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.