Today is Robert's birthday. Yesterday was the birthday of the United States Marine Corp. Somehow I think the connection of birthdays is more than coincidence. In 1951, Robert entered the Marine Corps. They took an unfocused, drifting, high school drop-out and gave him self-confidence and a belief that he could control his own life. Then the government finished the job by providing him with the means (GI Bill) to use his new ambition to do something with his life.
Robert wouldn't be where he is today without the USMC and the GI Bill. His second chance began with his newly-discovered blend of personal initiative and responsibility, but those individual qualities wouldn't have meant much without the GI Bill. So Obama and Romney were both half right, but as always, the truth is often at the Golden Mean.
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There has been a lot of talk in the past few weeks about republicans' cluelessness around race, gender and class issues and I have enjoyed hearing the well-deserved criticism coming their way. In a similar vein, I think that the left is clueless when it comes to why young people join the military. We have two Marines and two Soldiers in our family. You've spoken some about the negatives of your time of service. I'd like to hear more from this blog on both sides - how the Marines shaped you in positive way, even though you joined against your will - and what was downright ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteIt is always easier to recall the negatives because they are usually specific incidents that you thought were without real purpose. The positive side is the product of many events that, at the time, are not recognized for their importance. For example,I learned to do things that others could not, like organizing a night march with a compass. This led me to recognize that I was smart and could think clearly and logically, when everyone else in the platoon didn't have a clue of what to do. Soon others recognize that you know the score and they seek you out for your views of things. I guess the positive side is associated with being able to have the discipline and confidence to do things that others will not or cannot do. Remember, most activities were in a very structured task-oriented environment, so you had many opportunities to assess yourself compared to others.
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