By Tyler Page
A BYU student is slated to leave home to serve his country in Iraq next week, but not before he takes a ride with his father.
Taylor Chiu, 18, a Lance Corpo-ral in the United States Marine Corps, and student at Brigham Young University, left early Saturday morning for a run rowboat ride across Utah Lake.
This run will be one of his last before reporting to Camp Lejeune next Sunday for final training before deploying to Iraq within the next month.
?Water?s perfect? said his father David Chiu as they prepared the boat for the run.
David and Taylor established a record for two-man rowing across Utah Lake for others to challenge. They did the eight to ten mile run in 2 hours 10 minutes and 45 seconds.
Together the father and son have set a two-man rowing record across Utah Lake, completing the eight to ten mile run in 2 hours, 10 minutes and 45 seconds.
Taylor is no stranger to athletics. In high school he participated in track and field and played football. During his freshman year at BYU, Taylor received a weightlifting medal at the Collegiate Nationals.
Inspired by his uncle who served in Afghanistan, Taylor joined the United States Marine Corps being inspired by his uncle who served in Afghanistan. ?I felt like it was something I owed to our country,? he said Taylor.
He has his parents support, too. While this may be a dangerous mission, Taylor has the support of his parents. ?It?s for preserving freedom,? said his father. ?Sometimes you wish the bad guys would find a new hobby.?
Taylor joins a conflictwill be joining a whichwar that will be the subject of intense debate this month in the United States Congress. On Monday Gen. David H. Petraeus, the American commander in Iraq, will give Congress a report to the Congress on the progress of the war today.
Congress will consider Petraeus? recommendation as they decide whether or not to continue funding the war in Iraq.
According to the New York Times, Petraeus will report moderate success but will likely rec-ommend only small if any troop reductions.
As reductions have not yet been made, Taylor plans to finish his training and join the troops in Iraq. He hasn?t decided what he will study upon his return, but said he would like to minor in music.