Q: Why did you decide to enlist in the military?
A: In high school, I had applied to colleges, but I wasn’t really happy with how I felt about it...so I started looking into the military. About the same time, 9/11 happened. Two things happened for me: I was extremely pissed off that it did happen, and, the second thing, I felt a major relief because I knew that’s what I was supposed to go do. That’s the main reason why I signed up.
Q: What made you decide to pursue college after your active service?
A: In four years, I did four deployments, three of them combat tours. It was pretty stressful. I made rank of sergeant and when I deployed to combat, I had Marines who were under me. The stress does build up, and after four deployments and three combat tours, it did start to weigh on me quite a bit. I was really interested in trying something new. I went from 18 years old to 22 years old, probably some of the prime four years of your life, some of the most exciting years of your life. I spent them overseas doing stuff that I didn’t necessarily want to be doing. I wanted to go to college and try it out for myself.
Q: How have your experiences in the Marines influenced your approach to school?
A: I’m afraid that it’s made me a little too direct. If I have an opinion about something, I let people know how I feel. I probably don’t hold professors in as high a regard as some other students do. If I feel like a teacher is being slack then I inform them, as tactfully as I can. I think I’m disappointed a lot more than I’d like to be. I think my expectations were too high and not just for school, but in general. When I got out, I wanted everything to be a certain way and it hasn’t been; it can’t be, and I’ve had to learn to work around that.
Q: What was it like to transition from a military life to a civilian life?
A: It’s not too tough as long as I stay open to the people around me and accept who they are, and hopefully, they accept me. I was lucky; I went to combat with a good unit. We did have some people get killed, but we brought a lot of people back. We had 13 men die in our unit, out of approximately 400. It’s inspiration; I’m going to continue living my life because there are some people that don’t get to. Thirteen guys do not get to come back and live their life. I have the opportunity to continue, so I’m going to continue, be open to my surroundings, take advantage of opportunities and try to achieve things.
Q: Have there been any drawbacks to being in the military? If so, what are they?
A: There are definitely some drawbacks. The first one is in relation to college – I graduated high school with a bunch of people who went to college, most of them this university. I missed that four-year period when they were here. By the time I went to college, they had graduated and moved on. After serving, I moved back into an environment that I wasn’t accustomed to or comfortable in. That’s definitely a drawback. You miss a lot. ... Another thing that I’m kind of struggling with right now is that I’m 26 years old, I’m getting ready to graduate college with an undergraduate degree, and I’m going to be in a market with people who are 21 or 22 years old and who have the same degree. I feel like I’m kind of behind.
Q: Have your views changed after serving? If so, how?
A: Yes, definitely. When I went in I was 18 years old. Up until then I had a couple part-time jobs, I played sports and I graduated high school. So, my opinion of the world wasn’t too broad. ... After being a part of the military, I respect and appreciate everything the military does.
Q: Compared to other people your age, do you feel a gap since they did not have the experiences you did?
A: Yes, for sure. Seeing a third-world country for the first time is very enlightening. It helps you be able to appreciate and respect the things you do on a day-to-day basis.
Q: Do you miss some of the structure that the Marines had?
A: I definitely miss some parts of it. If it’s the structure, I’m not really sure. I think you get over the structure. In the first six months, you’re tired of the structure. You appreciate it and understand it, but it’s not something you really look forward to. What I do miss is that in the Marine Corps, you wake up every morning around 5 or 6, and there is a reason you wake up. As infantry Marines, we went to combat to ensure the safety of this country. So, every morning when I went to the gym, there was a reason that I was getting physically fit. When I went to a class, there was a reason I was mentally preparing myself. As a college student, I can wake up at 9 or 10 in the morning, and no one cares. As long as I do the work that needs to be done, that’s it. It’s for me; it’s not really for anyone else. I miss the sense of responsibility that came with being military personnel.
Q: Do you plan to do another tour of duty?
A: The truth is now that as I’m starting the job hunt now, it crosses my mind. I could go back in and if I went in now, I would be an officer. I miss the tactical side of it. You get to play with big toys, big guns, big, cool trucks, so that stuff is exciting. But it’s a lifestyle, and if I make the decision to go back in now, I would be setting myself up to be a non-traditional family person in the future. It’s probably not going to happen, unless they absolutely need me.
