John P. Marstrell — local business owner, U.S. Marine
Newcomerstown resident John P. Marstrell recently earned the rank of E-8 Master Sgt. in the U.S. Marine Corps. John is the son of Paul and Kayte Marstrell, life-time residents of the village.
Except for his time spent away while serving our country, John has resided just outside of Newcomerstown. He is married to Jenna Welch Marstrell, and they have three young children – Colin, Jade, and Connor.
John joined the United States Marine Corps after graduating from Newcomerstown High in 2001. His active duty was from 2001-2006, during which time he rose to the rank of Sergeant.
“John always talked about joining the military since fifth grade. My dad was in the Navy WWII, and his uncle Butch Maurer was a retired military guy," said his mom, Kayte. "He thrived on the accounts they told him. His dad and I always knew he would join the military.
"John has remarkable stories still about his career. He still says he loved boot camp and would like to go again. Paul and I are both immensely proud of both our boys, John, and Joe, as they have chosen the military as careers. The only drawback for John is it takes him away from his business and young family. As a mom, I do worry a good bit about the current events going on in the world, but we all support him 100%.”
John participated in three deployments (two) during his first five years as a Marine. Those included Operation Iraqi Freedom 2003 and Operation Iraqi Freedom 2004-05. He then began the second part of his military career by joining the Reserves also in 2006. Over the last 16 years came one more deployment, Operation Enduring Freedom from 2010-2011. He earned the additional ranks during the second phase of his service which include: Staff Sergeant, Gunnery Sergeant, and will be pinned in August as a Master Sergeant.
“Part of my duties now include Drill Weekend where I am the fire chief for the FSCC (fire support coordination center). I clear indirect fire weapons from mortars to Naval guns," John explained. "I also serve the Operations Chief for Weapons Company. This entails planning drill weekends with my executive officer in addition to the maneuvers we perform as part of the Marines. Every weekend is different — we often travel around to various locations and hold machine gun shoots and mortar shoots.
"Camp Atterbury, I.N., Camp Ravenna, O.H., Fort Picket, V.A, Fort Dix, N.J., Fort Knox, K.Y., and MCB Quantico are just a few of the bases where we spend time. Annual training (AT) is held every summer which is two to three weeks. We drill one weekend a month, two weeks a year.
"Honestly, for me being a part of the Marine Corp. is plain and simple. It is everything I ever dreamed it would be. As of June 10, I will have served for 20 years. I am excited to be moving into my new title as an E-8. I have been an operation’s chief for the past year, which is a master sergeant’s billet, so I feel prepared for my next responsibility, and my pinning for E-8 Master Sergeant in August.
"To me, becoming a Marine has puts everything to the test – character, strength, resilience, and determination. Additionally, what I have gained from the Marine Corp. are extraordinary opportunities that have opened the door to life experiences, and each of these has given me great purpose in all phases of my own life. I am proud to serve my country as a Marine and to be part of The Few and The Proud.”
John’s wife Jenna adds: “John always tells me I can sleep soundly at night because the Marine Corps provides a blanket of security for our grateful nation," his wife, Jenna, added. "He is always hooking, jabbing, slicing, and stabbing, but all in playful fun. One of John’s favorite sayings is: 'Fighting the Good Fight,' and he definitely loves the fight – (always has and always will). He told me from the time he was an elementary student he knew he was going into the service. John was born to fight. He loves his country. I always give him a tough time when he leaves for drill. He has missed a lot of momentous events... a lot ... one being the birth of our first child, Colin.
"I always joke with him that he loves the United State Marine Corp and his country more than us, and he will joke back with some of the quotes mentioned above. His preferred response is: 'you can sleep soundly at night because of me.' It is not easy having John away at times, but myself and our entire family admire John for his dedicated service to our country.”
In addition to John’s military service, he is also the co-owner of Marstrell’s Auto Parts in Newcomerstown. He is very active in the local community as President of N.E.R.S. and his elected position as part of the Newcomerstown School Board. Jenna and John are both incredibly involved in their children’s sports activities including coaching for the youth league. 4-H is an immense part of their life too, and Tuscarawas County Fair time is an occasion each and every Marstrell lives for.
John, Jenna, and their family do not have much spare time, but when they do, the Marstell’s enjoy hanging out with family and friends just having a fun time. John also served as a chaperone for the Newcomerstown eighth grade class trip to Washington, D.C. this past week.
“We are extremely involved in our beloved local community of Newcomerstown," John and Jenna said in wrapping up. "Go Trojans and Semper Fidelis, Semper Fi – Always Faithful.”
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: John P. Marstrell — local business owner, U.S. Marine
