Personal Narrative: My Marine Corps Experience

Choosing the Marine Corps instead of another branch saved me because it brought out the most in me and forced me to become a leader. As an Infantryman, I’ve served with some of the greatest men this country has to offer, most of which coming from the same substandard background as me. My seniors have taught me incredible lessons and I have passed them on to my junior Marines. This is an institution that does nothing less than create hard working, productive, and confident men. Two deployments later I am ready to bring my insight and experiences to a classroom at a prestigious University like Miami. After getting back in the classroom and discovering my passion for economics I am more than excited to pursue a

Everyone knows that a soldier is someone that has made the ultimate sacrifice. By that I mean someone that has gave up being with family and friends to go and help the world. However, being a civilian may be difficult at times, it does not even compare. The responsibilities of a solders can be challenging, rewarding and yet demanding. As a United States Soldier, fighting for our country, both home and abroad, we are considered as a band of brothers, well some may even call it a family whom incorporate the antic of military first, family second and accountability fits into the category as top priority. Within the United States, the importance of keeping our patrons safe and free of any potential threats that can be a risk to safety is also near

Growing up as the son of a career Naval Officer, I have experienced a background that varies greatly from that of an applicant who has grown up in a strictly civilian family. The constant relocation, the exciting places I have lived, and the countless great, unique people I have met, have all contributed that that he unique childhood I have enjoyed. While at times my identity as a military child has made life challenging and difficult, I strongly believe that it has made me a stronger, more adaptable person because I have been molded by past experiences and I don't think that my application would be complete without this information.

I was once the big fish in a small pond, but now I find myself as a worm on a hook in an ocean of big fish. Starting this journey, I can say that I was overcome with all types of emotions all at once: anxiety, fear, excitement, inadequateness, and at the end of it all I was finally calm. Knowing that I had just accomplished something that not even six months ago wasn’t even in my life plans. As a platoon, we performed feats that as individuals or a group you would never attempt let alone think about have accomplished. The slogans during that time of my career were “be all you can be in the Army” or “we do more before 9 am than most people do all day.” Within my first four years I got to travel the world and see places that most people would only dream about from Antarctica to Panama, and even to the pyramids in Egypt, I got to see it all. The military had such a powerful and profound hold on me I couldn’t think of anywhere else I would rather be. I was once told by my 1SG after a very long and trying day he said “Private Williams, where else can grown men and women have this much fun and still get paid. “I thought and pondered on what he had said, and even today 26 years later I still ask myself the same question, and it always goes back to the same answer, wearing the uniform serving my country side by side with my brothers and sisters in

This book puts emphasis on the transformation of an American citizen into a marine and the importance of sustaining the change. It is imperative because our war fighting ability depends on a lasting transformation not only during the time of the individual’s Marine Corps career but also when he or she returns to their civilian communities.

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

I’m a military child. Change was instilled in me since my birth in Spain. My childhood was spent briefly in Europe, the east coast of the U.S, and eventually the Midwest. This change of scenery, schools, friends, and just about everything else in my life led me to be the person I am today. Travelling was amusing and I enjoyed change of pace every couple of years, but it wasn’t easy. I learned early on that getting attached to people wasn’t a good idea and should be avoided in preparation for the next move. This led me to being an incredibly shy child who couldn’t open up to people. The world I come from is an adventurous but problematic one. When I concluded making friends would assist with each transition I found myself too terrified to attempt

The moment I strolled into the Marine Corps recruiting office was the first time I experienced conformity without any reluctance. Which turned out to be absolutely shocking since I spent my teen years doing the opposite of what was expected from me. I understood by joining the military, I would need to conform my expectations and beliefs in order to successfully enter and exit the Corps.

Growing up as a military child and living all over the world, I was afforded many

I was in the Marine Corps serving under Third battalion Eleventh marines Mike Battery in Twenty-Nine Palms California from 2009-2013. What our unit did was put rounds down range, oorah. We were an artillery battery, think modern day cannons. As far as twenty-nine palms all you have to imagine is sand in a five hundred square foot mile area. My job as Ammo chief was to insure the safe handling and transportation of hundred pound high explosive bombs. On one partially long training exercise I was instructed to take my marines and four ‘7-ton’ trucks and go to the rear to load up with more ammo. No problem, I’ve done this before but on this occasion when I was going to return the battery would have moved positions. So they gave me the grid number

The military across the board has been making a transition in to peace time life. This is fairly difficult for people like myself, because we are used to the Marine Corps being a certain way. Nearly Ninety percent of the Infantry in 2007 was composed of individuals that knew, or were asking to go to war. With the tightening down on certain aspects of rather relaxed rules and regulations. From the time that I had joined, many of our war hardened hero’s found themselves in a predicament with having to leave the military by force. Rules such as the tattoo policy which at one time was ok to have tattoos, overnight Combat Veteran Marines were told to find work elsewhere. Knowing the reasons why I had originally joined, and seeing what was becoming of future warfighters, I knew I didn’t see the true focus of the mission at hand.

It was the year of 2023 I just got out of San diego Marine corps Infantry training. I work with the L.A.V squad team. I shot the light machine gun on the top of are vehicle Some what known as a rifleman. We are the first to go into a war zone to check it out before we all go into fight.

In five years I see myself as either a Sargent or Corporal in the United States Marine Corps. Being 22 years old I will be in the first year of my second enlistment providing that I do not get NJP’d (non-judicial punishment) or something else dumb that I might get myself into. I look forward to joining the Marine Corps because of my long family military history and my extent of being a child of a military father. I plan on either being in the MOS (military occupational service) 1142 or 1345. I see myself having a degree by the end of those five years from online schooling while overseas on deployment or at my current duty station. Providing that I am a Sargent I will send in a request form in to become a DI (drill instructor) and then hopefully

The year was 2007 and my brother Eric had just returned home from deployment to Iraq and the mood was ecstatic around the house. My dad was welling up with tears, finally being able to see his oldest child returning home from service. Mom was also very happy as well, repeatedly fondling over Eric as soon as he entered the house. Eric and I had always been close, even though there was a decent age gap between us of 15 years. We talked for hours about what his time was like in Iraq and in the military; he seemed open to talking about it even though he witnessed some fairly nightmarish experiences. Eventually I got the bright idea to challenge him to a wrestling match on the lawn even though he had 120 pounds on me. He tried to talk me out of

but what of the other side of the story? It is known that over millions of men and women have