Around June 2009 when I finished High School, I had no clue as to what I wanted to pursue next in my life. College was something that I never even thought about doing. In school, I would do what I had to do to get by, and that was it. Teachers liked me because I’m a friendly guy (and not to mention I had 5 other siblings attend the same school). After graduation I decided it was time for me to start doing something productive with my life, so I decided to get a job at a Dollar Tree. This lasted six or so months before I realized this was not what I should be doing with my life, like I had a greater calling. Shortly after I re-connected with the local Marine recruiter who would stop by our school every week, and hassle us teens to get up on the pull up bar, and crank out some pull ups. “5, 8, 10 is that it” he would say to the jocks trying to impress their girlfriends. “you’ll never make it as a Marine, especially an infantrymen.” For some reason I will never forget those words. …show more content…
November 2010, there I am standing on some yellow footprints in a place called Parris Island, South Carolina. At the time for myself and the other hundreds of recruits, this was the biggest mistake of our lives. Here we would learn the basics of being a Marine. If you had a poor upbringing, you were about to have a whole new outlook on life. You learn the fundamentals of our Corps of: Honor, Courage and Commitment. Look at those three words as you will, but for a Marine those will forever be engrained in your
Last year’s recruits were 99.7% high school graduates. Marines have aimed to counter teacher's’ opposition to recruiting by inviting the teachers to marine boot camp to ask the marines questions and broaden their perspectives. Teachers and students should be told about the benefits of being in the military. A soldier can get a college degree while on active duty or attend college or technical school at government expense once his or her service is completed. Some teachers try to push away the military as a career.
Howard Wasdin was beaten as a child by his stepfather and it made him want to pursue the dream of becoming a Navy seal. Becoming best of the best is not as easy as everyone thinks. Wasdin did not enjoy the long terrible training but as he said “My experiences weren’t always enjoyable, but they were always adrenaline-filled!” (Wasdin 97). The first couple of weeks in training are not that bad.
This ultimately showed that Marines would prevail, regardless of cost, even when called to serve in places far outside of their traditional roles, and despite having every reason to stop and reconsider the wisdom of what they had been tasked to
This is evident when the reader is exposed to the stressors endured by the Marines. While the Marines regar killing as a simple part of the job, most looking forward to every firefight, and instance of combat, many of them continuously make remarks on things things they have seen in the field. Additionally almost every marine mentioned in the makes remarks that relate to disturbing things they have seen, many of these remarks being focused on the treatment of civilians in the conflict, such as farmers being gunned down by opposing forces. These Marines also make these remarks addressed towards enemy forces who have surrendered, these men being constantly hunted down and killed by Shahdeen Death Squads. Wright has stated, in interviews following the events of the publication of the book, that he is “Haunted” by the deaths of civilians he witnessed in Iraq.
No Easy Day authored by Mark Owen is the autobiography of a Navy Seal who put his life at risk for the welfare of his country. It offers the reader a glimpse in the the progression of Mark Owen’s tenure as a Navy SEAL. I chose this work to view a man’s experience of fighting in a foreign land to defend the order and freedom of his country, while in the midst of turmoil. Mark Owen enlisted willingly to put down his life, if it were needed, for the progression and safety of his country. This work also exemplifies that everything you do in life prepares you for something larger.
After a three-hour bus ride, surrounded by strangers, I arrived at Camp Pendleton. As I stepped off the bus immediately trapped by three drill instructors screaming in my face, I knew I had made a grave mistake. My experiences at Camp Pendleton’s Devil Pups were some of the most challenging, yet rewarding life skills I have encountered. Upon arrival, I felt as though I didn’t belong, lacking the discipline, purpose, and physical strength that many of my peers had. However, Devil Pups taught me the value of perseverance and, as a result, has contributed to my transformation into the person I am today.
It is a follow-up to Mark Owen and Kevin Maurer’s book No Easy Day. The purpose of this book was to let the reader experience the first-hand account of what goes into being a Navy SEAL and the many lessons that resulted from it. The chapters of the book are organized by lesson, which are the main topics covered in the book. The titles of the chapters include each of the following moral lessons: purpose, confidence, fear, stress, mind-set, trust, communication, relationships, accountability, discomfort, evolution, and compartmentalization.
Combat Out-Post (COP) Keating, Afghanistan; Operation Enduring Freedom IX (OEF), was a challenging deployment that tested our knowledge of Reconnaissance Operations. The three Scout Platoons in the Troop rotated duty assignments; COP Defense, dismounted patrolling, and manning Observation Post (OP) Fritsche. The Troop’s rotation consisted of the platoons conducting one four month rotation at the OP, and executing missions from the COP. The rotation inside the COP was broken down evenly between the remaining two scout platoons; one month of executing patrols and one month of COP defense.
At the beginning of the first day the young men are transported from Marine Crops Recruit Depot (MCRD), San Diego to Camp Pendleton. Since this is the start of The Crucible the Marine Drill Instructors are yelling at the top of their lungs trying to get these men to move with speed and intensity. The terrified men shuffle to grab their gear as fast as they can and move to the
Upon asking a Marine who lost both of his legs what he would like to do if he could not return to the Marines, the Marine responded by saying, “‘I think maybe I’d like to stay here at Bethesda. I want to find a way to help these other Marines recover, let them know there’s hope for them’” (Greitens, 2011, p. 289-290). Ultimately, the Marine’s duty as a soldier taught him to put his fellow men before himself. Although his physical state may keep him from doing what he loves, it does not stop him from continuing to make a difference.
Everything that was within reach was pulled away just before it came to fruition. I decided to look to the military for a second road to my education, and to give me the job security that I needed while I served my country and my fellow man. With a high A.S.V.A.B score I was heavily sought by representatives from every branch. After much deliberation I settled on The United States Coast Guard, as I wanted to maximize the amount that I could contribute to my country and the world with the lowest potential to do harm, as we had just entered into a new war only four years before. Becoming a rescue swimmer let me do the greatest amount of good in a troubled time.
What makes us who we are? I believe the events throughout our life create us, build us and mold us into who we are today. Throughout our lives, there are certain events in which define us. They make us upend our beliefs and totally rewrite who we are. These new methods of how we live our lives then become part of our Code of Chivalry.
1. This position paper is about Admiral McRaven University of Texas Commencement Speech. It will highlight his experience in the Navy Seal Training, his advice for the people who want to change the world, and the lessons I learned from him. Upon watching the speech from ADM McRaven, I felt motivated to make use of the guidance he gave in my daily life. Although he had many great points and useful advice that I plan on exercising in my career, I felt there were three major key points that I felt passionately to advocate for, and that I can relate to.
In conclusion, I feel that I am a stronger NCO for reading this book. The Marine Corps, its leaders, and its Marines have faced many challenges since 1775, and I am proud to be part of the 1% of the population to claim the title United States Marine. The Corps has been influenced by a few great leaders, and will continue to be influenced by even greater leaders as the Marine Corps continues to be the most