marine corps
The Marine Corps - the military arm of the US Navy. A country's fate and freedom lies in the hands of this band of brothers and sisters.
The Hurt of the Silenced
I am a Marine. I haven’t been in for too long and yet I have managed to see so many flaws in the system. My greatest concerns surround assault. By assault, I mean rape. I was assaulted in January of 2018. I was drinking, underage. As we service members are not only confined to do, but actually encouraged to do. I will not name names. I will only tell my story and the stories of those souls who have enlightened me with their harrowing and repulsive experiences. I reported my assault—immediately. I went to the ER, got the rape kit done, and made a report. This report became unrestricted due to the fact that a member of my command happened to be in the ER at the same time as me. I went to NCIS. I told them what happened but left out the damning detail that me and two of my peers were drinking alcohol. Prior to my interview with NCIS, I was told if anyone else got in trouble for what we were doing I would be in very, very hot water. So when NCIS found out I had lied about drinking they decided I had lied about everything else too. They said it was my fault for drinking with males. Keep in mind that they were the only people I had. I was the only female in my job field at that time. They also told me that I had only made a report because I felt guilty for cheating on my then-fiancé, so I reported it as an attempt to be transferred to his location. They blamed me for the entire ordeal. I will not lie. I did make a few mistakes. My first was trusting my brothers in arms. My second was drinking. My third was not keeping my knife on me so I could stab that bastard in the skull. Me and the two others were punished. My rapist was not. He did nothing wrong in the eyes of my superiors. I was made to be an attention-seeking whore looking for handouts. My friends deserted me. My unit exiled me. I was left alone. I have undergone intensive therapy for all I encountered before, during, and after the assault. But not all are so fortunate. One individual, whom I will call Bryan, was also raped. But his assault was not even looked into. It was disregarded because, in the eyes of the authorities, he was just a “fag” in the closet. He wasn’t even offered counseling. He is now in the brig for a drug addiction stemmed from the assault. Another named Mary was assaulted not once but twice. They moved her away from her station but let the rapist go because she was no longer there to fight for a conviction. My dear friend Tara was assaulted by what one would think was an upstanding member of society: a federal servant. That report didn’t even get past the local police because she didn’t have any signs of battery.
By Elizabeth Fraser7 years ago in Serve
How To Prepare for Joining the Marines
Deciding to join the military is a huge commitment. Deciding to join the U.S. Marines is an even bigger one, even with all the myths about the Marines that civilians believe. With the most stringent physical requirements of any of the military branches of service, making sure you're up to the test, both physically and mentally, because preparing to join the Marines is very important.
By James Porterson8 years ago in Serve
How To Join the Military Police in the Marine Corps. Top Story - March 2018.
Joining any branch in the military is an extensive process, from requirements, to training, responsibilities, and more. Do you fit the ideal identity of a military police officer in the Marine Corps? Is this the correct path for you?
By Adrian Scott8 years ago in Serve
Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Marine Cooks
They may be not something that people think of first when it comes to the Marines, but the Marine cooks are more important to the process than you think. These are the top ten things you didn't know about Marine cooks, and what makes their job so important to the service.
By Leanna Davis8 years ago in Serve
Marine Corps Ball Traditions Every Recruit Should Know
The history of the Marine Corps begins on November 10th, 1775, when a branch of the US Armed Forces was created, in part, as a protective and domestic agent, yet it was intended as a swift and tactical task force that was capable of rendering even the most dangerous of areas into a pseudo-state of order whose actions and responsibilities were directly dictated by the sitting US president. What are the requirements for joining the Marine Corps? A whole hell of a lot of grit, stamina and courage, not to mention an attitude that's been molded and blended under a set of life principles that you'll carry to the grave. That is just one single part of what has made them a treasured and ever-loved faction in the history of the American military, but there are still quite a few things you may not know about the US Marine Corps.
