Marine Corps Reflection Paper

In March of 2009, I made a decision that would forever change everything about the perception I had of me, I signed the contract to become a Marine. Once signing that contract you become government property, the United States is your mother and Uncle Sam is your father and the only family you have is the brothers and sisters in the Corps. The Drill Instructors tell you this because once becoming a part of this brotherhood you will no longer fit into the societal norm. From that day forward you are different, your friends will not know you, society will fear you, and the law will condemn you. With honor, courage, and commitment as my guide, I will live my life in honor of those who have lost theirs. To define honor one must look deep within their soul, to a dark place no one can see and is only briefly

When I was in I would always hear the phrases “never leave a Marine behind”, “take care of the brothers to your left and right”, and “once a marine, always a marine” these statements are truer after you leave the Marine Corps. We fought on the battlefield and now we face just as big of an enemy here in our own hometowns. On average 22 Veterans kill themselves every day, and since my deployment, we have lost 24 in my unit alone. The most recent victim was my Vehicle Commander for a short time he was medevac for a traumatic brain injury due to an IED explosion. Many veterans battle with PTSD and while I struggle with it, I have been able to keep on moving forward. This disease can make you do things that you normally would be incapable of doing, law enforcement and judges hold us accountable to a higher standard. We have received special training to cause chaos and death and every opportunity they have to put a trained killer behind bars they do even if we are not in our right mind. This is why we must stay true to the three attributes that were instilled in us at the beginning honor, courage,