Please accept my words as an offer of assistance to Greuine and her Grandson.
Mom, I am joining the Marines.
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She is not easy, this lady of ours; Liberty. Her demands fall deaf upon those who believe freedom is free. Yet there is more freedom in the brother/sisterhood of the Armed Forces than any but one of them could know.
Few on this earth can boast of living in the Spanish Americas, Asia’s, or Europe. How many can boast of leaving home straight out of high school with pay check guaranteed? To be looked upon by countless thousands as a hero, is phenomenal. There are parties, money, social acceptance, and almost immediate fame. It is a dream to serve the people of this nation, yet there comes a price for your freedom. That price is essentially, your freedom.
When you give your word to serve, you give yourself; in totality. The price you pay, you do not pay in coin. You pay in flesh. The first pound of flesh comes when they shave your head. This serves many purposes, but initially it is this that garners your immediate submission to the way of life that is the military. Your way of life…
Next you are re-taught how to walk, talk, eat, dress, and even sleep. If you master all of this you are given a weapon. Fail to learn how to use it; you fail the brother/sisterhood. No fear though! They will teach you how to use it. If you already know how, then forget it, you were wrong! Do it their way. Succeed and you experience your first of many proud moments… You earn the right to wear the uniform, to be a member.
You will be told by all how tall you stand and straight you stand; how good you look. Your friends will view at you differently now, they know you have been taught how to kill, they know you have come to a higher plateau in life. People will respect you for what you have accomplished, they will be proud. And they should, you deserve it, you are now the product of the American Military; the most powerful force of men and women on the face of this planet. You are a member of the biggest, toughest most feared gang ever. And the initiation was not easy.
The first time you jump from a plane, the first time you drive a vehicle, the first time you sit behind the gun in a turret, the first time you pack your bags for a deployment, you do so with an excitement mixed with fear and fueled by adrenaline. Your training becomes more realistic, the days get longer, and the nights get shorter, the decision become burdensome. You work hard each day to become the best at what you do, so that you can add to your team an element that they can rely on, you drive your body and mind each day so that your team knows they can place their lives in your hands. They come to trust you, respect you, and depend on you. And you push yourself harder; if you are good.
You work hard, you play hard! 12 hours you work; 5-6 days a week, you deserve to enjoy your time off. The peer pressure becomes insurmountable, if you do not smoke now, YOU WILL! If you do not drink, YOU WILL! If you do not party, YOU WILL! And you will enjoy it. You will see places that most people never get to see in their lives. You will be able to send things home to your mother, father, sister, brother, and Grandparents. You will grow fast, and you will grow hard. This is the way it is.
The first time you place your booted foot on the ground in a combat zone, you will truly know the real meaning of fear. And you should… If you are not afraid, turn around and get back on the plane. Fear will keep you alive; it will keep the men and women to your left and right alive. Keep your eyes open, your wits about you, and never let your guard down.
The first time you loose a friend in combat, you will know sorrow as you have never know it before. You trained with him/her, you know him/her like no one knew them, not even their loved ones, because it was them that kept you warm in the mud, talked you off the ledge when you did not think you would make it, it was them who carried your drunk ass home and got you to formation in the morning. Now they are gone. I pray you never experience it. Death is preferable.
When it is over, be it the training, the war time mission, or your military time served, you will come home. And it will all be different. You will be different. Nothing will be the same again. Some things will be better, some may be worse. Life will have become a mission and when that mission is complete, you will need another mission. It will become part of you.
But I assure you that you will be a hero, be it for a moment once, or a moment many times, I promise, it will be only a moment at a time. When you are done and you have given all there is to give, they will want more, if you are not capable to give it, then you are patted on the back, served an award and dismissed. Even if the papers prove, or the physical, or mental scars prove, that you were a hero once, that status will fade and when it does it will all be a memory, just like the memory of what once was at home, that now you have to rebuild, restructure, and grow.
I do not write this as a deterrent, I do not agree or disagree with one or the other. I simply give to you my experience in words. Experience that I have personally born witness to, experience that I have seen countless times in many young men and women. There are good and bad perks to becoming a member of the Armed Forces, the good times are great, some of the hard times are great memories, but the bad times are bad, and they have the potential to be worse. It is a decision not to be taken lightly, and if taken, must be done so with heart, mind, and body.
When/if it is taken, it is a duty, an obligation, a courtesy demanded that each of your family members respect, support, and encourage you with the love and honor that is deserving of a selfless individual that would give his/her freedom, flesh, and fears in the defense of their nation.
Hope I helped…
Evetspordlaw…
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