For Aune, His Future is With the Marine Corps

This feature story was written by the Iowa State Office of Student-Athlete Development

AMES, Iowa – Jacob Aune knew in middle school he wanted to pursue a life as a Marine. He was intrigued by the military, its structure and discipline, as well as the leadership opportunities that came with serving in the Marine Corps. The Fairfax, Iowa native carried these characteristics over to the sport of track and field, and became just as passionate about running. He eventually would have to make a decision to enlist or pursue his desire for running.

Luckily for Aune, the track coaching staff at Iowa State allowed him to do both. He is now a senior, and will finish with his degree in supply chain management in May. After graduation he will leave his track years behind him, and begin his lifelong dream of serving as a Marine.

Aune's college journey looks very different than most. He is not only balancing the life of a student-athlete but he's also been preparing for his military career. Last summer he was admitted to Officer Candidate School, which was no easy task. He was going up against other candidates that have already enlisted in the Marines and had more military training and knowledge than him. Candidates are evaluated on three criteria: leadership, physical fitness, and academics.

Part of the admissions application was completing an essay and in his essay he described the expectations of being a student-athlete and how the time management and discipline it requires is parallel to that of being a Marine. He eventually made the cut and was admitted into Officer Candidate School. He credits his experience as a student-athlete with helping him earn a spot at the prestigious school.

After completing Officer Candidate School, enduring 20-hour training days, Aune returned to the Iowa State campus last fall. He says that his military training required him to eat up to 4,000 calories a day and he faced a big adjustment getting back into competition shape for middle-distance running. He had to cut his weight and also get back into the routine of being a college student again.

Aune also added another component to his college routine with monthly military training at Camp Dodge in Des Moines. He travels there once a month to complete a monthly pool function which will help him earn a leadership role in the Marines upon enlisting. How does he manage to keep up with his school work, compete in his sport and train for the Marines? If you ask Aune he says it's an easy task because he takes it one day at a time and credits his track coaches for giving him the flexibility and freedom to pursue his dream.

After graduation in May, Aune will be commissioned and begin his new career in the Marines. A decision made four years ago to choose running over enlisting will now pay off when he is commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. His degree from Iowa State will allow him to go for a leadership position and eventually be the leader of his own platoon. Aune hopes the same discipline, time management, and competing against others he learned as a student-athlete will help lead him to a successful career in the Marine Corps.