Grads Jared Marshall and Trent Foster: U.S. Marine Corps

• Evergreen High School

• Call: U.S. Marine Corps

Intense. Focused. Gritty. Determined. Those words sum up buddies Jared Marshall and Trent Foster.

Inseparable also describes the Evergreen High School seniors who go to school together, live in the same house and, now, as Marine poolees, train together to prepare for life in the Marine Corps. They’ve adapted an arduous exercise regimen incorporating running, swimming, weightlifting and tae kwon do from Marshall’s experience and circuits adapted from Foster’s football training.

They’ve already passed the Marine Corps’ physical and mental tests and anticipate leaving for boot camp in San Diego on Aug. 19. Together.

“It’s befitting. We do everything else together,” Marshall said. “We make each other better people.”

Working out together in the Evergreen High School weight room during sixth period, Foster lifts 285-pound free weights while Marshall stands behind his buddy, spotting him.

Their eventual goal is to join the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, called MARSOC. Standing between the young men and their goal is a series of grueling training challenges, starting with 13 weeks of boot camp.

“During the summer, we’ll pick up our routine,” Foster said. “Running 10 to 18 miles with weights in our backpacks. Running in boots. Swimming in our clothes. Treading water for 45 minutes.”

Marshall takes a swig from their shared water bottle.

“Enlisting in the military carries a negative connotation that we’re not academic,” he said. “It’s not that we don’t want to work with our heads. We want to work with our whole selves.”