A family of Marines honors newly commissioned officer

Following a promotion to corporal upon his return from Iraq, Matt Shortway was accepted into the 10-week U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Va. Family members who attended his graduation and commission to second lieutenant included both his grandfathers and an uncle, all former Marines. His maternal grandfather, Ralph Silverbrand, served in the South Pacific during World War II; his paternal grandfather, Harry Shortway Jr., enlisted in the Marines in 1956 and was honorably discharged in 1958; and his uncle, Capt. John Leonard Meyers, served from 1955 to 1975 and served during the Vietnam conflict in 1968. Shortway is a graduate of Vernon Township High School and Clarkson University.