Marine Corps service prepares Lenger for career in National Guard

October 22, 2012 at 5:00 a.m. | Updated October 22, 2012 at 5:00 a.m.

by Jeremy Amick

Local veteran Denis Lenger spent 30 years in the military, first in the Marine Corps and later retiring from the Missouri National Guard. He said his deployment to Afghanistan in 2008 was the defining point of his career.
Local veteran Denis Lenger spent 30 years in the military, first in the Marine Corps and later retiring from the Missouri National Guard. He said his deployment to Afghanistan in 2008 was the defining point of his career.

Once exposed to the military culture, veterans often choose to pursue a career within the structure that helped carry them into adulthood.

For local resident Denis Lenger, an early stint in the Marines prepared him for service in the National Guard and an event that would define his entire military career.

Lenger decided to follow the path set by his father, a World War II veteran, by enlisting in the Marine Corps in 1977 after graduating from Ashland High School.

"I was raised in a patriotic community and the Marines really seemed like a challenge," Lenger said.

Completing his basic training at the ....

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