Lance Corporal Jesse Leng – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/15/2003 12:00:00 AM | General, Wrestling
Sept. 15, 2003
A United States Marine Corps Reserve since 1999, Ohio State senior wrestler Jesse Leng has learned to balance responsibilities that many collegiate student-athletes would struggle to even comprehend. Leng, a native of Hinckley, Ohio, must combine the extraordinary discipline and dedication needed to succeed as a student-athlete with a heightened sense of commitment and integrity in order to fulfill his pledge to his country.
The standard annual requirements for a reservist include one weekend per month and two weeks of service in the summer. Leng, a 2002 NCAA qualifier and two-time Ohio scholastic state champion, is faced with the challenge of meeting these statutes while also juggling coursework and an intense year-round wrestling training regimen.
“It is difficult because the Marines drill on the weekends and I usually have wrestling meets those days,” Leng, a fifth-year senior majoring in business, said. “But I am lucky that my chain of command allows me to make up the time and drills that I miss. The Marines work with my schedule so I am able to still fulfill my commitments without missing any classes or wrestling time.
“School, wrestling and the Marines all include high levels of commitment. Time management is key for me to make sure I succeed in all three.”
Sgt. Mike Knittle, Leng’s platoon leader, has taken quite a respect for his wrestling career and has helped Leng make the necessary modifications to his duties in order to accommodate both.
“Jesse is obligated to do the standard commitment,” Knittle said. “However, I have him excused from his weekend duties from September until the end of the season in March but he still makes up his time during the week and during breaks from school. He goes out of his way on his own time to drill and fulfill his duties.”
Ohio State wrestling head coach Russ Hellickson is thankful the Marines allot the time for Leng to carry out his wrestling career.
“The military demands are a tough fit for a student-athlete, especially a wrestler,” Hellickson, who owns 251 career wins in 17 seasons at OSU, said. “But both the Marines and Ohio State wrestling have worked with each other to assure that Jesse receives the full experience in both areas. I have been appreciative of the Marines and how they have allowed Jesse to focus on wrestling as much as possible during the season.”
Leng faces this challenging balancing act season after season and has utilized some unorthodox methods to meet his requirements. He sometimes fulfills his time in the middle of the week on days he does not have class or over holiday breaks. His father, Eugene, notes the demands his son has put upon himself are intense but the entire experience will prove to benefit him in the long run.
“Most wrestlers are able to focus all of their attention on being successful on the mat,” Eugene said. “Jesse has to divert his attention to his service in the Marines while others are able to completely concentrate on training for their matches. His time commitments to the Marines are no picnic. They drill hard on three or four hours sleep a night. What he does is very taxing but it has made him a better man.”
Regardless of how difficult his balancing act may be, one of the most decorated wrestlers in the annals of Highland (Ohio) High School jumped at the opportunity to carry out a lifelong aspiration.
“Growing up as a kid I always liked the idea of the military adventure,” Leng said. “I also liked the fact that the Marines were the toughest challenge in the armed forces. I thought that joining the Marines was a great way of making myself a stronger person. Most importantly, I feel a sense of pride in the fact that I have the opportunity to serve my country.”
Sgt. Knittle took notice of Leng’s special sense of commitment from day one.
“There were some strong qualities I saw in Jesse from the start,” Knittle said. “I think a lot of that came from his time as a wrestler. He is a responsible young man who took enlisting very seriously. He was in excellent physical condition and just exuded the type of attitude we look for in a Marine.”
Leng’s familiarity with rigorous conditioning and training proved to be an asset, as he was able to make the transition to the three-month period of boot camp a bit more smoothly than other enlistees.
Leng described one example where his platoon was permitted only two meals over the span of three days. As a wrestler, he was accustomed to going stretches without meals and was able to adjust more easily. In fact, by the end of boot camp, Leng had actually gained weight when other enlistees lost a significant amount of weight.
Although prepared on the physical end, Leng explained that boot camp offered many exhausting mental challenges as well.
“I was well prepared for the physical aspects,” Leng said. “Camp was still challenging though. I was away from my family for three months. Not being able to talk to love ones was the toughest part.”
Nearly a year after completing boot camp, Leng was required to pass a two-month session of infantry and weapons training. It was there Leng learned the duties and drills he carries out today as a Lance Corporal in the Javelin Gun Platoon, where he is mainly responsible for anti-tank warfare. Leng’s weapon system, the javelin missile, is a type of heat-seeking missile, which is similar to its namesake in the sport of track and field as the projectile is fired straight into the air and specifically designed to strike a target upon its descent.
“The weapon sounds simple but is complex. The javelin missile is equipped with heat and magnetic locking sites that can pin point seven distinct targets on one particular vehicle,” Leng, who is also equipped with a 50-caliber machine gun, said. “Basically, the missile is fired and is designed to directly strike one of the seven target points. Manning the javelin gun takes precise accuracy and involves very intense training.”
