MVP Berdan prepares to lead new team in USMC

"He's a stud," said WHS Football Coach Scott Devereaux in an email. "Very high-end wrestler, too."

The path to the Marines

Berdan was a member of the WHS football team that had the highest team GPA in the state at 3.597. He was unanimously voted 1st team O-line and D-line and even earned the title of Defensive MVP of the league. Berdan also made it to state as a freshman in wrestling, placed third as a junior (Covid scrapped sophomore season) and this past summer he competed in the 2022 USMC/USAW Junior and Cadet National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota last July. 

To qualify for that tournament, wrestlers need not enlist in the military, but Berdan had charted that course long before last summer.

"I've always thought that the military was pretty interesting," Berdan said. "It was just the determining of like, when I was going to do it, because I didn't know if I was going to go college first and then go or just go straight into the military. But I think I settled on the Marines because everybody says it's like the hardest branch, the most challenging. And then the main reason would be because my grandpa is a retired Marine."

Berdan has other family members who served as well: an uncle in the navy and paternal great grandfather served in World War II. Still, Berdan was inspired enough by his maternal grandfather to want to pay tribute to his legacy and join the Marine Corps in the delayed entry program.

"Literally the second a student can become qualified and start this process for us is when he found me," said USMC Sgt. Stephen Liverman.

A natural leader

According to Liverman, it was evident early on that Berdan had all the makings of an outstanding Marine.

"One thing with marines being the hardest branch, I look a lot into somebody's character," he said. "If they're in it for the money, the travel, education opportunities, that's the same for every single branch. You don't have to join the Marines for that. He didn't give a crap about that. He wanted the intangibles like the leadership, the challenge, pushing past his breaking point."

"He doesn't know this yet but I feel like he's going to be an extremely successful leader. The kid is super respectful, super polite, super smart," he said. "He made a 96 on our ASVAB which is almost a perfect score, so he qualifies for everything. The job that he picked for the Marines he's going to be doing offensive cyber security, so certified ethical hackers in the Marine Corps, which is huge. I love that program."

Liverman said that when he and Berdan discussed taking advantage of the military scholarship program, going to college first and joining the corps as an officer later, Berdan balked, insisting instead on becoming what corpsmen call a 'mustang,' a Marine who earns an officer's rank by working his way up from the bottom.

"He's 17, 18 years old," he said. "For him to have that knowledge and for him to have that as his path just shows how mature he actually is. There is no other 17, 18-year-old [person] out there that will turn down $180,000.00 to go to college."

Past a small TV playing looped footage of marines in training and a commemorative battle-axe, Liverman's office houses a tall photo board. On the left side, "POOLEES" is written and underneath that hang about eight photos of this year's recruiting class.

"In the top left," Liverman said, "as you can see, he's at the top. That is our guide position. He is in charge of all the other future marines that we have. 

"I put him in the leadership position now so he gets used to leading and then I expect it from him at boot camp. I've already told him he will graduate as a guide." 

After Liverman finishes up another year of recruiting duty, he'll head back to the fleet to continue his job as a "data Marine," a systems specialist with close links to the field Berdan landed on as the MOS split in 2018 and the cybersecurity field was created to spread out responsibilities.

One step at a time

Liverman said he'd definitely be in contact with Berdan and the rest of the recruits throughout their journey. He said he is still in touch with most everyone on the photo board, as evidenced by the pictures of several Marines in dress. He's made time to catch both of Berdan's home wrestling matches so far, too, most recently on Dec. 13 where he got his opponent to tap out in about 60 seconds. 

Berdan won the first tournament of the year outright by pinning 3 guys and and besting another 12-3. He and the Panthers' wrestling team have been dominant at times this year, and with a loss in the semi-finals last year still fresh in his mind, Berdan said this year he wants to win it all.

"We have a shot to win league this year," he said. "Even though we're in a tough league with Sunnyside, Moses Lake and Eisenhower. I think we can compete with Sunnyside this year for league title."

When asked about athletes he looks up to, Berdan's focus didn't shift away from the mat.

"Jordan Burrows, who's known as like the greatest of all time American wrestler," he said. "Kyle Snider, Dan Gable: he only lost once in college, I believe he won an olympic circuit and then coached for a long time."

The AP history student had no problem rattling off the accomplishments of former wrestling greats. What proved to be tougher to answer was where he planned on going when his four-year term in the corps expires.

"I'm not really sure yet," he said. "I'd want to go see Europe, probably Australia," he said. "I don't know, that's a tough question. All over Europe would be fun to go see, maybe somewhere like in the Middle East."

Although he's unsure of where he'll eventually end up or what he'll be working on in four years, the young man knows that what's most important is to focus on the first task first, and for him right now that's this wrestling season. Shortly after that he'll be graduating high school and then shipping out to basic training in San Diego on June 27.

Through all that may happen between now and then, Berdan is determined to make one thing a reality.

"The end goal is to be wrestling for the Marines," he said.