps at the end of his junior year at Princeton. He entered the Officer Candidates School that summer. That decision eventually led to three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and to his receipt of a Purple Heart.
After accepting a commission in the Marine Corps, Reinhardt became an artillery officer, finding himself in Iraq shortly after completing his final training.
In Iraq, Reinhardt would have typically remained in the rear with the artillery batteries, his father said, but Mark wanted to be where the action was and secured an assignment as a forward observer, radioing in target coordinates from the front lines.
Reinhardt's unit supported the initial invasion of Tikrit, and U.S. troops took control of the city in one night. "When we saw a picture [of Mark], that was the first time we knew he was alive, because you never know," Professor Reinhardt said.
After returning home for only a few months, Mark was again sent to Iraq for seven months to protect convoys in the Sunni Triangle, where his unit detected more roadside bombs than any other.
That second deployment would have fulfilled Mark's requirement of two tours of duty, but he received word that the Marines needed someone to advise the commander of a company of Afghan soldiers. He signed on for his third and last tour of duty.
On Aug. 4, 2005, Mark was riding in a Humvee as part of an Afghan patrol force when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device, consisting of two antitank mines attached to a mortar round. A Marine gunnery sergeant traveling in the Humvee was killed in the blast, and Reinhardt and the Afghan driver were severely wounded.
Both wounded soldiers were quickly evacuated and eventually transferred to a military hospital in Germany, where his family was able to meet him.
He eventually recovered fully. "The medical service supporting our troops is great," his father said.
"For us relatives, it was quite a ride," he added. "At his young age, [Mark] is a seasoned combat veteran and his family a seasoned military family."
"We know what it's like to have a loved one in the fray."
Read More
GSG approves audit, delays budget approval after ‘insufferable’ meeting
Nikki HanThe final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
The final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
Effort to restore chapel’s pews slowly progresses
Ben GoldstonHead carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.
Head carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.
Metals, molecules, and medicine: chemical biology’s influence on health and sustainability
Aanya KaseraChemistry professor Chris Chang’s lab studies the chemical biology of the elements, specifically examining the roles that copper, iron, and zinc play in biology across all kingdoms of life.
Chemistry professor Chris Chang’s lab studies the chemical biology of the elements, specifically examining the roles that copper, iron, and zinc play in biology across all kingdoms of life.