MARINE CORPSE BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii -- Each sentence uttered by the 28-year-old Iraq war veteran leads to more interesting conversation, from stories about being adopted and growing up in a family of 17, to memories of his first duty station in the Navy in a reconnaissance unit, his past is filled with experiences that have shaped him into an outgoing, life-cherishing, self-proclaimed ham.
“I am a ham,” exclaimed Petty Officer 3rd Class Brian P. Lynch, hospital corpsman, Naval Health Clinic Hawaii. “I am, I really am a ham.”
The South Pasadena, Calif. native joined the Navy more than four years ago, and has since experienced things that some will only read about or watch on TV, but even before he became a Sailor, his life was far from common.
“I grew up in a family of seventeen people,” he said, as if it were a regular-sized family. “I had nine brothers, five sisters and my parents.”
Out of the 15 children, 11 had been adopted, including Lynch.
“We were very diverse,” he said. “Growing up like that was a lesson in humility and patience, but it was a really, really good experience. Five of my siblings are from Brazil, it was great to grow up in an environment like that, with so many different walks of life.”
The humble Sailor has never found out why his biological parents put him up for adoption but admitted that he has never really pursued finding them. But, they did leave him with an interesting appearance, which he wishes to express, if possible.
“Yes, I am black with blue eyes and blonde hair,” he stated. “It is possible, and in reality not that unusual.”
Outside of home life, Lynch said he was a pretty normal Californian kid, surfing regularly, watching movies and, on occasion, reading. He said that these are the hobbies he has kept up with since he changed his course of life and joined the Navy.
His favorite book: “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich Maria Remarque, and his favorite movie: “History of the World Part I” by Mel Brooks, accentuate his unique personality.
Before joining the Navy, Lynch worked as a bartender, massage therapist, and attended Questa Junior College, studying general sciences with the hopes of attending medical school.
“It was a total shock to everyone when I joined the Navy,” he recalled. “My grandfather was a medic in the Army, but he was the only one who served from my family.”
Joining with the intent of being a hospital corpsman, Lynch was offered an opportunity early in his career to become a Navy SEAL, but that choice would have voided his chance to be a corpsman, so after much thought Lynch decided to pursue his initial choice and was sent to 1st Force Reconnaissance, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
“Working with Marines has been nothing but a positive experience,” he said.
Aside from serving his country, surfing, and entertaining himself with novels and films, Lynch also enjoys hiking, fishing, scuba diving, playing the ukulele, and going out to bars with friends.
But, he explained, he is careful not to let those activities take away from the things that are most important to him: his family, not wanting to let anyone compromise his morals and, eventually, not dying with any regrets.
“Life is really, really precious,” he said. “It seems like too many people take that for granted. If I could reach out and help people understand life more, I would tell them to cherish family, cherish friends, and cherish the life you live.”
For individuals who served in combat zones, many have witnessed, firsthand, friends and fellow service members getting injured. While Lynch was deployed to Fallujah, Iraq, with 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, his lifesaving training was put to the test during one of those unforgettable experiences.
“One of the Marines sustained an injury to his femoral artery and was bleeding out. I applied a tourniquet and kept pressure on his leg. Once we got him into the Humvee, I kept applying treatment, and he ended up being OK,” he explained.
“I know I was just doing my job,” he said humbly, “but I saved his life in the process, and that is something I can take with me for the rest of my life.”
One of Lynch’s most exhilarating experiences also took place in the city of Fallujah when he was given the opportunity to enter a building as the point man — a risky position for any service member in a combat zone.
“Serving in Iraq increased how much I remember to never take life for granted,” he said.
Lynch said his future is still up in the air. There is the possibility of becoming a biomedical technician diver for the Navy or a Honolulu firefighter.
“I want to stay in Hawaii. I love it here!” he exclaimed enthusiastically. “But I have three more years where I am right now, so I have a while to figure out what I am going to do.”
According to Lynch, he would like the opportunity to serve with Marines again somewhere down the line.
“Being a corpsman in an infantry unit was a great experience,” he said. “Anyone who thinks that a corpsman in a grunt unit is not an adopted Marine is fooling himself.”
From the experience of traveling to six foreign countries to his undecided future goals, Lynch has led a life some would describe as out of the ordinary, but he admitted that he wouldn’t change a thing.
“I am happy with the life I have led, and I haven’t taken it for granted yet,” he said. “I had no expectations when I joined the Navy, and I have accomplished every obstacle that has been set in front of me. All I have to do is look forward to the future and have a good time with what life throws at me.”