First off, we capitalize "M" in Marine because it's a title we earned by living what most of you call a "hardship." To us it was simply jumping through the hoops we had to in order to live our chosen lifestyle of serving something greater than ourselves - eachother and our Country.

While many of your Parents feel not enlisting was one of the best decisions they ever made, we Marines feel quite the opposite in that our enlisting was one of our personal best decisions ever. Given the low pay, harsh working conditions and long separations from family and friends, we're not for everyone. To each his own and we respect that.

We're not just anyone, we're Marines. We're the go to crew who's running into bad situations as everyone else is running out. We're at our best when life is at it's worst because we do it together as Brothers & Sisters who refuse to lose under any circumstance. There are no brass bands, cheering crowds and waving flags out there. It's just us, simply a super tight group of friends who are more afraid of letting each other down than sustaining personal injuries. And believe there are indeed moments of intense fear we face and overcome within ourselves in order to take care of eachother.

Benefits? We're not the bonus and college money crew. That comes with any enlistment ending with honorable service or in some instances reenlisting to serve our Country. We're simply the ones who thrive on great challenges where we test our mettle as human beings and equally as important test ourselves as a group because we know that's ultimately what defines our character individually as well as collectively.

Rewards? The biggest is simply knowing at the end of the day that we gave our personal best no matter what we came up against. The second is knowing we lived among fellow humans who thought enough of others that we gave of ourselves and made the six o'clock news happen while others merely watched it. Truth be told we go where many won't and do what many can't and that's what defines our character as Marines.

Know that we're not for everyone and you have to be totally committed just to make the cut to graduate boot camp. If you do, no one but you and your fellow Marines will ever truly understand what you did and why. And therein lay one of our basic hallmarks of being who we are. While the world will always view us as unknown individuals, they'll forever know our collective deeds together as Marines.

It's easy to be a stand alone dominant personality doing your own thing among others less inclined. The real living is going up against it with one hundred and eighty five other hard charging go getters of a like mind. One way or another, there's rarely a dull moment. Some you won't like while others you'll cherish to the day to die.

Before you believe I'm writing some hokey highly motivated true believer hogwash here, these words are but mere expressions which have been posted by many more eloquent writers than I over a thousand times here in these Marine Forum. This simply expresses what all Marines feel and this is our way.

We're not for everyone. Search long and hard and look deep within your heart before you make your decision to sign on the dotted line. This isn't a place for the faint of heart or non committed soul. It's a deeply personal life long commitment which will stay with you the rest of your days because no matter what generation we come from, a Marine is a Marine and we take care of eachother no matter what.

Better to back out now and walk away clean than make a four year mistake because you got yourself into something you really didn't understand. Once you make the change you'll never be the same again. None of us are. We're not for everyone.

Best of luck in whatever you choose.

Bump