Homeless teen turns his life upside down after run-in with MP and Marine recruiter

He was 18 years old, homeless and living in the woods when South Carolina A deputy arrested Brian Gilbert for stealing food from a supermarket deli.

Gilbert said he has no direction in life, missing more school than he attends and sleeping in a tent behind a shopping center in the Midlands area.

A night in jail after all turned my life around.

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US Marine Corps Pvt. Brian Gilbert, a student at the Marine Corps Engineering School and a native of Gilbert, South Carolina, poses for a photo at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, August 15, 2024. Gilbert enlisted in the Marine Corps in March 2024 and is training to become a utility technician. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Zachary Candiani)

Lexington County Deputy John Sanders jailed Gilbert, but couldn’t let the encounter end there.

“His greatest need was that he was struggling to get some food and he didn’t have a job that was bringing in any income,” Sanders later recalled in a video released by the sheriff’s office Friday in honor of everyone three men heading to Veterans Day. weekend.

He approached a local Marine recruiter, Sgt. Brent Latham and asked what he could do.

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Lexington County Sheriff’s Deputy John Sanders recalled his encounter with Brian Gilbert, a homeless teenager he arrested for stealing food from a supermarket deli. After consulting with a local Marine recruiter, he helped Gilbert turn his life around. (Lexington County Sheriff’s Office)

“Rep. Sanders called me. “Hey man, there’s a kid who’s in a bad situation. I want to know if you can help him,” Sgt. Latham said. “I had a description of what this young man looked like. I rolled down the window and asked, “Hey, are you Brian?” He said, ‘Yes, sir,’ and I told him to come in.”

“He raised the Marines” said Gilbert. “And I said, ‘Let’s just do it.’ I met with the recruiter… and signed the papers. I mean, it’s a lot better than I thought it would be.”

Sanders, a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, said the decision was simple.

Rep. John Sanders shakes Pvt. Brian Gilbert's hand during his senior year at Parris Island, South Carolina.

Rep. John Sanders shakes Pvt. Brian Gilbert’s hand after graduating from boot camp in May 2024. (Photo courtesy of Lexington County Sheriff’s Office)

“In my experience in the military, they feed you. You have a place to stay for the night. And you get paid for it,” he said.

Gilbert attended basic training at Parris Island and graduated in May, and Sanders and Latham were there to cheer him on.

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Recruiter and station commander Brent Latham speaks

US Marine Corps Sergeant. Brent Latham (pictured) met Gilbert at Starbucks after his arrest. Then the teenager signed up. (Lexington County Sheriff’s Office)

He is currently stationed at Camp Lejeune and says he is still in regular contact with Rep. Sanders.

“I talk to him all the time,” Gilbert said. “He’s a wonderful person. I can talk to him about anything, and he is always willing to just listen.”

US Marine Corps Pvt. Brian Gilbert, a Marine Corps Engineering student and native of Gilbert, South Carolina, repairs a generator at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Aug. 15, 2024. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Zachary Candiani)

The sheriff’s office calls Gilbert’s case a “great success story” that shows how authorities can change a young man’s life for the better.

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“It took one phone call from a deputy Marine Corps recruiter to help someone from a dire situation in the woods get a fulfilling career and paycheck,” Latham said. “One phone call can make a difference.”