You join a battalion during a five month stand down phase which means they just came off deployment from somewhere so no one really cares about anything because they're tired and just want to relax. Then you go into a six month "workup" phase where you train like hell to certify to do whatever it is you're supposed to do wherever you're supposed to do it. Then for seven months you deploy to wherever you're supposed to go and do whatever it is you're supposed to do. Generally everyone gets on everyone else's nerves due to the boredom and stress of it all because everyone just wants to get back home. The kicker is you get to go through this eighteen month process twice every three year operational infantry battalion assignment.

If you're lucky, generally your first deployment is a "float" for seven months with a Marine Expeditionary Unit built around your reinforced infantry battalion. You're MEU patrols a large piece of ocean onboard three Amphibious Ready Group ships which is part of a larger Carrier Striking Force. That means you're going to see beautiful women in places you've only read about in magazines and believe me when I say you'll have stories you and the fellas will never tell your future families. Needless to say the whole time you're afloat everyone is praying for nothing bad to happen so you don't miss out on port calls because you're hung up in some third world country facing hostiles who would rather kill you than drink a beer with you.

Then generally your second deployment will fly you to beautiful exotic Okinawa where you'll spend a lot of time training in the field. Perhaps you may even take a trip or two for an exercise in the Philippines or Korea and maybe even cold weather warfare training in Japan proper. Tokyo and Japanese women are everything you've ever dreamed of and so much more. It's luck of the draw and what time of year you're there because you can either do some really exciting things or sit on "The Rock" and rot. You'll either love it or hate it as there doesn't seem to be much in between.

Of course, if you're unlucky you'll end up going to Iraq over and over and over again. As always, it's luck of the draw and where your battalion is in the rotation schedule.

Your first enlistment is four years so after six months in initial training, you spend thirty six months operational and spend your last remaining months in the Fleet Assistance Program (FAP) where you take care of barracks, perform grounds upkeep, kick back at a swimming pool as a lifeguard or something similar to help you unwind before you go home. If you reenlist you become an instructor or something similar for three years where you live a semi normal life where you go to your own off base housing and settle down with a family. Then it's back to an operational battalion for another three and you live the three in / three out lifestyle until you reach your twenty and retire.

When you're in the field you eat field rations and walk around carrying heavy loads a lot yet while you're in the rear you eat regular food and stay within your battalion area. No matter what, you hurry up and wait a lot because someone in authority is always figuring out something to keep you busy so you don't get into trouble. Sometimes it makes perfect sense and is truly useful while other times it's mind boggling it's so stupid but you're a Devil so you just do it because someone told you too. This is true no matter how many times you've been operational or whatever your rank is so always count on someone trying to put you to work! If you duck it you're a scumbag because everyone else has to cover your load so you develop an attitude of getting it done quickly so you can hide out and not be picked for another detail.

All in all you'll serve with the greatest bunch of humans you'll ever know and you'll consider each other Brothers until the day you die because you've faced some really good and some really bad times where you pulled together just to make it through whether you went to war or just deployed somewhere. It's all the same no matter where you go or what you do because you won't be happy doing what the Corps wants you to do while the Corps won't be happy while you're doing what you want to do. It's just the simple nature of being an 18-21 year old walking around with the power of life and death in your hands as you're forced to grow up quick in real life situations nothing ever truly prepares you for.

The life of an Infantryman is never exotic, glamorous nor glorious. It's actually quite hard, exhausting and very demanding yet extremely personally rewarding when you EAS (discharge) and go home after it's finally over because you know you're a man of action who made the six o'clock news while others watched it. I guess the best way to express it is Infantrymen go where others don't and step up where others won't simply because you're too ornery and full of piss and vinegar to quit on yourself or your Brothers.

This is basically the life of every Marine Infantryman past, present and future because the more things change, the more they stay the same.

"They want us to do WHAT???!!! You gotta be shiatin' me!"

"Knock it off, the man wants to play war today, we play war. Okay listen up Devils, heres what we're going to do ...."

And the hits just keep on coming, only the faces change year after year.