Submitted by: New York City Public Affairs
Story Identification #: 200541916730
Story by Sgt. Beth Zimmerman

 NEW YORK (April 19, 2005) -- Marine Cpl. Patrick Gravenese has something in common with President George W. Bush and Oprah Winfrey. Like them, his photo has graced the cover of Time magazine.

Bush and Winfrey are featured with a montage of others the April 18 issue's cover featuring Time's most influential people of the year. A photo of Gravenese in full combat gear in Afghanistan appeared last year on the cover of Time's March 8 issue.

Time magazine describes this month's "special issue" as featuring, "the 2005 list of the world's most influential people, from the President to Cardinal Ratzinger to Jay-Z." The magazine will honor those people at the Time 100 Dinner at the Lincoln Center in Manhattan tonight. Gravenese, who received an invitation at Camp Lejeune, N.C., will also attend.

"I'm really excited to go," said Gravenese from his hometown of White Plains, N.Y. "It's pretty cool...I'm just a normal grunt, but this is my chance to represent the Marine Corps."

Time's cover photograph of Gravenese pictured him on patrol in the mountains near Pakistan. It was used to illustrate a story entitled "Afghanistan, The Other War: Inside the U. S. Campaign to Pacify the Country and Snare Osama bin Laden."

The photograph brought Gravenese national recognition. Meanwhile, the Marine deployed with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines had no clue of his fame.

"My fiancé told me [over the internet] that I was on the cover of Time," recalled Gravenese. "I said, 'oh sure,' and then I went to bed," he said. "The next day, we found out about it on the internet...it was a surprise for everyone," he said with a chuckle. "I don't think anyone from our battalion expected any of us to land on the cover of a magazine discussing Afghanistan."

The grunt said his buddies gave him a hard time about his fame, and that the publicity never really evaporated completely.

"The [reporters] always know when I come home, so I don't get a lot of downtime," said Gravenese. "So, I try to be positive and present a good image for the Marine Corps."

Gravenese said he visits his former high school to talk to potential Marine Corps recruits. "They think I'm this big war hero, which I'm not," said Gravenese. "I just did what everyone else did...but when [the students] see me up close, it's different," he said. "I try to use that to the Marine Corps' advantage."

Tonight, Gravenese and his fiancé, Laura Damiano, are looking forward to putting their best feet forward while mingling with "the world's most influential people."

"I know the majority of people (who will be there) have done something really significant," said Gravenese. "But, so have I," he said. "I stand on my own level."