Pvt Drake
07-05-05, 09:08 AM
It's been a long and hard 10 months. A lot of pain, sweat, and even tears. I thought the path to becoming a Marine was going to be the hardest part of my career, but the real physical and mental tests came from training to be a warrior.
I am PFC David Drake. 0311. Stationed with 2/2 Golf Co in Camp Lejuene. I will be leaving this country on the 15th and entering Fallujah, Iraq. For the past 6 months I have been constantly training, constantly learning. From Saso and CAX, to an unconcievable amount of time in the woods and MOUT towns of North Carolina, I have gone from a basic junior Marine to a Grunt.
I thought the feeling of being a Marine was the best in the world, until you finally realize your something more. I am ready to fight this war now. As a Grunt in the United States Marine Corps I can say that I will go to Iraq and serve my country to the best of my ability, becuase I've been trained as a warrior. I will fight along side of my brothers and sisters, not becuase of a hidden agenda, but becuase of an oath I took. An oath that held me to the highest of standards in peactime and wartime. And I can goto war following this oath and believe that what we are doing is the right thing, and that some good will come out of it, and just maybe some people will realize that their actions or words or even thoughts are wrong, and they will help us make them right.
And let me close by saying this. I've been in a grunt unit for less than 7 months, I am a junior Marine, I still stand at parade rest when speaking to LCpls, I am by no means salty. I'm just doing my job.
I am PFC David Drake. 0311. Stationed with 2/2 Golf Co in Camp Lejuene. I will be leaving this country on the 15th and entering Fallujah, Iraq. For the past 6 months I have been constantly training, constantly learning. From Saso and CAX, to an unconcievable amount of time in the woods and MOUT towns of North Carolina, I have gone from a basic junior Marine to a Grunt.
I thought the feeling of being a Marine was the best in the world, until you finally realize your something more. I am ready to fight this war now. As a Grunt in the United States Marine Corps I can say that I will go to Iraq and serve my country to the best of my ability, becuase I've been trained as a warrior. I will fight along side of my brothers and sisters, not becuase of a hidden agenda, but becuase of an oath I took. An oath that held me to the highest of standards in peactime and wartime. And I can goto war following this oath and believe that what we are doing is the right thing, and that some good will come out of it, and just maybe some people will realize that their actions or words or even thoughts are wrong, and they will help us make them right.
And let me close by saying this. I've been in a grunt unit for less than 7 months, I am a junior Marine, I still stand at parade rest when speaking to LCpls, I am by no means salty. I'm just doing my job.