Sundbeck, William, Cpl

PLEASE DESCRIBE WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE MARINE CORPS.
My father mostly. He was never military himself, but he has studied all facets of the military and he has an enormous wealth of knowledge concerning the world wars. That and the September 11th attack. I was in my college dorm watching TV when the first plane hit. I remember how my stomach sank and it was pretty apparent after that what I wanted to do. Joining the Marine Corps was just a given.

WHETHER YOU WERE IN THE SERVICE FOR SEVERAL YEARS OR AS A CAREER, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE DIRECTION OR PATH YOU TOOK. WHERE DID YOU GO TO BOOT CAMP AND WHAT UNITS, BASES, SHIPS OR SQUADRONS WERE YOU ASSIGNED TO? WHAT WAS YOUR REASON FOR LEAVING?
I was an 0331 machine gunner. During the School of Infantry, one could go through and pick what MOS they wanted. Didn't mean you were going to get that job, but it was a wish list. I wanted to be a machine gunner. The thought of carrying a big hunk of death dealing metal was quite intriguing to me. I went through a sort of "rite of passage" to be a machine gunner in SOI. We had to burn the barrels of the M240G into our forearms. I still have the scar.

IF YOU PARTICIPATED IN ANY MILITARY OPERATIONS, INCLUDING COMBAT, HUMANITARIAN AND PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS, PLEASE DESCRIBE THOSE WHICH MADE A LASTING IMPACT ON YOU AND, IF LIFE-CHANGING, IN WHAT WAY?
I participated in two separate combat tours. My first was to Afghanistan with BLT 1/6 which was part of the 22 MEU. After a stop in Albania for some Mountain terrain training, we were boots on the deck in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The most significant moments about that deployment were all the ambushes. We were ambushed by the Taliban for days! 7 to be exact. Every time we would locate, close width, and destroy the enemy. We were given the name "Death Walkers" by Taliban warfighters.

My next and last tour after Afghanistan was to Fallujah, Iraq. The big push of Fallujah was finished. 3/5 had just emptied the last little bit of population from the city and we were sent in to continue the fight. There was not a whole lot of fighting. More dodging IEDs and patrolling around looking for suspicious activity. There were on a few occasions some firefights that lasted a short time. I remember an IED exploding between my Humvee and another behind me. Kicking in doors was a normal day to day activity. Securing weapons caches was another. Oh and the temperature. I have never been so hot in my entire life. It was almost sterilization temperatures there!

OF ALL YOUR DUTY STATIONS OR ASSIGNMENTS, WHICH ONE DO YOU HAVE FONDEST MEMORIES OF AND WHY? WHICH WAS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE?
When I transitioned from SOI to the fleet marine force, I went to First Battalion, Sixth Marines. I originally was pushed to Bravo Company until the work up for Afghanistan started. I was then re-assigned to Charlie Company which was to be the Helo company part of BLT 1/6.

The thing that sticks the most was the work up for the deployment. We spent 6 months conducting all sorts of exercises and schools. I went through Special Operations Training Group (SOTG), SWET Training, Advanced Machine guns Leaders Course (AMGLC), and numerous Helo related courses designed for insertions and extractions into a hostile environment. My duty station was Camp Lejeune, NC. It is here when the 2nd Marine Division trains and houses Marines.

Before I departed from the Marine Corps, my FAP was to Infantry Training Battalion, Camp Geiger. This is where I began my infantry career, and this is where it ended. I was chosen along with three other marines from the battalion to help the instructors on board AMGLC in instilling in deploy-able Marines proper tactics and procedures for the employment of machine guns; an honorable conclusion to my service for the United States of America.

FROM YOUR ENTIRE MILITARY SERVICE, DESCRIBE ANY MEMORIES YOU STILL REFLECT BACK ON TO THIS DAY.
War. Friends and brothers. The bond between the men to your left and right is the closest thing to family. Knowing that those men you trained and the ones that trained beside you are going to put their lives on the line for you without hesitation.

WHAT PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF FROM YOUR MILITARY CAREER?
I was put up for a Navy Achievement medal by my platoon commander, Lt. Moran. However, the NAM was reduced to a Certificate of Commendation. I received two of these during my tour of active duty. My first was during combat operation is Afghanistan on January 6, 2005 for confidently employing my weapon system to effectively suppress enemy forces during several engagements against Taliban forces factoring into my company's destruction of over 80 enemy personnel.

My next commendation was during combat operations in Fallujah, Iraq on January 31, 2006 for filling the billet of a Fire Team Leader two weeks before our deployment. I transformed a machine gun team into a tactically and technically proficient fire team.

OF ALL THE MEDALS, AWARDS, FORMAL PRESENTATIONS AND QUALIFICATION BADGES YOU RECEIVED, OR OTHER MEMORABILIA, WHICH ONE IS THE MOST MEANINGFUL TO YOU AND WHY?
All of them.

WHICH INDIVIDUAL(S) FROM YOUR TIME IN THE MILITARY STAND OUT AS HAVING THE MOST POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY?
Well of course my drill instructor SSgt. Blain had a huge impact, but the person that I hold in the highest regard from instrumentally making me the Marine I am would be GySgt. Stark (Ret). Gunny Stark was the Senior Instructor aboard AMGLC. I went through his course as a Lance Corporal, then later I helped him instruct Marines as a Corporal. He embodied everything the Marine Corps is.

CAN YOU RECOUNT A PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM YOUR SERVICE, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNNY AT THE TIME, BUT STILL MAKES YOU LAUGH?
My First Sergeant. He was ridiculous.

WHAT PROFESSION DID YOU FOLLOW AFTER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY SERVING, WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY?
I am currently working in sales. At the moment I am a retail sales consultant for Sprint. I sell phones and everything that goes with the phones. I work with the general public which sucks, but in the civilian world I can't knife hand people.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS SERVING IN THE MILITARY INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU HAVE APPROACHED YOUR LIFE AND YOUR CAREER? WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT YOUR TIME IN THE SERVICE?
I am very professional in everything I do whether it be washing my car or making money selling goods.

BASED ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED THE MARINE CORPS?
Stay in. I have spent most of my life outside the Marine Corps wishing I was still a gun toting leatherneck.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM HELPED YOU REMEMBER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND THE FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH.
None yet. I just joined. Hopefully I will find old friends and brothers that I haven't talked with or seen in a while.

DB 1/22/2017