MALDEN — He is quick with a subtle smile and fairly soft-spoken, but there is also a visible intensity just under the surface when you talk with Raymond Jiang, a Malden High School senior.
Jiang has a plan, one he began formulating half a decade ago in his early teens, uncommon for most students his age.
While most of his classmates are agonizing over college essays and mulling over options for future academic pursuits Jiang has already made the biggest decision in his life to date: He wants to be a career military man.
Recently Jiang was formally sworn in as a member of the United States Marine Corps. If that was not a big enough leap, the icing on this cake was that the 18-year-old was given his oath by the nation’s top Marine, four-star General Robert B. Neller, the Marine Corps Commandant who was in Boston in early November.
“It was a very exciting day and I feel honored to have been able to say my oath before the Marine Commandant,” said Jiang, a lifelong Malden resident who was born in the Linden neighborhood where he still lives. “I feel very lucky and it is something I will never forget.”
The percentage of high school seniors who make the commitment to serve in the military after graduation is in the single digits according to most statistical studies. The number who decide this path in the seventh grade is highly unusual — but true, in Jiang’s case.
“I knew when I was lot younger this is what I wanted,” said Jiang, who attended the Linden S.T.E.A.M. Academy in Malden before attending Malden High School. “I had a teacher, Mr. (Joshua) Titcomb in the seventh grade who talked about his military career and it really got my interest.”
He was hooked. From then on, Jiang says, it was important to research more information. Jiang spent a lot of time learning about every branch of the service and when it became apparent this would be life’s path, be decided he wanted to a United States Marine. “I visited every recruiting center and asked a lot of questions. The Marines are for me.”
Jiang, an Honor Roll student, said his interest in the military also sparked a major appeal for physical fitness and training. Again, he does not take traditional route of strictly weightlifting and running.
“Most of my workout time is spent right near my house at Linden Park. There are some pullup bars and other basic workout stations. I do almost all my fitness workouts there,” said Jiang, who was a two-year member of the Malden High wrestling team before a season-ending injury last season.
Jiang said a college education is not out of the question, but that a career as a Marine is what he is pursuing right now. “I can see myself serving 20 years and retiring with a full pension, then becoming a police officer or State Trooper.”
These days, Jiang has become a group leader for the Marines, assisting other would-be recruits with their training, proudly explaining he has about 18 future Marines under his “command.” He said that he has already passed all the written and physical tests required before his recent swearing in, as well as an intensive physical screening and examination.
Jiang said his parents and two younger brothers fully support his decision. “They (his parents) see how hard I am working for this, and they approve.”
Jiang acknowledges he chose a difficult path.
“It is not easy to become a Marine, it is not supposed to be easy preparing to defend your country,” he said.
