Glenbard South's Kulpa positive about joining Marines' roster

Glenbard South senior Matt Kulpa wears his hair about a quarter-inch long.

Crew cut shock is one less adjustment he'll need to make after he graduates next spring.

A sweeper and team co-captain with keeper Eric Good on the Raiders' 9-1 boys soccer team, on Sept. 1 Kulpa enlisted in the Marines. On July 18, 2011, he'll go to a processing station in Des Plaines, then head out to boot camp at Camp Pendleton, north of San Diego, starting a four-year commitment of active duty with another four years in the Reserves.

The former altar boy at Glen Ellyn's St. James the Apostle points out he'll turn 18 on Nov. 10, the same day as the 1775 founding of the Marine Corps. It's obvious he's been thinking about this for awhile.

"I'm pretty set," he said. "This is something that I've looked into a lot and something I'm pretty positive about doing. It's something I'm excited about."

Kulpa said his teammates were surprised but impressed.

"They think it's a good thing. Noble, they said. Bold," said Kulpa, who followed up an in-school presentation by recruiter Sgt. Justin San Nicolas last fall. "People are just kind of shocked, I guess. I don't think they expected me to do it, but they just kind of wished me luck, stuff like that."

It's the type of decision that at a recent game had the mother of Raiders soccer player Wes Glab approach Helen Kulpa, Matt's mom, and state how proud she was of Matt.

Helen and her husband, Tom, feel the same way. And then some.

"We couldn't be prouder of him," Helen said. "Worried, but proud."

Matt broached the subject of joining the Marines during family discussions about college around last Christmas. His parents suggested entering the Reserve Officers Training Corps at Northern Illinois University or perhaps the University of Wisconsin.

Matt was not swayed. He wanted the Marines, preferably in the infantry division. In the spring he attended drills at a U.S. Marine Corps Recruiting Center in Naperville, kind of like a mini-boot camp. Helen Kulpa saw her son's quiet, serious demeanor change after those sessions.

"He was happy," she said. "How do you tell your son not to do that?"

Helen Kulpa said theirs is "not a big military family," but in fact several of Matt's relatives served in the armed forces. Helen's brother served stateside during the Vietnam War. Tom Kulpa's father saw action in the Korean War and Helen's father served in the Army in World War II. Among other action he served in Italy, North Africa, landed at Omaha Beach and went missing in action six times, Matt said.

Matt's older brother, Sean, seeks to serve the public as well. A 2007 Glenbard South graduate, Sean Kulpa is working to be a firefighter.

"It's just something that's in them," Helen Kulpa said. "(Matt's) never wavered."

Matt Kulpa has played soccer since the second grade, when they lived in Chicago around Midway Airport. He joined the Glen Ellyn Lakers club team, then the Glen Ellyn Raiders, and finally the high school program. The South Raiders stand at 9-1 entering tonight's home game against Batavia.

Last year Glenbard South lost in a Class 2A regional final to finish with a record of 15-2-2, the best record in the program's history. Matt Kulpa likes to compete with the best.

"I looked into other branches, like the Army and stuff, and from what I've seen I think the Marines are the best," he said. "And if I'm going to serve my country, I'd like to do it with the best."

Good causeThere has been a fund established to help April Sorce - special education teacher at Lisle High and the fiancee of Lions football coach Dan Sanko - who suffered a stroke July 15 in Colorado. In addition to her hospital stay of 41 days, not all of the costs of the helicopter airlift and other necessities were covered by insurance. A noninterest account has been set up in April's name. All monies would not be considered gifts and would not be tax deductible - but every little bit helps.To help out checks should be written to April Sorce and mailed to Northern Trust Bank, Attn. Natasha Bonomo, 401 S. Main St., Naperville, IL 60565.