Reflecting on my Enlistment

Tomorrow, November 10, the U.S. Marine Corps will celebrate its 238th birthday.  As is the case this time every year, I make a point to watch the Commandant's message, and inevitably, I end up reflecting on my own service as a Marine.  Year after year I reach the same conclusions...

First, I stand in awe of today's Marines.  I enlisted as a peacetime Marine.  I never expected to be involved in any conflicts.  And when I was tapped for missions, they weren't like the Afghanistan or Iraq wars of today.  I was asked to participate in Operation Earnest Will, which was essentially mine sweeping operations and oil tanker escorting in the Persian Gulf.  Later, I was a participant in Desert Shield and Desert storm.  Desert Storm was, to borrow a phrase, "A Splendid Little War."  We walked over an unwilling, demoralized opponent.  Today's Marines are combatting highly-motivated guerilla-style opponents.  If Desert Storm was the Spanish-American War, then today's Marines are fighting something more like Korea or Vietnam.  Furthermore, all Marines serving today knew what they were getting into when they raised their right hand and swore "to support and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic.  Compared to today's Marines, I had it easy.

My other conclusion is that I am a better Marine today than I was during my actual enlistment.  As I said earlier, I joined the Corps as a peacetime Marine; and though every Marine is a rifleman, I didn't really take that creed to heart.  I did my job well, but I had a difficult time submitting to authority.  Furthermore, it was difficult to be promoted from Corporal to Sergeant; instead of knuckling down and doing my best, I became discouraged.  I let my hair grow longer than regulations allowed. I quit PT. My uniform was clean, but not crisp, and my boots were buffed but rarely spit-shined.  I (mistakenly) believed that I was a lot smarter than my peers and my superiors.  I loved my actual job, and I loved the idea of being a Marine, but I knew that I wouldn't be making the Marine Corps a career.  It took me two decades to truly appreciate my beloved Corps.  Today, I voluntarily keep my hair short (partially because it's receding).  I regularly exercise and if I took a Marine Corps PFT today, I would likely get a first class score.  I take pride in my appearance, though not to the point of vanity.  In the face of adversity, I tackle the problem without becoming discouraged.  I don't fight authority just for the sake of being difficult (but I also don't simply submit to authority because they say so).

My enlistment in the Marine Corps entails less than 15% of my total life experience.  But now, having some distance and perspective, I acknowledge that the Corps has had an oversized influence on who I am as a man today.  The Marine Corps gave me a great many experiences, and it instilled or developed several positive character traits.  I am proud to be a Marine.  But again, I stand in reverence of those who have followed in my footsteps, and I freely admit that I'm a better Marine today than I was twenty-five years ago.