Nov 9, 2009 8:50 pm US/Central
Cancer-Surviving Marine Wants To Remain In Corps
Gunnery Sgt. Edward Schrank Says He Would Fight Medical Discharge
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Marine Gunnery Sgt. Edward Schrank lost an eye to cancer, but he hasn't lost his passion for the Corps.
CBS
A local Marine is fighting to stay in the Corps.
He survived a rare form of cancer but lost an eye in the process. Now he's worried about his military career, CBS 2's Anne State reports.
The eagle, globe and anchor are proudly on display at the home of Gunnery Sgt. Edward Schrank.
"If you want me to brag, I graduated No. 1 out of this group," he said, pointing to a photo of his leadership school.
Schrank says he joined the Marines when he was 20 years old; it's in his blood. He has a jar in his home full of sand from Iwo Jima.
"This represents adversity in a can," he said.
The gunnery sergeant knows about adversity himself: His eye was removed after he was diagnosed with a rare cancer. He underwent proton radiation for weeks. He says his Marine training helped him handle cancer.
He now has the words "survivor" tattooed on his back. What does being a Marine mean to him?
"I'm thankful," he answers.
The gunnery sergeant is a staff member at the Northwestern and IIT Naval ROTC. He teaches boxing and Marine Corps Martial Arts.
But unlike other branches of the military, every Marine is a rifleman first. Schrank says the Marines have vision requirements, and he's afraid he may be medically discharged.
"It's not for sure," he said. "I will fight like hell to keep it from happening."
The Marine Corps told CBS 2 if an injured Marine wants to continue serving, the Corps will do everything in its power to make it happen.
But Schrank says a doctor told him a medical discharge is all but certain.
"I was ready to hear it -- but it just burns," he said. "This is all I've ever wanted to do."
On Tuesday, Schrank was honored by the American Society for Radiology Oncology. The group gave him a $1,000 check for the cancer support group he started called "C-Star." ClickÂ
here to visit its website.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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