MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C., Nov. 4, 2016 — Marine Corps 1st Sgt. Steven Ellison has come a long way from the unemployed 22-year-old who in 1994 walked into a recruiting office in Brooklyn, New York. The company he worked for had relocated and he faced a life-changing decision.
“I walked into the Marine recruiting office and told myself ‘Alright, let’s do this,’” said Ellison, now the company first sergeant for 2nd Marine Headquarters Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, here.
Ellison made quick work of getting promoted, becoming a sergeant in three years. A motor transport operator by trade, he deployed multiple times, twice to combat -- to Iraq in 2004 and then to Afghanistan in 2009 as part of the storied push for Marjah.
“Combat deployments gave me a better appreciation for what my job entails. Back in the U.S., you just do [training] runs over and over and it can get tedious,” Ellison said. “Being able to see how all the training paid off really gave me a greater appreciation for this profession.
Mystery Illness
In June 2015, Ellison noticed something was wrong. The doctors could not determine what was wrong with this otherwise healthy Marine, so he continued doing what he knew best: be a Marine. Every run and hike, he was there with his Marines as though nothing was wrong.
In September that year, Ellison received news he never expected.
“Stage three kidney cancer,” he said. “I didn’t even believe it at first. How is that even possible? I’m healthy, this can’t be right.”
They scheduled the surgery for Oct. 23. Doctors said they would not know the full extent of the cancer until the day of the operation.
A week before the surgery, Ellison said, he became so weak he needed an emergency blood transfusion because he had lost so much blood. Still, he went through with the operation.
The surgery was a success, and after two weeks of convalescent leave, Ellison started chemotherapy. That December, against doctor’s wishes, he started exercising again.
“Every run on base that was offered, whether it was a 5k or a mud run I signed up for,” he said. “They told me that I was still very susceptible to getting sick again and that I shouldn’t be doing all this. I kept going because my drive to be a Marine was more important to me than anything else.”
Positive Attitude
Despite his situation, Ellison refused to have a negative attitude.
“I never understood the whole ‘woe-is-me’ attitude,” he said. “It would have been easy to get on limited duty and fall to the wayside, but that wasn’t what I wanted. My drive told me to keep pushing forward and continue to be the best Marine that I knew I could be.”
Now cancer-free, Ellison is focused on nothing but being the best Marine he can be and pushing the Corps in the right direction. His advice for today’s Marines is simple: set goals and enjoy what you do.
“When I first enlisted, I thought I was going to be back in Brooklyn in four years, but then when I picked up sergeant and had responsibilities I realized that I was driven to succeed,” he said. “Every time I would reenlist, I would set goals for myself and that kept me going.”
For Ellison, enjoying his work made it easy for him.
“I just had fun at what I was doing and it was cake walk for me,” he said. “The only way to make a successful career out of the Marine Corps is to enjoy what you do.”
Continuing with his trend of setting goals, Ellison does not plan on retiring any time soon, and has set his sights on becoming a sergeant major.
“I could have easily gotten waivers, done partial fitness tests and gotten on light duty, but I wanted to show people that just because you have a problem, that doesn’t mean that you can’t overcome it. I’m still doing what I’m supposed to be doing, and I still love what I’m doing.”
