What is it really like for the Marine Corps training?

[cg19922000]

Hello. My name is Steve. I am 17 years old, and I am graduating high school the end of June. My true dream in life was to go to college, get a nice job, and be successful. But, my father was in the Marine Corps for several years. I never knew him, so he never told me himself, but my mother told me about his physical abilities when it came to football, baseball, or even mowing the lawn.

So, let me get to my point...my father became ill after the marines(mentally ill). And, he moved to California to live with his mom so she could take care of him. And, you could only imagine being 6 years old, and only seeing your father maybe twice before he went insane. But, I have a good friend who is in the Marine Corps, and he basically told me that they take you back to when you were born. Then, they work their way up until they teach you everything you need to know to be a Marine. But, they flush all the emotions out of you. So, you are basically cold blooded until you see your family. Then, reality strikes and you are basically a nervous wreck. You shut yourself down.

Either he's lying or he's telling the truth. It's most likely different for everybody. I'm not trying to insult anybody by saying this. But, learning this information....It really gave me second thoughts about being a Marine. I just need some answers before I make the wrong decision. If I don't respond to the forums, please e-mail me at cg19922000@aol.com


I'd appreciate honest answers....because its between me shooting a gun or killing people. Or its me being a coast guard, and getting a scholarship to a nice college, and working with computers.

I hope you took the time to read this.

Thanks,
Steve

[Zulu 36]

He's lying. The Marine Corps does not "flush your emotions out." Like any segment of the human race, not everyone is physically or mentally capable of handling life in general and the Marine Corps in specific.

Your father might have seen some really nasty stuff in his day and mentally did not adjust to it well. Or, he was already a basket case looking for a trigger. You don't say if your father is a combat veteran.

Things get really ugly in combat. It isn't the same as in movies, even the fairly realistic ones like Saving Private Ryan. There are the smells, the noise (movie theaters can only turn it up so loud), the confusion, and the crushing emotional blows that come come when your best friend(s) get blown into bloody chunks.

Let us not forget the equally dead kids and babies you might see, and you might have been part of the team that killed them not knowing they were there along with a bunch of Muj who used them as living sandbags. It can add up.

Some people handle these things better than others over the short and long term. Some people will never lose a minutes sleep over it for the rest of their lives. Some turn into alcoholics or drug addicts in order to cope with the nightmares. Others end up committing suicide not long after returning home. Most just live with it and hope the memories dull over time (which they often do).

If you want to see an "emotionally flushed out" combat Marine, get them a puppy or a little kid needing help and see how flushed out they are.

[jinelson]

cg19922000 Steve if you read this please take a look at Todays Moto post it just may help you understand what Zulu36 is telling you.

Jim

[Sgt Leprechaun]

"Shooting a gun and killing people...."

Someone has been watching waaaaaaaay too much TV and movies.

Read the Moto posting. Good stuff.