LINWOOD – Marine Capt. Nelson Candelario, a graduate of the Mainland Regional High School Class of 1999 and a native of Northfield, was welcomed home from a tour of duty in Afghanistan Thursday, Feb. 9 with a full assembly at the school.

The ceremony was organized through the school’s Support Our Troops project, an initiative that collects items that military men and women need while deployed.

Master of ceremonies Alyssa Perna, a junior whose parents serve in the military, said Candelario is one of the “very few who understand the sacrifice” it takes to serve in the armed forces.

Enlisting after he graduated from law school, Candelario said he loves serving in the military. His task in Afghanistan was to review the “rules of engagement, the laws of war” the United States must follow in its activities.

“I had to do a lot of reading on the treaties and covenants the U.S. is a part of to find out whether we could legally target a specific building or person,” he said.

Despite his law degree, he was given no special treatment in the Marines, he said.

“I was told, ‘The Marines don’t need you. You need the Marines,’” he said. “That kind of arrogance appealed to me.”

Candelario had to train for months to become a captain, including enduring a mustard gas chamber with no mask and learning how to shoot machine guns.

“Learning all of the weapons was really cool,” he told the students. “How many lawyers get to shoot machine guns?”

He told students that the best way to support the troops is to send letters and care packages, especially ones that contain baby wipes – since they often go months without a shower.

“I wish I could say I wanted to do something exciting when I got home, but the first thing I wanted to do was take a shower,” he said.

Candelario, who lives is North Carolina with his wife, Liz, is a judge advocate for the U.S. Marine Corps and a special assistant U.S. attorney in the state’s Eastern District. He graduated from La Salle University and Rutgers University School of Law.

Items that are being collected at the school for deployed military men and women include baby wipes, toiletries, beef jerky, plastic applicator tampons, hand warmers, sunscreen, Q-tips, antibiotic ointment, lip balm with sunscreen, Band-Aids, eye drops, ramen noodles, batteries, foot powder, canned meats and powdered drink mixes.

For information call Jo Carney, project coordinator, at (609) 927-4151, ext. 2735.