who is dying to our place. It is a sign of respect to those who fight for our country. Soldiers fight to
Since the existence of the United States Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, recruits have transitioned from civilians to United States Marines through the rite of passage known as recruit training (boot camp). This rite of passage takes a civilian teenager with little life experience and transforms him or her into smartly disciplined, physically fit, basically trained Marines. These Marines come from all over the world and are raised on different morals and ethics, but yet at the end of the 13-week boot camp, all have been indoctrinated with core values like honor, courage and commitment. No matter what their upbringings were or how they were raised, these newly trained Marines are taught to set all differences and personal convictions
Life in the military is not easy for anyone. Dedication is essential to be a successful soldier. However, the children forced into the military are frightful and lost. They are trained to be strong. It’s hard to imagine being strong in an environment full of deaths, rape, blood, and weapons. The treatment every child receives is no mercy. If you can’t hold a gun, you are either sentenced to kill or death. Some children are for...
In order to be recognized as a profession, it must maintain certain attributes and standards such as a moral code and dedication to that specific field. As the United States Army, we live and train by different creeds and ethos that are more than just words, but are top notch standards that we hold ourselves and other fellow Soldiers to on a daily basis. When a part of a profession, it shows dedication and loyalty to its cause and purpose. Surpassing the typical nine to five work day, as an Army profession, we are expected to be alert and ready for a task at any given moment whether it be
American military history has the potential to inspire greatness in not only youth but people of all ages. When people read about historical figures, even if they aren 't well known, who went above and beyond the standard they gain a sense of inspiration. However, in addition to a sense of inspiration many people gain a better sense of duty even if they do not actively serve in the armed forces. Additionally, another quite remarkable trait the military possesses is the ability to perform in high stress environments under less than ideal conditions. An example of this would be soldiers continuing to execute missions after weeks and months of little to no sleep, food, and
“The good citizen and patriot knows happiness is greater than comfort, more sublime than pleasure,” conveyed John McCain in his essay, A Cause Greater Than Self. He wrote this article in year two thousand eight when TIME magazine asked presidential candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama for their views on what patriotism means. They both sent in opinions: A Faith In Simple Dreams, by Barack Obama and A Cause Greater Than Self, by John McCain. Even though they wrote regarding the same topic, the way they approached it and the points they highlighted, barely overlapped.
The world around us is forcing us to grow up faster than it used to and I wanted to hold on to my youth a little longer. There is a quote that states “In life it is important not to get too comfortable” (Unknown). After high school it’s easy for a lot of kids to just take a year off or go to community college because it’s the “comfortable” thing to do.
For exactly 15 years, 4 months, and 6 days, I have been a proud citizen of the greatest nation on earth. From birth, I have been gifted with the freedom to say whatever I desire, pursue the career of my dreams, and act as I choose without the fear of oppression or social injustice, a blessing that is a rarity among today's global community. What I didn't receive at birth was the sense of patriotism I have instilled within me today.
Nine glorious (ha ha!) years later, I separated from the Corps with an honorable discharge. I won’t go into details for obvious reasons, but my time in the service really brought out the Type A behavior inside of me. It was easy and expected of each and every Marine that served. I don’t want to say they brainwashed us, because they didn’t. Instead we were given opportunities to grow and be the best. We were expected to give everything we could at all times, thus allowing the Marine Corps to capitalize on our ability to take charge, complete the task at hand, and come home safely. We had a routine, a schedule, and we had to live by it. Throughout that schedule, they wanted “hard chargers”. The text uses the term “hard driving, achievement oriented, and highly competitive” (pg. 45), and that’s exactly what a hard charger is. I blossomed. At every opportunity, I was the first one to volunteer, as doing so helped to look good for promotion. Every promotion meant a bigger paycheck. Who doesn’t love extra money? But aside from the money, the added responsibilities that came with promotion swelled inside of me. I loved the challenge of making things that shouldn’t work out, do exactly that. I enjoyed the kudos that came along with the accomplishments. I’ve been out of the Marines for just shy of ten years now, and I still strive for that same
Coming from a military family, enduring through tough situations was not a foreign concept to me. Living on military bases my whole life around such like-minded people had left me in a mindset that most people also felt the same way. As high school progressed, the number of people I interacted with who had experienced multiple challenges that broke them apart at a young age was astonishing to me. I learned that many of these people did not have the skills needed to cope with adversity, and that setting an example sometimes was the best way to help them move forward with a different perspective on their
I woke up every morning at the break of dawn with the sound of the bugle horn playing “reveille”. My cabin got ready for the day by getting dressed in our uniforms, making our beds, and preparing for inspection. After this, we marched to morning training. For an hour, we endured intense physical training. “Climb the wall!” “Move faster.” “I need more hustle!” The drill sergeants screamed at us. There was so much pressure to keep up with the rest of the group. This consumed all of my energy. Next, my cabin marched to the Mess Hall for breakfast. I would be so exhausted from the training that I sat in silence, trying to organize and process what I could have done to better myself. These things usually do not bother me, but I cannot overcome the feeling that I am not going to make it. That this is too intense for me, that I do not belong. But I usually didn’t fit in so I try to shake off this feeling. The rest of the day flew by because I lost the motivation to pay attention.
From that moment on I was working over forty hours a week, trying to support myself. This became overwhelming and tiresome, and led me to the decision of dropping out of high school. Many people did not understand, and looked down on me for this. Only the people who knew me well could understand. Through the support of my friends and teachers, I decided to do what was best for me. I never wanted to leave school. School had always been my safe haven, but I had to leave it behind and continue the path of life.
To really understand the significance of how the military shaped me into the person I am today, I must first reveal some insight into the person I was before I left for basic training. When I graduated high school in 1985 I was indestructibly ready to take on anything that came my way. I had led a somewhat sheltered life in that my parents provided a warm loving environment for my siblings and myself. Yes we experienced the normal trials and tribulations as any other kid, but we really had no negative or significant emotional events growing up that directly affected our development. Rather it was the lack of these incidents that gave us a naive outlook on life and all the responsibilities it entails. This Cognitive development prior to my experiences in the military left me with a positive outlook on life and its possibilities yet, wholly unprepared for life in its reality.
serve my country. Litle did Iknow, ten years later Iwould find myself acing the decision al
It’s May 26 and Joey is a senior in high school about to graduate. Excitement and nervousness rack his mind at the same time, then all of the sudden it hits him. What is he going to do after high school,since he never had college in mind what was he going to do. Receive his diploma and jump into the workforce or join the military. He is just not sure what to do with his life life after high school. Some people graduate high school and wonder what they’re gonna do with their lives then. A few might join college and become the next Albert Einstein or go and solve a cure for HIV, but others might not have college in mind and just jump right into the workforce. Since not all high school graduates have college in mind, they should consider a military career instead of doing nothing. Soldiers get a sense of of organised work and command, it teaches them to respect people higher ranking than themselves, and in the long run they have that great feeling of serving