By “Doc” Rod Fink, Director
I got a chance to meet Eric at a 1/9 golf tournament at Camp Pendleton. We were teamed up in one of the foursomes. It was great hanging out with him! I have tried to stay in touch with him over the years. Recently I asked him to write a summary of his history with our battalion.
GySgt Eric D. Currier
I was born in Seoul, South Korea, on June 23, 1987. After being adopted, I was raised in Syracuse, NY. I graduated from Genesee Christian Academy in June 2005 and shipped out to boot camp that same July. By the grace of God, I completed recruit training at MCRD Parris Island. After graduation, I reported to Marine Combat Training Battalion at the School of Infantry East, aboard Camp Geiger in North Carolina. Upon finishing Marine Combat Training in November 2005, I was sent to the Combat Engineer Instruction Company at the Marine Corps Engineer School, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
One of the defining moments of my training came when my class became the last to learn landmine warfare before the course was discontinued in February 2006. As a Combat Engineer within the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, my role was vital in ensuring mobility, counter-mobility, and survivability for the infantry units I was tasked to support.
During my first deployment with 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, I distinctly remember hearing about the reactivation of 1st Battalion, 9th Marines. I was posted on my 240G machine gun along MSR Michigan in Ramadi. My team leader was talking about the latest issue of the Marine Corps Times and, because I was always interested in history, I immediately recognized the unit. Without hesitation, I said, “I’ll deploy with them and do some war things with them someday.” It was a feeling that stayed with me and, eventually, I did deploy with 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, followed by a deployment as an advisor with Police Transition Team 22C. But it wasn’t until 2009 that I was assigned to 1st Battalion, 9th Marines.
From June 2009 to September 2010, I served as a Squad Leader with Company A and deployed with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. This deployment was a unique mix of humanitarian missions, training exercises and liberty. The months leading up to it at Camp Lejeune were filled with grueling field operations, urban combat drills and amphibious assault rehearsals. From the ranges at Camp Atterbury to the swamps of North Carolina, we prepared for every possible scenario -- from full-scale combat to disaster relief operations.
At that time, the Navy and Marine Corps had just reintroduced the amphibious ready group (ARG) and Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) deployment construct, which would become the routine package for amphibious forces. The training was intense, and our leaders were sharp, but I remember feeling anxious. By then, I had been a Sergeant with multiple deployments under my belt, but when it came to interacting with the veterans -- like Gunny Witt and Gunny Coan -- guys I looked up to as giants, I didn’t want to mess up.
Our deployment took us aboard the USS Ashland, a floating pile of rust packed tightly with gear, brothers-in-arms and far too many memories… and smells. We crossed the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf, never just sightseeing.
We took part in a humanitarian mission to Haiti, conducted training in Djibouti and experienced the thrill of exotic liberty ports. In Haiti, our days consisted of setting up concertina wire, patrolling and maintaining security. At first, it was a welcome change from the monotony of ship life but, the rain squashed that fairly quickly. Djibouti, however, was brutal -- an inferno that rivaled the heat of Kuwait. But it was also an incredible opportunity to train in weapons, demolition and reconnaissance, culminating in a much-needed day at the beach. There may have been sharks but there were 100% sunburns for sure!
And the liberty ports? Well, those were unforgettable in their own right -- but some memories should never see the light of day.
1st Battalion, 9th Marines has since been deactivated, and many of the Marines and Sailors I served with are now retired or, like me, just getting older. The Walking Dead were pioneers of a new era in deployment strategy, and the way we conducted Command and Control in our unit still influences training today -- especially at the Maneuver Warfare School at the Expeditionary Warfare Training Group Pacific. I’ve carried the lessons learned from those deployments -- particularly the ship-to-shore movements in contested environments -- into my work today. But beyond the technical and tactical knowledge, the greatest honor I’ve received is the opportunity to connect with veterans from older generations of the Walking Dead. Their bravery laid the foundation for us, and I am deeply humbled to be part of that legacy.
It’s a blessing to be part of the heritage they established… one that continues to inspire and guide my generation of Marines.
Semper Fi.
From the August 2026 issue of The Proud Warrior. Read the full issue