CALEDONIA, NY — Patricia and Bill Lysko of Caledonia heard from their son, Lance Corporal Jeffrey Lysko on Thursday that he would be aboard a ship bound for Haiti as part of the U.S. military aid in the relief efforts following the devastating earthquake that killed thousands on the island.

“He called us on Thursday to say he would be boarding a ship on Friday and heading to Haiti to help the people there,” his mother said.

She learned from news reports on Monday that the first ship carrying U.S. Marines had arrived on the island. His parents, family and friends are very proud of him and his entire battalion.

It was his experience at Boys State in 2006, sponsored by the Matthew Cleary Post in Caledonia, that influenced Lysko to join the military.

Lysko, a 2007 Cal-Mum graduate, entered the U.S. Marine Corp. in August 2007. He is a member of the military police with the security company supply battalion.

He served in Iraq from February to October 2009 and was scheduled to go to Afghanistan when that deployment was cancelled and re-routed to Haiti.

Lysko will be out of contact with his family for the next couple of months while serving in Haiti.

When possible, he communicates through Facebook.

Tagged as: Haiti, U.S. Marines