Spring Break
OSU student, Army National Guard cadet, feels local call to action
n Marcum intervened, brandishing his AK-47 when one of his neighbors was being assaulted and beaten by her boyfriend
Taryn Luna
Issue date: 2/10/09 Section: News
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"When everything dies down and everyone's quiet, it feels like the universe kind of calms down," the 22-year-old cadet said. "That's when I can do my best thinking."
For Marcum, this month started off picture perfect. In the early hours of Sunday, Feb. 1, he woke up alone in his 2nd street apartment complex after a full day's rest, took a shower and was seated at his computer watching a video of Barack Obama's inauguration in his chosen language of study, Japanese. That's when he heard the noise.
Grunts (and what he described as the sound of someone jumping down the stairs) leading to the second story of the apartment complex seemed to be growing louder. Marcum is accustomed to hearing his neighbor's rambunctious young children, but not after midnight, he said.
A soldier's instincts kicked in as he grabbed a weapon from his arsenal and chambered a round, just to be cautious. The weapon was an AK-47.
When he heard a woman's voice clearly calling out he knew someone needed his help.
Just as he was reaching for the doorknob, a woman began pounding on the other side. She was a 26-year-old resident of a third floor unit, her clothes were torn and she was upset, according to Marcum.
Marcum invited her into his apartment as the woman explained that her live-in boyfriend was beating her and threatening to rape her, he said. Police records claim the man is William Orner, 38, of Corvallis.
Marcum checked down the hallway as he has been trained to do - expecting the man to be in pursuit - and handed the woman his cell phone to call 911.
"It's at this point that I realize I'm standing in my boxer shorts," Marcum said. After putting on shorts and assuring neighbors to go back inside until everything was safe, he began to assess the situation.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 8
Bill Brooks
posted 2/10/09 @ 2:24 PM PST
Marcum is no hero. He is an idiot, through and through. He did something incredibly stupid and got very lucky. He should have closed the door and shot should it have been broken down. (Continued…)
Li Zhang
posted 2/10/09 @ 10:23 PM PST
Dude, this guy is like... the nicest guy I ever met. Maybe the gun is overdone. But the end justifies the means. He still helped a person in need.
Tim Kaine
posted 2/11/09 @ 8:51 AM PST
You can call him whatever you want but at least he had the balls to put himself in danger to help someone else out. I imagine that Bill Brooks would have ran and hide at the first sight of danger. (Continued…)
Paul
posted 2/17/09 @ 3:01 PM PST
Hummmm - are you sure the type of rifle, "AK-47" is correct? Also, just what exactly is an "Army National Guard Cadet?"
RJ
posted 2/19/09 @ 1:57 AM PST
An Army National Guard Cadet is a contracted member of the Army's Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP). They go to basic training and train once a month with their National Guard unit, though do not have to deploy (may choose to) until they have completed college. (Continued…)
Hero is a Zero
posted 2/24/09 @ 1:16 PM PST
Some good ol' army training there. Cant even hold his own. Also in a situation where someone tells you their boyfriend tried to rape them why not call the police? Pretty sure they can take down the guy instead of someone who is worried about getting his door kicked in. (Continued…)
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