Person of the Year: Connor Doherty

Connor Doherty was voted . Doherty is a Lance Corporal in the United States Marine Corps and was deployed to Afghanistan from March to October in 2011.

He was born in Lynn and moved to North Reading at age five. He attended the as well as the and schools. Doherty played on the Varsity soccer, wrestling and lacrosse teams before graduating in 2006.

After completing a year and a half at Bridgewater State, he took a semester off before making the decision to join the Marine Corps in December of 2009.

“Ive always wanted to be in the armed services, ever since I was a little kid,” he said.

Doherty spent three months at Boot Camp on Paris Island in South Carolina and another two months at the School of Infantry in Jacksonville, North Carolina. He is now stationed at Camp Lejeune, outside of Jacksonville.

He was deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan in March of 2011 and able to perform his job as a Rifleman. Trained on the M16 rifle, Doherty was eager to make it overseas.

“Imagine if you were studying for two years for a test that you never got to take," Doherty said. “Finally being able to go to Afghanistan to do my job… it felt good.”

When asked to describe his experience, he said, "It’s hard to explain… it was war. You realize how minuscule some problems back in the civilian world are.”

Unable to reveal much more about his time in Afghanistan, Doherty simply said, “I did my job over there. We all did our job, and we all kept each other safe.”

Now back in North Carolina, a normal day for Doherty consists of waking at 5:30 a.m., physical training from 7 to 9 a.m. followed by administrative paperwork. He has a television, computer and Xbox in his room that he shares with a roommate.

There is a chance he could be deployed again in January of 2013, but he will not know for sure until later this year.