Staff writer
In a special ceremony Saturday at Marion Community Center, Louis Holt, son of Terry and Ann Holt of Marion, was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Dick Schwartz of Marion, a retired Marine Corps colonel, administered the oath of office.
Holt said he chose Marion for his commissioning because of all the people in Marion — teachers, veterans, and law enforcement officers — who helped him get where he is.
Holt graduated from Marion High School in 2010 and enlisted in the Kansas Air National Guard. He took basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.
After three years in the Kansas Air National Guard, Holt decided to pursue becoming a Marine officer. He was accepted as a candidate in the Marine Corps platoon leader’s class. Candidates in the class are evaluated based on academics, physical fitness, and leadership qualities.
Holt was looking for something more physically demanding and challenging, so he applied for and was accepted for pilot training.
He has completed a Bachelor of Science degree from Kansas State University in parks management and conservation. He graduated Saturday, the same day as his commissioning.
Holt will fulfill six months of training in The Basic School for Marine officers before continuing to pursue his career as a pilot.
“I want to thank everybody in the community who helped raise me and helped mold me into the man I am today,” Holt said.