So I received an email informing me that a cousin of mine is considering joining the US Marines today. My question is why? Why is he considering joining the military? Is it so the military will fund his college? Is it in hopes of attaining skills for a job after leaving the service? Is it a sense of patriotism? Is it a rite of passage? My question for you (reader) is this? If it were someone that you cared about what questions would you ask of him/her and what sage advice would you provide a young and impressionable young man or woman (in this case man)?
I am curious to hear what others reading this blog have to say? I encourage you to share your comments on this blog. Click comments and share your thoughts. I hope my cousin will read your insightful comments.
3 comments:
I KNEW a simple soldier boy
Who grinned at life in empty joy,
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark, And whistled early with the lark.
In winter trenches, cowed and glum,
With crumps and lice and lack of rum, He put a bullet through his brain. No one spoke of him again.
You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye Who cheer when soldier lads march by, Sneak home and pray you’ll never know The hell where youth and laughter go.
Siegfried Sassoon
First I would ask you an authentic question… Why do you feel compelled to question his choice? Is it actually your concern for him (I believe you have some), but is there a larger element at the core where you would question ANYONE who attempts to enlist?
With that said, I think there are plenty of reasons to join. While I personally chose a path away from that option, I see where someone can get great gain from that experience that cannot be had elsewhere.
- For no other reason than the belief that one should serve the government that has provided them the lifestyle they and the rest of us enjoy. Pretty simple yet so few (anymore) share a patriotic appreciation for all that the constitution enables. Case in point – Visited a cemetery on Memorial day recently? It’s not like it used to be. Are you old enough to remember parades on July 4th?
- There is a mental disposition gained through training that will all but guarantee the survival of an individual, not only in times of war. This is the same mental conditioning that many martial arts discipline their student in, “fall down three times and get up four.”
- Friends and parents look at soldiers with new eyes. It is seen in the way they walk, talk and carry themselves. They are soldiers and they demand the respect of their peers. These new men and women know that they have completed something that most don’t and cant.
Just my $.02 but I’ll give it to you for free
:)
To anonymous:
I think some recent news articles relate to your posting as to why one would not consider the military as an option:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070816/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/army_suicides;_ylt=Ah2s.b7pt4aY3Q930xVb0uKs0NUE
http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,2148951,00.html
Post a Comment