Al Christensen says he’s never been to the Albert Lea July 3 parade.

But this year will change all that. Not only will he attend, but he’ll attend in style as the parade grand marshal.

Christensen, a private first class in the U.S. Marine Corps, recently returned from active duty in Iraq. He returned to the U.S. June 12, then came home to visit his parents, Barb Hubbard of Albert Lea and Dave Christensen of Clarks Grove.

Christensen, a 2002 graduate of Albert Lea High School, enlisted in the Marines in December 2001.

&uot;I wanted to get out. I felt there was nothing here for me. I wanted to get out and see the world,&uot; he said of enlisting.

He was first sent to boot camp in San Diego for three months, then to Camp Pendleton School of Infantry for two months.

Christensen flew to Kuwait on March 12, then patrolled security through Iraq until June 12. &uot;We also did some humanitarian things there. We painted a school,&uot; he said.

He said the children in Iraq were always happy to see the U.S. soldiers, and would ask for food or water. But the soldiers could never tell how they stood with the adults there.

&uot;With a lot of the Iraqis, you don’t know what they’re thinking,&uot; Christensen said, adding even gestures don’t mean the same thing there that they do here.

There were also sandstorms, like nothing they’d experienced before, which just kept the soldiers in their tents. And the heat, by the time he left, was reaching 130 degrees.

While being sent to Iraq during a war wasn’t something Christensen could anticipate when he enlisted, he wasn’t surprised by it.

&uot;I figured with Sept. 11, something was going to happen. I don’t think anyone joins without having that in the back of their head,&uot; he said.

Hubbard admits to a few anxious moments when her son was overseas, compounded by the fact that he also had two cousins from Houston County in Iraq as well.

Christensen said the Marines is a &uot;family thing,&uot; and that he had two uncles in that branch of service.

He actually enlisted with his friend, Cory Flattum of Albert Lea, and it was Flattum’s aunt who suggested Christensen as the grand marshal.

&uot;I’ve never been to the parade before,&uot; he said of accepting the honor. &uot;I thought it would be cool.&uot;

Besides, he’s happy to be home. &uot;It’s great to see grass again,&uot; he added.

Christensen can already see some big changes in himself since joining the Marines. &uot;I’m more independent now,&uot; he admitted. &uot;If something needs to be done, I actually do it now.&uot;

And his mother sees the change as well. &uot;He’s very mature and independent,&uot; she said. &uot;We’re real proud of him.&uot;

Christensen will be returning for more Marines training at Camp Pendleton July 12. He has three more years in the Marines.