Photos

Corporal Jason H. Gerstner, a member of the rear security element of 1st Platoon, 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Fwd), poses next to a wheel of a tactical vehicle known as the ?Buffalo? used in road clearance operations in the Al Anbar Province. Trading a full-time job in an American metropolitan area for an around-the-clock job in a combat zone, and leaving behind regular visits with an 8-year old son for a year-long absence, Gerstner, joined the Marine Corps in the middle of his life, at age 28. Now with 1st Platoon, the Marine they call ?Old Man? is constantly sought after by his peers as a role model. ?I respect him because he is a 31-year-old man going the distance with 18-year-old kids,? said Cpl. Robert L. Palmer, 23, a fire team leader with 1st Platoon and a Kennewick, Wash., native. ?He has developed more of a leadership role because of his age and his wisdom.?