He was 18 years previous, homeless and dwelling within the woods when a South Carolina deputy arrested Brian Gilbert for stealing meals from a grocery store deli.
Gilbert mentioned he did not have a path in life, lacking extra college than he attended and sleeping in a tent behind a shopping mall within the Midlands area.
An evening in jail ultimately turned his life round.
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U.S. Marine Corps Pvt. Brian Gilbert, a scholar from Marine Corps Engineer College, and a local of Gilbert, S.C., poses for an image at Camp Lejeune, N.C., Aug. 15, 2024. Gilbert enlisted within the Marine Corps in March 2024 and is coaching to develop into a utilities methods technician. (U.S. Marine Corps picture by Lance Cpl. Zachary Candiani)
Lexington County Deputy John Sanders booked Gilbert into jail however could not let the encounter finish there.
“His largest want was that he was struggling to get some meals, and he didn’t have a job to usher in any earnings,” Sanders recalled later in a video shared by the sheriff’s workplace Friday to honor all three males heading into Veterans Day weekend.
He reached out to the native Marine Corps recruiter, Sgt. Brent Latham, and requested what he may do.
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Lexington County Sheriff’s Deputy John Sanders recalled his encounter with Brian Gilbert, a homeless teen he arrested for stealing meals from a grocery store deli. After conferring with the native Marine recruiter, he helped Gilbert flip his life round. (Lexington County Sheriff’s Workplace)
“Deputy Sanders gave me a name. ‘Hey man, there’s a child who’s in a foul state of affairs. I need to know in the event you can assist him,’” Sgt. Latham mentioned. “I had an outline of what this younger man apparently seemed like. I rolled the window down and mentioned, ‘Hey, are you Brian?’ He mentioned, ‘Sure, sir,’ and I instructed him to get in.”
“He introduced up the Marines,” Gilbert mentioned. “And I used to be like, ‘Let’s simply go for it.’ I met with the recruiter … and signed the papers. I imply, that is manner higher off than I assumed I might be.”
Sanders, a member of the U.S. Military Reserve, mentioned the answer was a no brainer.
Deputy John Sanders shakes Pvt. Brian Gilbert’s hand at his commencement from boot camp in Might 2024. (Courtesy of Lexington County Sheriff’s Workplace)
“From my expertise with the navy, you are fed. You get a spot to sleep. And also you receives a commission for it,” he mentioned.
Gilbert accomplished primary coaching at Parris Island and graduated in Might, and each Sanders and Latham have been there to cheer him on.
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U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Brent Latham, pictured, met with Gilbert at a Starbucks after his arrest. Then the teenager enlisted. (Lexington County Sheriff’s Workplace)
Now stationed at Camp Lejeune, he says he’s nonetheless in common contact with Deputy Sanders.
“I speak to him on a regular basis,” Gilbert mentioned. “He’s a fantastic individual to go to. I can speak to him about something, and he’s all the time there to simply hear.”
U.S. Marine Corps Pvt. Brian Gilbert, a scholar from Marine Corps Engineer College, and a local of Gilbert, S.C., repairs a generator at Camp Lejeune, N.C., Aug. 15, 2024. (U.S. Marine Corps picture by Lance Cpl. Zachary Candiani)
The sheriff’s workplace is asking Gilbert’s case a “stunning success story” that exhibits how authorities could make a constructive distinction in a teen’s life.
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“It took one telephone name from a deputy to a Marine Corps recruiter to get somebody from a horrible state of affairs within the woods to a full profession and a wage,” Latham mentioned. “One telephone name can completely make a distinction.”
