The Marine Corps For Eight And A Half Years

The couple of months prior to leaving for boot camp, I was really motivated like most people. My brother had given me a lot of guidance on what boot camp was going to be like. Honestly when I got there, I wasn’t scared. I knew exactly what to do. Two days later I was sent to the hospital because my appendix was about to rupture and had to go into surgery immediately. I was at Paris Island an extra month. When I graduated, I loved being a Marine. Because I felt like I had already made a difference already. MCT, was similar, but I slowly started losing motivation. I was a dumb ass and wore my contacts and 3 days before I graduated I got dropped for pink eye in both eyes. Yes it was my fault and I sucked it up, but another month on Camp Geiger didn’t help. But still I was proud of being a Marine. MOS school went well. I was finally happy to be doing my job and being trained in my MOS. When I found out I was going to Cherry Point, I was furious. It kind of killed everything I had worked for, knowing I was going to the biggest POG base in the Marine Corps. After making fun of me for a while, my brother helped me out and got me back on

Our junior Marines must begin to write and comprehend at a very high level upon joining the military. At the rank of Lance Corporal you are required to have read and passed a Leading Marines course. In this course you learn from some of the greatest Marines that have come before us. “Thousands of Americans who have borne, and still bear, the title "Marine" are testimony that "Once a Marine, Always a Marine" and "Semper Fidelis" are phrases that define our essence.” (C.E. Mundy, Jr., Leading Marines, Pg. 4). As a junior Marine you are exposed to these amazing writing and you feel the sense of importance these writing have. At this point in your

One of the hardest things I have gone through is deploying for over a year while my daughters were growing up. One year does not sound like a long time, but for a young child it is an eternity. When you come back in their life, it takes a while to get close again. I missed her first steps, some of her first words, first Christmas, and her first birthday. These missed life events made me consider leaving the military, choosing a career that will not have me leaving my family for long periods. Very few people can understand the hardships like those of a military

I grew up in what I thought was a pretty typical suburban American family. I was always taught to pray, respect my family, and love my county. It was never a real question of what I wanted to do when I graduated high school. The Marines was the only option for me. Remembering that fateful day in September of 2001, I would have it no other way. I always held a grudge. A grudge against someone that didn’t have a name or a face. In my ignorance I believed that it was everyone over in Iraq or Afghanistan who would do my country harm. It would be through the Marine Corps that I would learn the truth. No matter where you are from, what religion you follow, where you stand on the social latter, we are all the same.

Would you quit working for something you love if it was just “too hard”? If someone truly believes in a cause then they would give everything to achieve it right? Would you just like to blend in with the crowd or do you want to stick out? If you answered yes to any of the previous questions then you wouldn’t have the characteristics of either a Navy SEAL or Marine. Answering no to all the questions may also not be enough to be either a SEAL or Marine. Not many people know this but Navy SEALs undergo the most rigorous military training known to man. SEAL training is considered harder than any other nation’s Special Forces training. Likewise, the United States Marine Corps (USMC), the most revered branch of the military, also trains hard

Being a part of the armed forces is one of the most courageous, respectful deeds one could do for their beloved country. Through immense sacrifice, individuals basically sell their souls away to the military. They are subject to countless hours of brutal training and exposed to living conditions many people could not compare too. Members of the armed forces are often seen as discipline, respectful, and hardworking people, especially when they are retuning back to U.S soil from whatever tour they served. In recent years, right after the end of Gulf War 2, veterans coming back from the Middle East have experienced great difficulty entering the job market. Compared to veterans from the first Gulf War, there is a significant difference in

I have learned throughout my career in the Navy and my master’s program at Old Dominion University, leaders come in all shapes and sizes. Leadership is a trait some individuals are born with and yet it is a skill one can learn, polish, and continually improve upon. No matter the case, in order for one to become a well balanced instructional leader, one must have a central focus of learning rather than teaching, know how to balance being a supervisor and evaluator, and finally, they must encourage and develop professional growth throughout the organizations culture.

When it comes to someone picking a career, this can be complicated and sometimes even complex. When someone has finally chosen a career field, this just means that thy have decided that they have finally figured out what it is that they want to do in their life. It also means that they figured out that this career is something that they love and see their self-doing for a while, and it will be able to provide them with a comfortable lifestyle. However, I would have to say that is not what happened for me. The career I had chosen was not something that I loved doing. It was something that allowed me to be able to provide for my son. My career at this moment is working in the United States Army, as a logistic specialist. I have been within

In many ways, leaving the military can be like leaving a marriage -- you know it's over, but you miss the relationship; you miss working together towards a common goal. You feel all alone. Isolated.

The suggestion that Marines retain sexually-segregated training and that certain occupations remain gender-specific is appalling and contrary to military values of good order and discipline. Mere decades ago, ‘separate but equal’ conditions were in place for black Marines, who were considered incapable of performing in any military occupations except for manual ones. Additionally, until the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’, a servicemember could be separated from the military under dishonorable or other-than-honorable conditions, forfeiting

As the United States’ military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan continues to decrease, more military members are beginning to transition back into civilian life, and for a large number of these individuals, this means

San Diego hasn’t been like any military base I’ve lived on. There are people who don’t like the military, which has continued to baffle me entirely. Noticing all the civilians who didn’t understand what was so important drove me to enter NJROTC in high school. When I first received my uniform, I treated it like my own child. I took care of it regularly, measured every device perfectly, and shined my shoes as much as I could. I treasured my uniform- the pride and confidence was clear when I wore it. Yet, I noted that not every cadet was as motivated or as proud as I was in the uniform. My biggest goal in the program then, was to raise the community within NJROTC, to have it similar to the military bases. I’ve encouraged cadets to rely on one

War is hell. War is misery, suffering, pain, and anguish. From the days of rocks and sticks to today’s high tech drones and aircraft carriers one thing above all others has remained the same; war is a terrifying, nightmarish endeavor. Unfortunately for those who fight for their nation, the battlefield does not remain in the far off land where the battle took place. In fact, those warriors bring back that battlefield, festering in the hearts and minds, sometimes long after their uniforms have been put in the closet to collect dust. It should come as no surprise that for a variety of reasons all stemming from combat experience, many of our nations Veterans will act in unconventional or perhaps even illegal ways, in an attempt to cope with

As every business model follows, you grow and change with the times and with the needs of your consumer. The military being in the business of protecting the United States does not escape this designed plan of commerce. Ever changing with the times by incorporating new policies such as ; shorter stays in boot camp, stress cards that give a recruit a 15 min “time out” if they [ the recruit] feel overwhelmed, and taking away all together stress provoking screaming. I ask myself are these changes for the good or the bad when it comes to military service and protecting the freedoms of the United States against all enemies both foreign and domestic? Also, as a Active Duty Sailor, can I trust the sailor standing next to me with my life?

Deciding not to re-enlist has been one of the most difficult decision I have ever made in my life. Going home to my family and aging mother or fighting a war for our freedom and saving countless lives? Fighting a war that seems unlikely that’s going to win. Or going home for my family and seeing what happens then. Both options seem unlikely and risky now. I have decided to not re-enlist for the following reasons which are illness/death, conditions, and my family and aging mother.