My Military Experience

Without a doubt the single most influential experience in my life has been graduating from Marine Corps boot camp at MCRD San Diego. They say less than one percent of United States Citizens serve in the military and a small fraction of them serve as United States Marines. I take great pride in the fact that standing on those famous yellow footprints separates me from more than 99% of people I will meet. Some people claim boot camp was easy for them, that they didn’t struggle or second guess themselves; unfortunately I am not one of those people. I greatly struggled, not physically as that was easy but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Initially I wasn’t sure if I had made the right decision in enlisting right out of high school. But then

At times the language and environment was harsh but I came to the conclusion that I needed to take a step back and allow someone to help me progress myself as an adult. For me, graduating basic training was one of the proudest moments of my life and whenever I look back at that day, I know that if I hadn’t of been put through that stress, I wouldn’t have the skills I do today to deal with that. The military was a great thing for me to experience, and I will always be thankful for

I would like to share with you some of my experiences. I joined the military in 1996, after high school and I went directly to Marine boot camp. There I learned some of my most important personal values such as pride, perseverance, team work, and attention to detail. Marine Corps boot camp is an experience like no other I have had in the world and one I am immensely proud to have. I rose in the ranks quickly, I started as

Basic and advanced individual training pushed me to give my all in everything I do. The ability to serve my country and travel made me proud. When I was direct commission as a physician assistant in the National Guard it thrust me into a leadership role that I was not trained for, but my life experiences to this point helped me on this path. Training soldiers and maintaining battalion medical readiness was the core of my duties. Amongst the most valuable attributes I developed while serving was time management, extensive preparation and

I learned a sense of pride and that I had to work hard in order to be a productive citizen in this country (lessons that I seek to teach to my own children). So at the age of 15 I started working part-time at various restaurants after school and all those long weekends with my father restoring the cars that he purchased to repair and resale. As I reached high school graduation, I did not have much help preparing for life after high school. I was not given information on finding work, much less advice on attending college and how to succeed there. I stumbled through a year of community college thinking I wanted to be a commercial pilot and working midnight to 6am. After a year of this and having earned a private pilots license, I decided to join the Marine Corps to be an Amphibious Reconnaissance Marine. It was the best decision that I could have

I have told everyone growing up that I knew wanted to be a soldier in the Army one day. They all said that I wanted to be just like my dad but I have always felt it was something I just wanted to do for myself. Going on tours of training sites as a kid only fueled my passion for becoming a soldier, and serving in the Army. When I was17 years old I went to basic training on a split option program

Although my military service was brief, it was impactful and changed the trajectory of my life for the better. It enlightened me to a multitude of issues affecting people across the globe and in our nation. I witnessed the caliber of

I recall the very day I decided to join the military. As I sat in keyboard class, the teacher turn on the television. The news was on with a live broadcast of the Twin towers located in New York. Smoke was coming from one of the towers. Seeing this major event happen caused everyone in my class to talk. Some of my classmates started screaming and crying when the plane hit the other tower. School was released early because of the amount of students who had relatives that worked in the twin towers. Seeing all of my classmates and the other kids at my school crying caused something inside me to want to make a difference and fight for my country. Without doing any research of my own about the different branches of the military, I chose to join the Army. On the way home, I went to the nearest recruiting office and that became the beginning of my military career.

The Army has given me a great life thus far with many outstanding opportunities over the

“Camping fifty miles from Death Valley has its benefits,” I said into my radio as I stared straight up at what felt like my own personal light show. The sand still radiated from the blistering daytime heat of the Mojave Desert. The outpost slept with the exception of my platoon. I rested at a remote checkpoint during an otherwise vigilant patrol, silently taking in my surroundings before studying the cosmic chaos above. For what felt like a few short seconds I had lain undisturbed on the bank of a sand dune. A meteor shower is the kind of small pleasure you learn to appreciate in the Marine Corps. I let my eyes and mind wander through the infinite sky. “How did I get here? Where am I going?” These are the two questions I always ask myself. My radio crackled to life, bringing me back to the present. After pulling myself to my feet I radioed in, “En route to checkpoint Bravo.” I tightened my helmet strap and tapped the bottom of my magazine mostly out of habit before moving toward my next stop.

When I first enlisted in the Army, I had no idea what to expect. I didn't know where I would end up or if I would enjoy it. In fact the only thing I did know was that I was going to end up in Oklahoma for Basic Training and San Antonio for Advanced Individual Training to become a medic. Soon after my arrival to Oklahoma I discovered that my life was going to be forever changed.

I honestly still to this day believe that the military saved me in so many ways. I will always have a love-hate relationship with the Marine Corps, however I have the upmost appreciation for what the Corps has provided me. I think I would have continued down a bad path if I had not taken a dramatic turn. The military was the kick in the butt and the reality check I needed to become the man I am today. The military taught me to apply myself and to not take any short cuts. Most of

I have wanted to go into the military since i was very young. Most children say that they want to be a firefighter or a doctor, but i said that i wanted to be in the military. I remeber looking at pictures and learning about military officers and i felt called to be one of those men. My decision and dreams never changed, as most childrens do when they realize the work required. But for reasons beyond my comprehension, my desire of a miltary life never wavered. Both of my parents' fathers served in the military, one n the Air Force and one in the Army. They told me stories of their days in the military, bragging of their different branhes and I took what they said and choose a school that woud lead to a career in neither of their branches.

My military service reshaped who I am. My training stripped away any sense of entitlement and I learned more about myself in four months than I’d ever known before. It not only gave me discipline and taught me to perform under pressure, but everything I did wasn’t just for me anymore. I was working hard for the marines next to me in my platoon. The time came when each of us hit a breaking point physically or mentally.

I grew up in a military family. My father was an air force officer who trained others in piloting helicopters. As a young boy, I found this to be very fascinating and I thought I was going to follow in his footsteps. Sadly, he died in a helicopter crash in 1998. He was a very important person in my life that I considered as a mentor. Consequently, I gradually started losing interest in serving in the army. It was a major setback.