A new scholarship will soon be available for UA Marines. The scholarship, endowed by Tuscaloosa’s Johnny Micheal Spann Detachment of The Marine Corps League, will be open to Marine veterans who are now full-time students as well as family members of active and retired members.

“To further the ideals of the Marine Corps, we have established a scholarship for any people that have a connection to the Marine Corps,” said Loren Horn, commandant of the Tuscaloosa detachment of the League.

Jake Howell, a sophomore majoring in classics, has served two tours of duty with the Marines in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

“I think it’s awesome,” Howell said. “The GI Bill is great, but it doesn’t cover everything. The rest comes out of pocket.”

Horn hopes the scholarship will encourage students to take an interest in the Marines.

“We’re hoping for young people that, after they further their education, will choose to serve their country in the Marine Corps,” he said.

According to Horn, ideal candidates demonstrate strong leadership qualities and a deep desire to serve.

“They always tell us, ‘Marines take care of Marines,’” Howell said.

The Marine Corps League is an organization composed of Marine veterans. Its Tuscaloosa branch is named after Captain Johnny Michael Spann, a native of Winfield, Ala., and the first U.S. combat causality from the war in Afghanistan, according to the League’s website.

The scholarship fund is open to donations, but Howell said the Marines’ strong sense of camaraderie and lifelong brotherhood will mean plenty of support.

“I’m going to be a Marine until the day I die, and I know when I graduate,” Howell said, “I’ll do what I can to help out.”

Marines deserve the scholarship, Howell said.

“The Marines are always the first in and usually the last out,” he said. “They fight hard, and I think they should be rewarded well.”

For more information, visit www.tuscaloosamarines.com, or contact Kim Gentry at 205-348-4771.