home
I am currently, unwillingly, and unfortunately back home. On monday of the 6th week of Marine Corps OCS I was discharged from the program due to medical problems. I had a few minor ones and then a major one happened late last week. After what I was told was "serious consideration", the Commanding Officer of OCS decided I should go home.
At approximately 0200 we were woken up to do a 12 mile forced night march. Not a big deal, but I had only had about 2 hours of sleep (I had one of the first firewatch shifts). So off we go, prancing around in the night. All was going well until in the darkness I slipped on some loose rock and took a header into a ravine. All I can say is tumbling down a hill with a 50 pound ruck on your back sucks majorly. Having a rifle barrel smack you in the face doesn't feel too good either. In the end I tore a calf muscle. I had to get carted out on a stretcher. So, once the docs had checked me out they pronounced that it would take approximately a month for me to fully heal. In the meantime I can't run or march. In combination with my already pretty serious shin splints, knee pain, and a respitory infection, medical recommended to the CO that I go home. So saturday morning I saw the Colonel and was told I was going home. So much for that. The thing that really pissed me off though was when the doc recommended that if I chose to reapply, I might consider choosing a branch that is "less physically intense".
So now I'm home. I'm gimp and I'm pissed, but I'm home.
Now I have to start considering my future. I could reapply to Marine Corps OCS for next summer (with that note in my file though...). I could go civvie and try to get a real job with my Philosophy Degree. I could go on to grad school. I could join another branch. Truth is, I don't know what I'm going to do right now. I've spent so much of the past two years working on and for the Corps that now that my future is in question I'm pretty lost. For right now though, I'm taking a week off...not thinking about it. My mind is so scrambled I don't think I could make a good decision if I tried.
At approximately 0200 we were woken up to do a 12 mile forced night march. Not a big deal, but I had only had about 2 hours of sleep (I had one of the first firewatch shifts). So off we go, prancing around in the night. All was going well until in the darkness I slipped on some loose rock and took a header into a ravine. All I can say is tumbling down a hill with a 50 pound ruck on your back sucks majorly. Having a rifle barrel smack you in the face doesn't feel too good either. In the end I tore a calf muscle. I had to get carted out on a stretcher. So, once the docs had checked me out they pronounced that it would take approximately a month for me to fully heal. In the meantime I can't run or march. In combination with my already pretty serious shin splints, knee pain, and a respitory infection, medical recommended to the CO that I go home. So saturday morning I saw the Colonel and was told I was going home. So much for that. The thing that really pissed me off though was when the doc recommended that if I chose to reapply, I might consider choosing a branch that is "less physically intense".
So now I'm home. I'm gimp and I'm pissed, but I'm home.
Now I have to start considering my future. I could reapply to Marine Corps OCS for next summer (with that note in my file though...). I could go civvie and try to get a real job with my Philosophy Degree. I could go on to grad school. I could join another branch. Truth is, I don't know what I'm going to do right now. I've spent so much of the past two years working on and for the Corps that now that my future is in question I'm pretty lost. For right now though, I'm taking a week off...not thinking about it. My mind is so scrambled I don't think I could make a good decision if I tried.
