I enlisted into the Marine Corps and shipped to bootcamp on February 17th 2015. Why?
Well- for a few reasons but they all boil down to the following: it was the only ensured way to escape the life I was born into and a lot- I mean a LOT of spite.
I was working night shift at the local CVS Pharmacy for three months before I accepted that I was not going get away from my family earning only $8.20 an hour for only two 9 hour shifts a week. When I caught hints that I was about to be fired for not being fast enough stocking shelves, I gave my two weeks notice and immediately set my eyes on the military.
Since I had dated someone who joined the Marine Corps. I learned through observation that he got paid consistently no matter how hard he worked, free health and dental care, a roof over his head, three meals a day, and was shipped to Japan; the farthest possible place I could think of from California- where my family was.
While I knew I wanted to enlist and get as far away from my family as I possibly could, I wasn’t sure which branch was the best fit for me. Navy and Coast Guard was immediately out because I fear the ocean. The Air Force recruiters I talked to were rude and dismissive so they were out. One of my uncles was in the Army so I immediately wanted to avoid them as well. That left the Marine Corps.
I wasn’t settled on a decision though, so I looked at what information was available on the Marine Corps official website. Specifically, I wanted to know what kind of jobs they offered and which ones I could actually see myself doing well. I settled on Administration because I grew up on computers and absolutely loved the idea and getting paid to sit at a desk and use a computer.
To be continued…
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