By Donald Gray8 years ago in Serve
Myths About Marines That Civilians Believe
Among the strongest groups in the United States Armed Forces, the Marine Corps are truly the toughest. They're the ones trained individually to become riflemen, the first group to go into battle, and the ones responsible for conducting amphibious operations with the Navy. Overall, the Marines are pretty much a group of total badasses who have a fierce passion in their beliefs and keeping our country safe. Since there's so much they do and a lot of things we may not know about the US Marine Corps, there's also a lot we assume about them.
By C.C. Curtis8 years ago in Serve
It's Finally Time
“Please, I need you here to tell me everything will be alright.” “Jesse, are you alright?” He stayed silent. But Chelsea knew something was wrong. Jesse was rarely this quiet. As she went to put her arms around him, a single tear started to roll down his cheek.
By Erika Solazzo8 years ago in Serve
To the College Girl Dating a Military Man
We Marine Corps girlfriends have been lying to you. We tell you that while our recruit is in boot camp it gets easier. That’s not true. It never gets easier. You learn how to cope with how you are feeling, but it does not get easier.
By Hannah Beaton8 years ago in Serve
The Journey to Enlistment: Part 1
Imagine: You're laying comfortably in your bed, snuggled deeply into your pillow and blanket. Perhaps you're asleep in the fetal position, drooling heavily from the bottle of Jack you downed the night prior. The sun has yet to bring the Earth into its warm embrace, birds have yet to whistle their cheerful tunes, the night sky serene and peaceful. You may be dreaming of winning the lottery, maybe the thrill of that game winning touchdown, or even of the attractions of an old crush. It's as if everything in this moment is absolutely perfect. Then that wretched sound tears away the fabric of serenity and you open your eyes to the horrors of reality. You are an 0311 in the USMC during peace time.
By Brian Taylor8 years ago in Serve
How I Made My Dreams Come True
I want to write about my experience when I made a big dream of mine come true. So, it was 2012, I was a sophomore in high school, and I joined my schools JROTC program. Now, for those who are not sure what that is, it's a military program that tries to help young adults become better citizens for America. It's not recruiting your child for the military, I promise you. If that was the case, every branch wouldn't have their own set of recruiters. So I never really thought about joining the military. I just wanted to go to college and live like normal people lived, you know. But that wasn't the case. I didn't do good enough in school for a college to look at my grades and want to take me in. I probably would have had to go to a community college, which isn't bad, but at the time I did not want to do that. So my first time being in JROTC class, something stirred up in me when I met the Army recruiter, the Navy recruiter, and the Marine Corps recruiter. I don't exactly remember meeting the Air Force recruiter, which was funny to me and my friends because we were the Air Force JROTC, so you would think the Air Force would pay a lot of attention to us, right? No. The Marine Corps recruited more of us then anybody, honestly. So some time passes, and I get used to the whole thing that we do in the class, and how every Wednesday we would wear our little uniforms and stuff. One day, the Marine recruiter walks in and gives us his lecture on why we should join their branch and what not. Now, I've heard it from two other branches, and it did catch my interest, but when that Marine walked in in his blues and started telling us stories, I instantly said to myself that that was the branch that I wanted to be apart of. Now, I'm not a bigger girl, and I wasn't then either, but I definitely was not in shape. And I hated to run. With a passion. We would have class PT (physical training), and I knew I didn't do to well, but I tried. When I was finally old enough, or when I finally became a senior, I joined the DEP program which helps civilians train at least a little bit before they're shipped off to boot camp for the real fun. It was a struggle. My recruiter helped me a lot with my running time because like I said before, I hated to run. It was not my favorite thing to do. But I knew that if I wanted this dream of becoming a Marine to come true, I had to push. Finally, I was able to run fast enough to go to boot camp. I graduated high school, and I was able to leave a few months later. On the way to Paris Island, I met people and became friends, and we had a good time joking and laughing, but as soon as the road sign said Paris Island five miles away, everyone was quiet. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. We pulled up to the gate and were let in. No one made a sound. We stopped at the yellow foot prints, and then you hear the classic "GET OFF MY BUS" scream from the Drill Instructor. The scariest moment of my life. It was a hard three months to become a Marine. But at the end of the day, I made my dream come true. All it takes is a lot of hard work and dedication and a strong mentality.
By Amaris Sanders8 years ago in Serve