That intensity adopted a heightened sense of realism following the terrorist attacks upon the Pentagon and the World Trade Center Sept. 11, 2001.
“The true sense of a “call to action” started with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11,” Leng said. “That was the signal that alerted everyone in the military and really got us on our toes. We all knew it was just a matter of time before some of us were called to duty.”
The case arose again in March of 2003 when the United States engaged in war with Iraq. Leng, who had just returned to competition a few weeks prior following an elbow injury, expressed that such action was expected and he and the rest of his platoon were prepared for the call.
“When the Iraqi conflict started, I wanted to go,” Leng said. “I think everyone in our unit felt the same way. Training for war is similar to training for wrestling. A wrestler does not train as hard for a match or tournament and then not want to wrestle (in it). It is the same way in the Marines. I have been in military training for four years. We are trained to be prepared for situations like Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Although he was still nursing his elbow injury, Leng faced the real possibility that he may have been called to duty.
“A Marine must always be prepared for that call,” Sgt. Knittle expressed. “That is the reality of the job. My platoon has had to prepare for that reality since Sept. 11.”
Regardless of the injury, Leng’s commitment is first and foremost to the Marines and states that he would have been present when called to whatever capacity deemed necessary.
“The Marines come first in my life right now. That is the commitment I have made,” Leng said. “I still would have been in the recovery stages of my injury had I been called to action but I would have probably started off with ‘light duty’ status until I had fully recovered. But I know, if need be, whenever they make the call, I will go fully healthy or not.”
When the prospects of war arise, a parent’s thoughts of his or her son possibly heading to battle can be a very surreal feeling.
“Wrestling, as tough and demanding as it is, is only a sport,” Eugene said. “The Marine Corps is a serious involvement. The bottom line is when you sign your name on that dotted line you have committed yourself to the possibility of forfeiting your life for your country. When a conflict like Iraq happens you have to realize that there is a potential life and death situation. It is a sobering matter.”
The type of serious approach necessary in the Marines has carried over to Leng’s career on the mat. It has helped him become a leader on the team and spread that type of will and discipline amongst his teammates.
“The Marines have shown Jesse the true meaning of commitment and what it takes to be a leader,” Sgt. Knittle said. “I think that will be evident now that he is a senior on the squad. He can teach others the dedication it takes to succeed.”
In fact, Leng has taken the reins as the leader of the last two preseason conditioning drills for the Buckeyes.
“He runs it like the Marines would run it,” Eugene said. “He knows how to take charge of a situation and how to get the best out of people.”
Leng’s involvement in the Marines also has had a positive influence on his personal life as a student and his individual success as a wrestler.
“The Marines have made me more disciplined in school and wrestling,” Leng said. “The mentality of a Marine is much like a wrestler. You take your share of beatings and lumps in both but you get back up and do what you have to do. The combination has given me a sense of accountability … which has been very rewarding.”
Leng has experienced an injury-riddled career with the Buckeyes, climaxing in the 2002-03 season that began with hernia surgery and then – for all intents and purposes – ended with a severely dislocated elbow in January, which shelved him for nearly seven weeks.
A victim of a severe ankle injury his freshman season as well, Leng attributes his experiences in the Marines for his willingness to keep coming back and doing the rehabilitation necessary to return to full strength.
“In the Marines, if you get hurt in combat you have to drive on. You have no choice,” Leng, who aspires to continue as a high school wrestling coach and teacher following graduation, said. “I think that is the same in wrestling. You cannot let injuries or misfortune get you down. If you get hurt, you have to just come back. If you get hurt again, you just have to keep coming back.”
Hellickson has had a first-hand vantage point of each of Leng’s hardships on the mat and also attributes Leng’s attitude as a Marine as the key in working back to full strength.
“The Marines have given Jesse an edge in toughness and discipline,” Hellickson, a silver medallist at the 1976 Olympic Games, said. “He is someone who has battled injuries throughout his career and his exposure to the marines has aided him in coming back from those injuries. He has an outstanding work ethic and a maturity level unusual for someone his age and much of that can be credited to his service.”
Aspiring for an injury-free senior season, Leng – as a true Marine would – expects nothing but ultimate victory in 2003-04.
“My goal is to be a national champion,” Leng said. “You have to work to reach that goal because if I set goals to reach a lower level then I am essentially accepting losses and that is not the right approach to being a winner.”
Hellickson will expect the same from Leng, but regardless of what happens on the mat, he has experienced the pleasure of coaching a wrestler with a level of character matched by few.
“Jesse is one who desires the most out of what he involves himself in,” Hellickson said. “He has a tough combination but it is something that he has taken the correct approach. He is the right kid, with the right attitude to carry such a load. All of it has been a positive experience for him and has proven Jesse to be a well-rounded young man. He not only has been great to Ohio State wrestling but also to the United States and the Marine Corps.”
