A Proud Marine of 25 Years Returns Home

Mon, 09/08/2025 - 12:00

By: Damon Markiewicz

Springfield College alumnus Ryan Cherry ’00 recently retired as a colonel from the United States Marine Corps. celebrating 25 years of service to our country. During the last two-and-a-half decades, Cherry proudly stayed committed to his duties with the Marine Corps while also starting a family of his own that is deeply rooted in a love for each other and helping others.

Cherry concluded his Marine Corps career stationed in Hawaii over the last three years. On August 1, 2025, Cherry was honored with a retirement ceremony on the USS Missouri, a legendary World War II battleship preserved from the attack of Pearl Harbor. As Cherry took some time to reflect on his impressive career, he maintained a level of perspective that has guided his life.

“I have been blessed to have so many supportive people around me in my life,” expressed Cherry. “When you are able to surround yourself with many great individuals, that’s what really allows a person to have success in life. My family, my friends, and all of my peers have been a big part of who I am as a person.”

Cherry’s commitment to the Marine Corps started during his time as a student at Springfield College. During his junior year, Cherry was walking through the “BC” (Beveridge Center), now known as the Campus Union, and stopped to talk with a recruiting officer. Cherry’s father had previously served in the Marine Corps. dating back to the Vietnam War, so there was a family connection that had Cherry focused on also serving his country.

“I was the youngest of three boys, so you grow up wanting to be like your dad,” explained Cherry. “I remember going up to the Marine Corps recruiting officer and asking, ‘what do I have to do to be a Marine and be a Cobra pilot.’ He referred me to the recruiting office in Chicopee, Mass., and when I walked in, the first thing he said to me was, ‘lose some weight and come back and talk to us.’ I was playing offensive line on the football team at Springfield, and I was weighing around 250 lbs. and had to lose some weight to show him I was serious about being a Marine.”

Between his junior and senior years, Cherry attended Officers Candidate School spending his summer at boot camp. The training he would experience prepared him to be a proud Marine following graduation, but it would affect his availability on the football field.

“Officer Candidate School ended the same day players reported to SC for conditioning. I had to call our football coach, Mike DeLong, and tell him that I wouldn’t be able to play my senior year because my body had transitioned from being a 250-pound offensive lineman to a 180-pound Marine,” explained Cherry. “Coach DeLong was great and very supportive. He told me he would find a place for me somewhere on the team, but I had never played any of the skill positions, and I couldn’t play offensive line at this weight. I was disappointed not to play football, but I wanted to be a Marine, and I was following that path.”

In May of 2000, the journey to proudly serve his country turned into a reality. The day before graduating from Springfield College, Cherry was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. He would leave Alden Street as a proud graduate, while following in his dad’s footsteps.

“Once you get ‘winged’ as an aviator, you are contractually obligated to serve for six years, but with the time to train included, it’s about an eight-year commitment,” explained Cherry.

Cherry would be stationed at many different spots throughout the globe. He would spend time living on the East Coast, West Coast, and everywhere in between. He would be deployed to many different countries, including multiple deployments to Iraq. Following a return from Iraq in 2006, Cherry was stationed at Camp Pendleton near San Diego, Calif. when he decided to check in on classmates from Springfield College. At the time, six years had passed since graduation, and he wanted to see if he could reconnect with fellow alumni. While using the newly introduced Myspace website, he was able to find Springfield College classmates, and one person in particular jumped off the page.

“I was able to connect with Jennifer Haschig ’01, who was also living in California, and I am happy to say we ended up getting married,” explained Cherry. “Jenny and I attended Springfield College at the same time, and we were both Rehabilitation Studies majors and student-athletes. I played football and Jennifer competed in swimming. I noticed she was working as a chiropractor in Beverly Hills and living in Santa Monica, Calif., so I sent her a message and asked if she wanted to hang out. We talked on the phone, and the first date turned into us being engaged in eight months, and married within two years. I wasn’t planning on starting a family as an active-duty Marine because you move around so much, but she made the commitment, and it’s been a great life together ever since that first date.”

When Ryan and Jennifer got married, it also marked a milestone of eight years that Ryan had been serving in the Marine Corps. It was at this time that the newlyweds would collectively make a decision of how long Ryan would serve. The joint discussion was, either to exit at eight years of service, or stay in for 20 years or more.

“The decision was made to stay in the Marine Corps for another 12 years and reach the 20-year milestone,” explained Cherry. “You are able to retire with a pension when you hit the 20-year mark, but it’s a real commitment for the entire family. You are moving around a lot. My son is 11 years old, and when I retired, we were stationed in Hawaii for the last three years, and that was the longest my son had lived in one area. We actually lived in Hawaii on two separate occasions, so it ended up being the place where he was born, and the place where we finished my career.”

Now in a state of transition, the time is perfect for Cherry to reflect on his journey. He is in the process of writing and publishing a book that highlights 22 stories about his career that are impactful. The title of the book is Readback, and it’s projected to be published early next year.

“The purpose for writing the book has multiple meanings,” explained Cherry. “It’s a therapeutic way to express some of the experiences with being a Marine. The main goal is to use the book as a way to help people. That will really be a big focus of mine over the next year. I want to share what I have learned as a way to help and mentor others.”

The title of the book was carefully selected, and it has a special meaning to Cherry that exemplifies key points to being a successful Marine.

“Readback is a term that is used in aviation when providing close air support to friendly ground forces in training and combat. The ground forces provide the attacking aircraft a 9-line attack brief with information to safely and effectively engage the enemy,” explained Cherry. “Before the aircraft is cleared to engage, the pilots must readback key pieces of information to ensure the safety of the friendly forces and civilians. My book will be a readback of my career.”

In addition to writing a book, the Cherry family is also moving back to New England and settling into their new home in Swansea, Mass. Ryan was born in Pawtucket, R.I., and raised in Mansfield, Mass. Jennifer was born and raised in Leominster, Mass., so it’s exciting for the family to be all together in close proximity.

“It’s a nice feeling to be back in New England,” expressed Cherry. “Jenny is going to be able to continue her chiropractic practice throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island, so it feels good to be back home.”

And when speaking of home, that also applies to Springfield College for Ryan and Jennifer. The couple has had some brief stops through campus since graduation day, but now, being so close to Alden Street, the door is always open for the pair to come back and stay connected to the College.

“Springfield College is a very special place for both of us, and we are looking forward to visiting campus for sure,” said Cherry. “It will be exciting to have our son Joey see the College. Even when we were living in different parts of the world, we were following the different events on campus. For me, I was following the football games online. Both Jennifer and I are looking forward to coming home to Alden Street soon.”