Why I joined the Marine Corps
I guess you could say that I first began thinking about joining the military because of my father, a retired field grade Officer. I also blame Hollywood. It all began back when I was a kid. Due to some strange desire to be a better man than my father was, I actually started considering joining up. You see, my dad was not the best. In fact, he wasn't anywhere near the best. At one point in my life he actually said to me that my brother was his favorite child. Since I grew up without him around a lot, I naturally came to crave his attention (good ole' Freud!) - so I began emulating him in a lot of ways. Side note...those last three sentences took me about 8 years to discover. He was in the service for 27 years. He fought in Vietnam and was a mustang. So, in my desire to emulate him, I thought about the military. Right after I graduated highschool I almost enlisted in the Marine Corps. I backed out at the last minute though and went to college. By then, the seed was planted. Ever since my childhood I wondered if I had what it took, if I could make it in the Marine Corps, if I could be the man my father never could be: a Marine and a good man. So, with this desire in place, I, being the sound philosophy major I am decided to analyze it and try to figure it out. I began by splitting the issue up into two sides: pro & con. Within pro I created three divisions: Reasons to join the military, reasons to join the Marine Corps, and reasons to join as an Officer.
I initially started to look at the Corps because it is the toughest of the branches. It doesn't give any breaks. Pretty much everyone out there agrees that the MC is badass. That's what I wanted to prove in a way. I wanted to prove that I was tougher, meaner, smarter, and more of a badass than my father. Unfortunately, my ability to be a better man cannot really be proven until I get married and have kids. So, on with my reasons to join the military. Here they are, straight from the Word document I typed up years ago:
- Good pay (0-1 Base Pay: $26204.40)
- Good benefits (dental, health, loans, PX, etc)
- Adventure
- Education Opportunities (getting Doctorate)
- Self-Reliance
- Travel (Bases are everywhere)
- No regrets
In essence, my reasons for wanting to join the military are pretty weak. Mainly material compensation. There is, however, the element of "No regrets" in there. I do not wish to be an old man someday wondering if I could have made it. I have made many mistakes in life simply through inaction. I didn't want this to be one of them. I wanted to go out on my own and make it without help from anyone. The military gives you that opportunity. So, now on to more interesting reading, my reasons for joining the Marine Corps:
- Family Tradition
- Challenge
- Brotherhood - Leave no one behind
- Espirit de Corps (Badassedness)
- Loyalty
- Honor
- Tradition & History
- Philosophy (knowing of mission)
- They don’t accept anyone
- Combined arms force
- Integrity
- Discipline
- Pride
- Cross-Racial (Only Amphibious Green Marines)
As you can see, I got a bit more ephemeral when I started considering the Marine Corps. Largely, my reasons revolved around what I want to be/have: Honor, Loyalty, Integrity, Discipline, Pride, etc.. These are virtues that I wish to embody. I grew tired of myself as I was and decided to work for something better. Very simply, I wish to be the best man possible. The "Family Tradition" aspect of it also resonates with me. My dad was only enlisted in the Corps. I'll be an Officer. In some small way that's a victory for me - as sad as that sounds. My bit about being "Cross-Racial" is also a result of my family. In a lot of ways, my lovely little Irish-American family is quite racist. I try to remind myself that my forebearers were raised in a time when this was okay, but honestly, they started to really piss me off when I was about 9. My best friend at the time was black and to go home and hear n***** jokes was not cool. I wanted to be a better person than the rest of my family. I wanted to raise the bar. Finally, it comes down to being an Officer:
- Leadership
- Teaching Goal
- Pride
- Family Tradition
- Responsibility
- Challenge
- To surpass my father
- It is the pinnacle of Military excellence
While the previous two categories center around basic developments (both within myself and in my external, physical life), my desires to be an Officer are centered more around complex developments. For instance, I wish to one day get my Doctorate in Philosophy. The military is a path to that. While I'm in, my tuition is supplemented. It makes it possible for me to get my Master's and my Doctorate without loading up on the student loans. My reasons also include some ephemeral attributes as well. The most important of these I believe is "Leadership". I realized a while back, success in the business world, in academia, in most aspects of life is contingent upon leadership. Everyone is searching for a good leader. The Corps is extremely well known for their Leader-building. If I remember correctly, there are currently about 4 books on the market that all focus on Marine Corps leadership as it applies to business situations. In addition to all of this, being a Marine grants a person a certain amount of pride. The Corps was founded in 1775 and has been kicking butt ever since. They have the coolest uniforms, the highest PT standards, the most ferocious attacks, and the highest renown of any military force. They've been called Leathernecks, Jarheads, Gyrenes, Yellow-Legs, Devil-Dogs, and Angels of Death. They are the most badass of all the services. Being not only in the Marine Corps, but being an Officer of Marines is very simply the pinnacle of military excellence. It is being the best fighting man this country has ever seen. And with all of the personal attributes previously described, being a Marine Officer it also means being the best man posible.
When it all comes down to it though, I guess one of my main reasons for joining up is because I believe in the ideas this country was founded upon. I believe in Freedom. I'm a Libertarian, so while I don't believe (or trust) in the government politicians, I do whole-heartily believe in the ideals our country was founded upon. And I'm willing to fight for them.
As for cons, there aren't that many. There is of course the possibility I could die. But then again our casualty rates are so low today that they would have been insignificant during Vietnam. Hell, in the battle for LZ X-ray (which the book & movie "We were soldiers once" is based on) there were ~763 casualties. So, since my bodily safety is not at issue, what's left? I guess the loss of control remains. I won't be able to do what I want or go where I want. I live my life by someone else's orders. But honestly, it's not that bad. While some orders do suck, they're not that bad. As you can see, all of my "cons" were pretty weak.
Adding all of this together, I guess you could summerize it to say that I joined the Corps because I wanted to know my limits. I wanted to rise as far as possible. I wanted to be the best man possible. I wanted to lead a better life than my forebearers. The Marine Corps is a path for me to do all of those things. Hopefully this answers Heather's question.
