Marine Corps Admission Essay

My interest in naval service began in 5th grade with my admittance to the United States Sea Cadet Corps. At first, I believed that I was making the most of my wasted time watching tv. However, after a while in the program, I began to realize that the camaraderie and dedication that this organization had to offer amazed and enticed me. Soon I became the program’s Ship’s Leading Petty Officer, the highest leadership position obtainable in the corps. Being handed that responsibility was a dream come true. That is where I found my passion for leading. Upon entering high school, I enrolled in the ROTC program hoping for more responsibility and a possible future in military service. On this road, I found my passion for the engineering field.

For Korean men, two years of military service is mandatory. I served in the Korean army until 2014 August since 2012. As time went by in the army, I felt very uncertain about my future. Therefore, I wanted to challenge myself by trying new things. Fortunately, I was working in a special troop with the US army, so I had a lot of opportunities to speak English and experience American culture. Moreover, most of my American friends that I met there, recommended me to study overseas for my future.

After working twenty years with marines, Nicholas finds working with veterans very rewarding. He trained some of the finest and hardest working people that ever existed. The scope of a veteran does not end when their deployment is over; many continue public service with professional organizations and support networks with individuals of like-minded thinking and interest. It is their way of giving back to the community and helping new veteran’s transition back into civilian life (personal communication, June 20,

When I went on mobilization to Fort Lewis, Washington and left my son in the care of my parents, I thought my parental duties would be set aside until I returned home. Unfortunately, the soldiers of 351st Ordnance Company would prove me wrong with their excessive alcohol consumption, commonly term “binge drinking,” and destructive behaviors. I would then spend the next year sharing the responsibility with four other junior noncommission officers in the task of taking care of soldiers. Despite the efforts of myself and the others we were not fully prepared to handle some of the outrageous events and lack of engagement from the leadership that would challenge us during the tour. My abilities as a junior noncommission officer and the understanding of leadership were redefined and I learned exactly what it meant to ensure soldiers have proper guidance, leadership, positive morale, and well-being.

Many of my earliest memories revolve around cars. As a child I can remember wandering around classic car shows, riding around up north in my family’s old work truck, and sitting in the back seat on countless road trips watching the miles of unknown road stretch to the horizon. Every time I place my hands on a steering wheel, even today, I still rekindle a fascination with anything that has four wheels and an engine. This interest encompasses everything from the mechanics of an internal combustion engine to the rich history of the American automobile. For this reason, I was euphoric when my family purchased a 1957 Chevy. Since this new hobby was introduced into my life, I have spent many long nights in the garage working to bring the car back to its original glory. In the past few years, working on this car has enriched my life in countless ways.

While reflecting on my time at the Chief Petty Officer’s Academy (CPOA), three elements of learning most impacted my persona and changed me as a leader. These elements of learning include both class room presentations and personal interactions with fellow attendees. The three elements of learning that will be discussed in this paper are 360 peer review report, understanding generational gaps, and recognition that everyone has different experiences within the mess. Each element has changed how I view the Coast Guard and will shape my future interactions with others.

On June 1st, 2010 at the age of eighteen, a young man stepped out of his parent 's vehicle and onto the "yard" at the United States Naval Academy for the first time. Unsure of the trials and tribulations that lay ahead, he was filled with a mixture of emotions encompassing everything from pride to anxiety to excitement. Leadership was a common concept in his life. He had been an officer in numerous high school clubs, understood the value of hard work, and had spent the last three years in a training program preparing him for this journey. He had many examples of leaders in his life. His father had served a career in the Navy, a path he was proud to carry on, his mother a strong academic, of which he had similar interests, and many

From an early age I have developed an aptitude for working on mechanical objects. I enjoyed the typical childhood toys of Lego's, building, disassembling, and exploring ways to create new customized designs and models. Prior to the inception of Lego's in our home, I was searching for whatever items that my parents would let me take apart and rebuild. Later, in my early teenage years I began rebuilding snowmobiles and motorcycles to doing engine swaps on the family car. Whether a vehicle has an unusual sound or handles in abnormal way, these are all things I find gratification in problem solving. Consequently, understanding the principles of how the vehicle functions and performs are the aspects I thrive most on knowing.

