NORTH BRUNSWICK – A young United States Marine has been recognized with a street name in his honor.
Corey Nicholas Kunz celebrated a secondary street sign for Kunz Way on Sept. 3 at the intersection of Excelsior Avenue and Cordelia Street in North Brunswick.
Kunz was born on July 13, 1991, in New Brunswick. He lived in North Brunswick on Cordelia Street before moving to South Brunswick. He graduated South Brunswick Township High School in 2009 before attending Universal Technical Institute. He received an Automotive Technology Certificate in 2010 and began working for Goodyear.
However, he decided to enlist in the United States Marine Corps in May 2012. He graduated from boot camp in August 2012 at Parris Island, South Carolina. He was deployed to Okinawa, Japan, during Operation Enduring Freedom from 2012-2013, where he was responsible for the well-being and training of junior Marines. He conducted and observed more than 300 indirect fire missions, supported training operations and was responsible for more than $10,000 in gear, according to the proclamation read in his honor.
Kunz was a member of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit during 2014-15, assisting in the employment and routing of combat aircraft and trained and tested personnel in their ability to control field artillery and aircraft. He also performed duties outside of MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) with Marine Corps infantry units, programmed as well as maintained analog and digital radio communication. He briefed numerous high ranking military and government officials on progress and was responsible for more than $50,000 worth of government gear, according to the proclamation.
Kunz received two Certificates of Commendation, a Joint Fires Observer Certification, and he was an Honor Graduate from both the Marine Artillery Scout Observer Course (MASOC) and the Naval Fire Support Marine Course (NFSC). He also received numerous medals such as the Global War on Terrorism Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with Star. He earned the rank of E-5 Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps and served four years of active service, according to the proclamation.
Kunz currently lives in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and attends Penn State University majoring in cybersecurity. This past summer he had an internship at KPMG, an accounting firm in Philadelphia, as a cybersecurity consultant.