Why I chose the United States Marine Corps

Story by Senior Investigative Reporter Shannon Taylor

When I was a Senior in high school in 1998, I decided that I wanted to be among the few
and the proud-one of the “bad asses” as my recruiter at the time so eloquently put it. So, I
signed up to join the United States Marine Corps. Joining the Marines was a decision to
be better than the best. It was a decision to be tough, independent and join something
only very few were able to endure.

I trained on my own and through the delayed entry program (DEP) to prepare for what I
was told was the most intense bootcamp of any armed forces branch. There were three
requirements for the personal fitness test (PFT) and that included an arm hang (only
required for women, males had to complete pull-ups) for 60 seconds, 200 crunches in one
minute and running three miles in 18 minutes for a perfect PFT score. I had the arm-hang
and crunches in the bag but running was something I had to practice.

The USMC weight-scale was also extremely strict, and I was 5”8 and weighed 155
pounds. According to the USMC scale, I needed to get down to 145 pounds, which I
achieved before I enlisted.

I was ready to ship off to Parris Island, South Carolina where all female Marines went to
bootcamp.

When I arrived at Parris Island the first thing I encountered was getting yelled at
repeatedly by drill instructors two inches from my face. You aren’t allowed to make eye
contact either, which is fun when someone is slobbering all over your face and yelling
unintelligibly, but I endured. You also have to refer to yourself in the third person so for
the next three months I was “this recruit.”

The training was intense–waking up at 4 a.m., no contact with the outside world aside
from letters and packages, getting very little sleep when you’re on shift duty in the
barracks and rigorous physical training—all led me to become a better, more fit and able
leader.

There were some days in bootcamp when we did drill all day. Drill is training in
marching with the use of your weapon. Drill can be vigorous and intense because you
have to make sure that you are in exact sync with your entire platoon. The slightest delay
throws everything off.

There were also some days where all we did was run obstacle courses and PFT training.
One thing was for sure: I never struggled to fall asleep at night. I kept so busy during the
day that I found myself exhausted every evening.

Although bootcamp was difficult at time to push through and I missed my friends and
family at home, I am thankful for the experience bootcamp, and being in the USMC gave
me. I have leadership skills because of my experience in the Marines. I have built values
such as integrity, persistence, endurance, responsibility, honesty and respect.

There is a reason that the USMC are “the few, the proud” and that is because they are
simply the best.

Once a Marine, always a Marine.

Semper Fidelis. Always Faithful.

Ooo-Rah.

The Weakley County Press Special Sections – Tribute to Veterans (newstogo.us)