So when I turned eighteen, I and some of my classmates flew to the neighboring island to see the United States Army Recruiter. My recruiter showed me a video of what an infantryman does and I was sold, then told him that this is the perfect job for me. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. It was hard for my parents to accept that I was joining the Army, especially my mom, all she could think of was that I was going to war and bad things could happen to me. She didn’t want me to experience that kind of life and she couldn’t bear the thought of losing one of her own children. So the day I flew off to basic I told my parents, “Everything will be fine trust me”. This was my first time leaving the islands and being away from my family for a good while. So myself and two of my buddies started basic training together, we stuck together as soon as we got to 30th AG. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into I have never seen so many different people in one area. I have never experienced being away on my own for the first time, I had no clue what was going on. I wanted to give up and quit, but I told myself no! I cannot go back home as a quitter, ever since then, my motivation that kept me going was my family and friends, I wanted them to be proud of who I’ve become. I graduated basic training February 2005

Every day when I had come home from school I had saw my Dad tinkering in the garage. One day as I passed by the location, a pungent smell of car exhaust and gasoline had filled the area. I decided to follow the smell which led me into the garage. When I had opened the door I had saw my mother’s red orange 1969 Pontiac GTO. My Father was hung over the engine trying to fix the car. Seeing my Dad spend his time restoring and fixing our muscle cars had sparked my curiosity. Every time I had seen my dad going into the garage I decided to follow him. I became fascinated to see a broken down car, and with my dad’s working hands could be fixed like magic.

I was the one who love to work with my hands and as a kid, my parents would get mad at me because I would take things apart, but I wouldn’t understand how to put things back together and I’ll have a bunch of parts. Well as I grew older I started working on cars and I would take it apart, but this time I knew how to fix it. The struggle of figuring out what parts go where, a big puzzle, and then the enjoyment of hearing the motor roaring and the rumble of the exhaust, having that feeling like wow I just built that and look at it now. In this essay, I will explain what I want to do for my future career and what is required to succeed in my dreams.

The military is a subject that many look for as a form of obligation, and many think it’s our duty to serve and protect. I for one have felt that obligation and have been compelled to join the marines, but before I bluntly stick my neck out for America I wanted a veterans point of view on my decision. The person that I selected to interview was a sixty-five year old marine veteran from Texas, and I will refer to him as Walus, he is my neighbor Joey’s grandfather. Walus is a sturdy, strict yet likeable fellow once you get past his unpleasant personality. He is passionate in teaching his grandsons all he knows about everything from cooking to dismantling and assembling assault rifles.

The decision to complete school is never easy, especially if you have been out of the classroom for as long as I have. For me, it has been well over 15 years. I have been intimidated to commit to enrolling for many reasons. Everything from the enrollment process, how to pay, and for me, the most frightening aspect, will I be able to handle the material. With all these fears weighing on my mind, I put off enrolling in a school year after year. However, when I suffered a career ending medical condition, it became apparent, I need to get my degree, and I needed it yesterday. Growing up in New York City, to a stay at home mother and a police officer father, in the 80 's and 90 's; the only rule in my family was to complete high school and to apply to every civil service, city job offered. However, I had other plans, at the age of fifteen, I found a job as a plumber 's apprentice. Well, in my mind, I had my life in order, life, on the other hand, had an entirely different plan. My first child was born just a week after I turned eighteen and she needed more than my meager salary could handle. This lead me to have to make a hard choice; to I go to school for a degree or do I join the military? Being I needed the job and benefits faster than attending college could provide; the military was the logical answer. Now, everything is right in the world; I am active duty Coast Guard; my, now, two children have a wonderful home and attend the best schools. I advanced quickly through the

When I was a high school student, I wanted nothing more than to put my schooling experience behind me. The day that I graduated, I thought to myself, “finally! I am done!” After everything settled down after graduation, I got a job as a shift supervisor at a Boston Market in Littleton, Colorado. After about a year of working there, I realized that I wanted a better life for myself. So what does one do when they want a better life and their parents can’t talk them into going to college? They join the Military. So, in August of 2006, that is exactly what I did. Just about four years later, I finally realized that to get anywhere in this world now a days, you need to have some form of a college education.

As a young adult just getting out of high school many people feel like they ultimately have two choices: they can enter the job market with minimal skills and hope that they can progress without secondary education; alternatively, they can follow a very typical path that most people see as a way to the American dream--they can go to college, get a degree, and pray the job market has a place for them. Nearing the end of high school, I was torn between joining the Army and going to college. What eventually ended this debate for me was my extremely supportive parents who gave me an ultimatum: they told me they would pay for my first year of college and if I still wanted to join the military after that, I could.