Is it normal to have second thoughts?

[tdrt]

Too bad they deleted the other thread. I had a brilliant response.

[Phantom Blooper]

It's not the fear....it's what you do with the fear.

Men and women joining the Marines are excited for the new venture in the life that they will begin......

Fear can always be reversed and turned into gallantry....bravery...courage and valor.

In the face of war...if you are not fearful....then there is a problem....

But to be fearful of joining the Marines is nothing to fear....hundreds upon thousands have faced the demons of the Marines and have marched to victory.

Fear is temporary. Regret is forever.
Choose.

[polizei]

I had doubts every morning at PI when I awoke to the sh_t cans being thrown through the squad bay and the DI's yelling "Get UP, Get Up" and as I stood there on line with the others I'd wonder what did I do to get here. And one morning I realized I'm becoming a Marine.

I had doubts at night when we stood on line and in union we would all say "Ours is not to Reason Why, Ours is but to do or Die." And as the nights went by I realized I began to mean it, and the doubts went away.

I had doubts in the Nam when so many of my buds were wasted, or got messed up real bad, or they died in my arms. I had doubts when we were told we were going back into Happy Valley (one of the many real bad places), whether I would make it out this time. But every time I had those doubts, which didn't happen very often, a voice in my head would say Who Better to go, ain't so bad, never quit, and our Batt. moto "Get Some."

Marines sometimes have doubts, you'd be crazy if you didn't. But Marines have honor, death before dishonor.

And then something happens. At An Hoa, I remember drinking at night sometimes with my buds and someone would ask "How can they keep sending the few of us in, over and over and expect us to keep coming out. Can even the best of the best keep coming out?" Regardless of what we said to each other deep inside we all knew that we couldn't. I and the others were OK with that. We called it "Giving up our Lives." When that time came let it be said "In the highest tradition of the Marine Corps."

And then one day you realize that somehow you have somehow survived, you're going home, back to the world. I realized that I was going to leave the only world up to that time that I really understood. Now, that's scary.

Since then I have learned that fear is simply a lack of reference (experience). My experiences in the Marine Corps filled me with so many references of life and death and gave me a wonderful knowledge of what I was capable of (and not all of it is nice).

Marines make a difference. There are a few Marines alive today because of me, and if even for awhile there were Marines that lived a little longer because of me. Not bragging, a fact. I myself am alive because of other Marines.

Many feel the fear, Marines go through the fear.

Young man, you are eaten up with the fear. This door before you is a major life decision point for you. Do you open the door to your life.

There's an old Marine Corps saying. "From the Outside you cannot understand it, and from the Inside I cannot explain it to you."

That's a damn good post. Listen to this.

[spotts]

Advanced just gave you some solid advice young man. I hope you make the decision thats right in your heart. You either have what it takes to become on of The few or you dont. Only you can make that decision.

[tdrt]

It's normal to have second thoughts about any life-changing event. But you can't focus on what could go wrong or death. Hell, you could get hit by a bus tomorrow.

[ameriken]

It's normal to have second thoughts about any life-changing event. But you can't focus on what could go wrong or death. Hell, you could get hit by a bus tomorrow.

Are you suggesting he goes home via Amtrak and not Greyhound?

[echo3oscar1833]

Are you suggesting he goes home via Amtrak and not Greyhound?

He should take a cab

[tdrt]

Train derails, cab crashes or gets carjacked....