Always faithful and thankful

By Mary Crawford, NCTA News editor

“Semper Fidelis” often is included at the end of emails and letters sent from Tyler Faber. In Latin, the motto of the United States Marine Corps means “always faithful.”

Each November, the IT technician who works amid computers, monitors and tech equipment from a first-floor office in Ag Hall on the campus of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis observes two significant events.

The 245^th birthday of the Marine Corps was Tuesday, a day ahead of Veterans Day on November 11.

As is his custom on Tuesdays, Faber sends to NCTA faculty and staff an email entitled, “Tyler’s Tech Tip Tuesdays.”

This week, he provided personal perspective of technology and the military, and a brief history about the United States Marine Corps, also known as USMC.

The Hastings, Nebraska native and veteran who was an active duty Marine from January 2010 to January 2015, served with the 2^nd Intelligence Battalion at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

“I have observed the Marine Corps birthday every year since I became a Marine,” Faber said a week ago. “Do not be surprised if you hear the Marines’ Hymn and other Marine-inspired music coming from my office on November 10.”

That did, indeed, occur. Faber is one of a handful of NCTA students and staff, along with retired veterans, who have served with the Marine Corps.

A Marine’s path

Faber likes a challenge. At the age of 10, he taught himself to play the violin. Then he took private lessons for five years playing the saxophone and thought he might major in music at Hastings College.

However, the path led to classes in business administration and after eight weeks he knew that wasn’t for him.

Instead, he sought life experience and income, so he worked for several years as a cashier, then electronic sales associate at the Walmart in Hastings. While on a store remodel at the Walmart in McCook, he met a young woman named Rachel.

Faber pondered his future, had a lengthy conversation with a buddy about joining the Marines, and shipped out for boot camp in California in January 2010. That started his new life and motto, Semper Fidelis.

When he returned to Nebraska from his 13 weeks of basic training, he made a forever commitment. “My wife and I got married April 12, 2010, the day after I got home.”

That was the beginning of always faithful to family and the Marines.

His military journey continued with a month of infantry and tactics training, then nine months in his Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) as an intelligence specialist.

From Camp Pendleton to the Navy and Marine Corp Intelligence Training Center in Virginia. Then to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and deployment to Afghanistan from December 2011 at Camp Leatherneck.

The tour was exciting, adventurous, and challenging.

He returned in 2012 to Camp Lejeune and spent most of 2013 at Camp Leatherneck, preceding his final 14 months of service in intelligence at Camp Lejeune. Throughout the five-year career, Faber excelled and liked the work with the Marine Corps.

His duties and responsibilities were varied, and many he cannot divulge in detail.

He prepared intelligence briefings for his battalion commander and military leadership. On deployments, he was responsible for researching, developing, and presenting strategic information about various countries, military tactics, and even policies or politics.

As a lance corporal, he supervised intelligence analysts and, on occasion, stepped in for higher supervisory duties.

“I have always enjoyed challenges, and the Marine Corps provided one of the hardest and most rewarding challenges anyone could face,” he says.

A decision to make

However, at the time for determining a future re-enlistment in 2015, doing what he loved in intelligence and possibly more advancements in duties and rank, the reality was more year-long deployments which would take him away from his wife and young children.

At the rank of sergeant and with extensive knowledge in intelligence and technology, Sergeant Faber ended active service and returned to rural Nebraska for good.

That same year his new employment began at NCTA, first as a custodian, then moving to IT late in 2019. The challenge now, he says is juggling family, career and pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in software engineering through online courses at Arizona State University.

With Rachel working in Food Service at NCTA, the couple are raising four children and appreciating the small community in which they reside.

Both are active in campus leadership roles on committees and duties and helped coordinate the 2020 Veterans Day Salute by the NCTA Diversity Committee. Campus students, staff, faculty and community volunteers prepared nearly 90 gift bags which were delivered to local veterans.

They appreciated the youngsters from Medicine Valley Elementary School who also colored and wrote thank you notes and cards for veterans.

Faber hopes to share some of his experiences with the college campus throughout the academic semesters, not just on Veterans Day.

Sharing a “Happy Birthday, Marine” on November 10, and “Thank You” to veterans on November 11 may be one of those pointers to students and the community, alike.