Green Bay Reporter

Greenville’s Gregg Payne views his standing in the U.S. Marine Corps as his rightful place. 

He joined the armed forces alongside his twin brother after graduating high school in 1990, following in the military footsteps of both his parents and his foster brothers.

For Payne, military life was a family affair. Growing up in Southern California, both of his parents were in the Air Force.

"I woke up one day, because I had been watching everything with the conflict growing in the Middle East, and just decided that I woke up one day and wanted to go serve in the Marine Corps," he recently told WeAreGreenBay.com. "My foster brothers that lived with us when I was younger were both marines, so that basically helped solidify the idea that I wanted to join the Marine Corps. And then I looked over at my twin brother and said, 'Hey, do you want to join the Marine Corps and go over to the Middle East?' And he's like, 'Yeah.'"

Payne, who recalls holding an AR-15 rifle at an early age, went on to become a base communications operator and Bryan a field radio operator at Twentynine Palms.

"I had top-secret, confidential secret security clearances," he said. "I basically worked at a (communications) center on 24-hour shifts; I can't talk about anything beyond that."

But Payne isn't hesitant about sharing details related to experiences he acquired over his two years of active duty, including those he now believes helped chart him for success as the co-owner of FreedomWear Co. and SillyToast Designs in Greenville.

Both operations specialize in screen printing and embroidery, but they're also devoted to giving back to the Appleton community.

"As we've continued to grow the business, we were able to financially support some of the local schools, whether it was donating money for a new scoreboard, paying off student lunches for the parents that couldn't afford to pay them off, buying bicycles for kids that were less fortunate, becoming major sponsors for specific events for kids, and just being an all-around community member," Payne told We Are Green Bay. "Giving back to the community as much as possible because without the community we wouldn't be an entity, and it's like that for everybody."

While FreedomWear Co. gear can often be seen at many of the local colleges such as St. Norbert and UW-Oshkosh, and their bike program is a staple at Einstein Middle School in Appleton, Payne is adamant about wanting his impact to be felt beyond just branding.

"The fundamentals that I was given in the military, even though they're tough, it makes you realize how important you are as an individual," he said. "If you've got a talent that you can give back to the community, don't take it for granted, don't take advantage of it, take it and run. I feel that if you do good things for yourself and the community that you live in, it's cyclical, it's going to come back to you."