I’ve been meaning to write this post for a long time, but I’m not
sure I could formulate an exact answer. It is a post that I’m almost
hesitant to write as it reveals a large part of who I am. This normally
isn’t a problem, but what is scary is the extreme change from who I
used to be.
—
The question that spawns this post is a simple one that comes in many forms, “Why join the Army?”
I’ve
never drawn more flak for anything in my entire life then joining Army
ROTC. “You have so much going for you!” I’ve heard, or “that doesn’t
even make sense! You don’t need it.” Some people just flat out
disagree. I even drew strange looks from professors and my guidance
councilor. I’ll admit, even a year ago I may not have even considered
it. It wasn’t part of my life, or who I was. But then it was clear,
everything lead up to it, and the opportunity fell within reach. And,
though my dad may not remember or even agree with his previous words,
he said, “Each man in our country should serve, it is his duty.” I
disregarded it long ago, but it is important now. I see what he meant.
The Veteran’s Day assembly, previously a day to acknowledge our
soldiers, was now an important day to honor heroes. To honor
the men and women that are truly fighting to make a difference, even if
we don’t agree with a President’s war or skirmish.
I found
there were two types of people: those who agreed, and those who didn’t.
There wasn’t anyone who asked “Why?” before formulating their opinion.
This gave me a large chunk of time to really think about it without
needing to explain. But now I can explain.
Originally it was
about the benefits. Tuition, books, a monthly stipend, a good job and
stable future. All are things I need, especially with my family’s
financial burden. But it became more then that.
With my
family’s perpetual cycle of crazy illness’, Army means health. I’ve
often wondered when my time would come to figure out what crazy illness
I had that would render me useless. If I’m in the Army I will be in
better shape to fight any illness. At the very least I would have the
knowledge that I was living in a healthy way and it wasn’t part of some
bad eating decisions over several years. The discipline would carry
though my entire life, and I would be grateful for every skill I would
learn.
So was that it? Living a healthy and stable life? No,
that wasn’t it. I could do that without the Army. The Army would give
me the chance to see the world, meet people I never would, and
experience things I would never get to experience anywhere else. Beyond
that, I would know how to defend myself, and how to defend others. If
tried later in life I would be more able to handle bad situations
effectively.
New experiences? All could still be accomplished
without the Army, even if it was not truly the same. So what was it? I
watched Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, the two hours where the helped
the Marine who, while not on active duty, threw on his uniform and
literally ran to the World Trade Center on 9/11 to help. No one asked
him. He wasn’t being paid. He just wanted to help, because thats who he
was and that was his duty. I identified with this. Early in life I was
very motivated to get ahead: to make large sums of money and be
successful. But it occured to me that there is more to life. Anyone
with ambition can go far in this life monetarily. However, if you
combine that ambition with the will to help others, and make a positive
difference in this world, then I find thats a life worth living. A life
I want to live. Looking at Sgt. Thomas I see the skills I wish to
possess and the person I want to be. When I grow old I want to think
back on my life and realize I made a difference that impacted not just
the people around me, but people everywhere.
Ronald Reagan
said, “Some people spend a lifetime looking for a way to make a
difference in the world. Marines don’t have that problem.” I may not be
a Marine, but I know the military will help me justify what I now want
out of this life. An impact on life greater then myself. Previously it
would have mattered that I be noticed for my achievements, but even
that doesn’t matter. Each man who fought in WW II was a hero, even if
we don’t know their names or their achievements.
Part of this also has to do with the sense to belong. I need
to belong to something larger, something greater. I watch Band of
Brother’s and I can only think about how I could only dream of
following their footsteps of greatness, and how I could only hope to
achieve half as much.
The men and women in the military are strong, sturdy individuals who help define this country, and I will be one of them.
| 
