by MERLE MONAHAN
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
merlemonah@aol.com

IVOR
U.S. Marine Captain Stephen Glascock, a rural Ivor native, has retired from military service after nine years because of injuries he received from a roadside bombing in Afghanistan in 2010.

Glascock received his medical discharge at the Marine Corps Military Base in Quantico on Feb. 23, where he also was awarded the second of two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medals.

“The ceremony was very touching,” said his mother Ruth, who with his father Michael attended the award presentation. “But I know it had to be a little sad for Stephen because all he ever wanted to be was a career Marine.”

Glascock joined the Marine Corps right out of college in 2009, despite the misgivings of his parents, he said. “They told me when I was in high school, though, that if I would go to college and get a degree, they would support me in anything I wanted to do,” Glascock added.    

He did not forget his parents’ promise.

The young marine went through basic training and attended Officer Candidate School at Quantico, followed by logistics school at Camp Johnson, North Carolina. He reported for duty on Jan. 22, 2010. 

As a platoon commander, he was soon scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan. Less than three months after he arrived there, on a trip back from transporting supplies to the front lines, the truck in which he was riding hit the bomb, injuring all five of its occupants.

Glascock’s injuries healed well enough for him to return to duty, including another deployment to Afghanistan. But the pain from the two fractured vertebra he received when the bomb exploded continues to worsen, making it almost impossible to perform his duties.

The achievement medal was awarded for the performance of his duties as an executive officer at the basic school. In attendance at the ceremony were Glascock’s wife, Taylor, and his three sons, Raylan, 5, Jem, 4, and Rory, nearly 3.

Glascock and his family make their home in Fredericksburg.