MCRD PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- Privates Derrick and Eric Collins carry the Eagle, Globe and Anchor with them everywhere they go. Not just in a figurative sense, but in a literal one as well.
The identical twin brothers, from the Appalachian hills of Clay County, Ky., carry the emblem they were awarded as new Marines, even when in cammies.
According to Eric, receiving the Eagle, Globe and Anchor was the proudest moment of their lives, and they’re not about to let it go now.
“Some people treat it like it’s just a piece of metal,” Derrick said. “To us, it’s not something you just pick up and wear. It’s always with us.”
It’s a small moment of sincerity from a couple of quiet country boys. They don’t speak much, and when they do speak, it’s in a slow Southern drawl, their speech heavy with Kentucky slang.
Make no mistake, the Collins twins are country to the core. However, they make no apology for their heritage or their limitations.
“We ain’t smart,” Derrick said. “It takes us awhile to get stuff. But when we do, we ain’t got to be told again.”
What they do have, according to their senior drill instructor, Staff Sgt. Timothy Brady, is more heart than any other Marine in Bravo Company.
“The average recruit gives about 60 percent effort every day,” said Brady, from Platoon 1040. “I have no doubt in my mind that those two gave 100 percent every single day.
“They were lost in the sauce when they arrived, but they never gave less than everything they had,” he added. “They never quit.”
That level of resolve didn’t grow overnight. It was cultivated from a lifetime of hardships of which many people simply cannot understand.
When the boys were five years old, their father was shot and killed on his front porch. Their mother, Kathy Collins, suffers from degenerative osteoporosis, and according to her doctors, will be confined to a wheelchair before the end of the year.
Through their struggles, the two boys learned the value of determination and the true worth of family.
“Before our dad was killed, he always took care of us financially,” Eric said. “Even though him and mom were separated, he always took care of us.”
When their father passed away, the Collins’ grandfather stepped in to help raise the boys. The elderly Kearue Collins acted as the father figure in the young Collins’ life, a sacrifice the boys appreciate greatly.
“He’s like our dad,” Derrick said. “We wouldn’t be here without his support.”
The Collins brothers took over the mantle of responsibility as soon as they were old enough to work. Working part-time jobs, they helped support their mother in the face of mounting medical bills.
“We didn’t have no health insurance,” Eric said. “And somebody had to help pay momma’s electricity bills.”
According to both the Collins boys, their life story could’ve ended right there. Methamphetamine hit Clay County hard, taking the lives, and livelihood, of many young men and women.
“I seen a lot of people get hooked on meth,” Eric said. “I knew that wasn’t no life for us.
“One day, I saw this commercial for the Marines where they had on those white trousers, and I said to my brother ‘I want to be like them,’” he added.
Their mother encouraged the boys to call their local recruiter, and soon after, they were on their way to Parris Island for recruit training. However, they soon learned, like many recruits do, that signing up to become a Marine is much different than actually earning the right to be called one.
“At first, we expected more or less for them to get dropped,” Brady said. “We didn’t expect them to make it.
“They were just lost,” the senior drill instructor reiterated.
However, that changed soon enough. Not long after arriving, the brothers began to show that spark of determination that drove them to overcome their past.
“The recruits are given an hour a day for personal time,” Brady explained. “Every night, without fail, the Collins’ would write a letter to their mom, then five minutes later they’d be at my hatch.Whatever they didn’t understand, whether it was drill or knowledge, or whatever, they were at my hatch asking questions.
“I’ve never seen anyone with such a sincere desire to train,” he added.
According to the brothers, the drill instructors from Platoon 1040 never let them fail. Brady, along with Sgt. Joseph Richardson and Sgt. David Ferreira, worked together to ensure that all the Marines under their care were exceptional.
“Drill instructor Sgt. Richardson and Drill Instructor Sgt. Ferreira never gave up on us,” Derrick said. “If they hadn’t been so hard on us, we never would’ve made it.”
Knowing the Collins family back in Kentucky couldn’t afford plane tickets to Parris Island, the drill instructors and staff of Bravo Co. came up with a plan.
Working together in conjunction with the Marine Graduation Foundation, they put together enough funds to fly Kathy to Parris Island for her sons’ graduation day.
Now, because of their selfless contributions, the Collins brothers have been able to greet their mother and grandfather on the proudest day of their lives. Their mother’s presence on this graduation day is especially rewarding for the Collins boys.
“She keeps telling everybody back home ‘my two boys are Marines,’” Derrick said. “She’s more proud of it than we are.”
The essence of their family’s pride, the pride of their efforts and the proof of their drill instructor’s dedication is wrapped up in the symbol the Collins brothers carry with them. The Eagle, Globe and Anchor is a symbol of Marines everywhere, past and present. With the Collins brothers, that symbol holds a deep personal meaning as well.
“You know how they say a picture is worth a thousand words?” Eric asked. “If I were to take a thousand pictures and take all them words from all them pictures, I still wouldn’t be able to describe the feeling.”
Derrick agreed.
“If I don’t get anything else the rest of my life,” Derrick said, running his fingers over his Eagle, Globe and Anchor “I’m good.”