WEBVTT 00:00.440 --> 00:00.860 you . 00:06.340 --> 00:08.062 I think one of the more common 00:08.062 --> 00:10.007 questions I get asked or I've been 00:10.007 --> 00:11.896 asked since I've been out here on 00:11.896 --> 00:14.118 recruiting duty is Why did I joined the 00:14.118 --> 00:16.340 Marine Corps ? That's a question that I 00:16.340 --> 00:18.670 get asked when I go to my high schools 00:19.140 --> 00:20.990 when I sit down with students , 00:21.000 --> 00:23.340 applicants , parents , they always 00:23.340 --> 00:25.340 asked , like , Why did you join the 00:25.340 --> 00:27.396 Marine Corps ? And I think when they 00:27.396 --> 00:29.396 asked me , there's always just this 00:29.396 --> 00:29.390 common . There's this common 00:29.390 --> 00:31.334 misrepresentation about the Marine 00:31.334 --> 00:33.446 Corps that they just They always just 00:33.446 --> 00:35.612 wonder , like what would make you want 00:35.612 --> 00:37.612 to do something so extreme when you 00:37.612 --> 00:39.612 have the Air Force , the Army , the 00:39.612 --> 00:41.723 Navy , the Coast Guard , the National 00:41.723 --> 00:43.779 Guard , you have all these different 00:43.779 --> 00:45.779 options . But you chose to pursue a 00:45.779 --> 00:47.834 branch of service that's generally a 00:47.834 --> 00:50.390 lot more challenging . And so for me , 00:50.390 --> 00:52.510 it was . It was uneasily question for 00:52.510 --> 00:54.732 me to answer , because I grew up in the 00:54.732 --> 00:57.050 military . I grew up in the Air Force . 00:57.440 --> 00:59.384 Both of my parents served . My dad 00:59.384 --> 01:02.110 served 22 years . My mother served six 01:02.120 --> 01:06.040 as an officer , um , my older sister . 01:06.040 --> 01:08.318 She still currently serves in the Navy , 01:08.318 --> 01:10.484 a za lieutenant commander . My brother 01:10.484 --> 01:12.707 is also in the Navy , a za lieutenant . 01:12.707 --> 01:14.762 Junior grade . So for me , I grew up 01:14.762 --> 01:16.651 and I've been able to witness and 01:16.651 --> 01:18.651 experience what the military is not 01:18.651 --> 01:20.873 only done for my family , but what it's 01:20.873 --> 01:20.780 done for them . And I was the last one 01:20.780 --> 01:23.710 to join . I joined a 23 . So when I 01:23.710 --> 01:25.543 answered the question , I always 01:25.543 --> 01:27.654 explain to them the biggest thing for 01:27.654 --> 01:27.630 me , the reason why I joined the Marine 01:27.630 --> 01:29.630 Corps because there was a different 01:29.630 --> 01:31.463 aura about the Marine Corps that 01:31.463 --> 01:34.830 attracted me . You know , everybody has 01:34.830 --> 01:36.997 an idea of what it's what it's like to 01:36.997 --> 01:39.800 be a part of a team , you know , it's 01:39.800 --> 01:41.911 like a collaborative effort amongst a 01:41.911 --> 01:45.780 group of people that have a common 01:45.780 --> 01:47.947 goal in mind as far as what it is they 01:47.947 --> 01:50.113 want . They're working towards what it 01:50.113 --> 01:52.224 is they're trying to accomplish , you 01:52.224 --> 01:54.280 know , and it develops that sense of 01:54.280 --> 01:56.840 camaraderie . You know , the that sense 01:56.840 --> 01:59.870 of pride ownership , and 02:01.340 --> 02:03.340 I can't honestly say I really had a 02:03.340 --> 02:05.396 good experience with that growing up 02:05.396 --> 02:07.562 because I was never really an all star 02:07.562 --> 02:09.340 athlete . I was never really an 02:09.340 --> 02:11.340 academic scholar by any means I was 02:11.340 --> 02:13.562 kind of that social butterfly look like 02:13.562 --> 02:15.673 I went to school and it was more of a 02:15.673 --> 02:17.784 social environment . But , you know , 02:17.784 --> 02:19.951 Thio , stay on topic . Like , for me , 02:19.951 --> 02:22.062 it was more or less like being a part 02:22.062 --> 02:24.229 of a team was always very important to 02:24.229 --> 02:26.173 me because I honestly felt like it 02:26.173 --> 02:28.229 brought the best out of me . Because 02:28.229 --> 02:30.284 you're putting these positions where 02:30.284 --> 02:32.173 your cross pollinating and you're 02:32.173 --> 02:34.284 you're really learning not only about 02:34.284 --> 02:36.451 yourself , but from those around you . 02:36.451 --> 02:38.673 And it does bring the best out of you . 02:38.673 --> 02:40.896 You You know , you guys all collaborate 02:40.896 --> 02:43.007 and bring up ideas , and it just kind 02:43.007 --> 02:42.530 of opens your mind to a bigger 02:42.530 --> 02:44.790 perspective on things . I remember the 02:44.790 --> 02:48.620 very first time I saw a Marine . It was 02:48.620 --> 02:50.787 actually an Incirlik Air Force base in 02:50.787 --> 02:52.898 Turkey . My mom was stationed there . 02:52.898 --> 02:54.953 She was the officer's club manager . 02:55.180 --> 02:58.860 And you know , this was actually this 02:58.860 --> 03:01.082 was when Saddam Hussein was in charge . 03:01.082 --> 03:03.249 He was running things in Iraq . And if 03:03.249 --> 03:05.304 you know , Turkey is literally right 03:05.304 --> 03:07.416 next door to Iraq and he had actually 03:07.416 --> 03:09.527 threatened to bomb our air Force base 03:09.527 --> 03:11.638 because we were doing missions out of 03:11.638 --> 03:13.582 Incirlik Air Force base that we're 03:13.582 --> 03:15.530 involving Iraqi airspace . So I 03:15.530 --> 03:18.050 remember when we when we were 03:18.050 --> 03:21.460 threatened , the Marines came into town 03:21.840 --> 03:24.160 and it was like that was like , the 03:24.160 --> 03:26.216 talk of the base . I might have been 03:26.216 --> 03:28.382 like , third grade , and I remember it 03:28.382 --> 03:30.549 so vividly . And the Marines came into 03:30.549 --> 03:32.549 base and they , you know , they got 03:32.549 --> 03:34.549 their uniforms on their their their 03:34.549 --> 03:36.660 sleeves are rolled because my mom was 03:36.660 --> 03:36.200 the officer's club manager . I remember 03:36.200 --> 03:38.311 being in the bait . Excuse me , being 03:38.311 --> 03:40.367 in the club . And they were in their 03:40.367 --> 03:42.478 dress blues , and they were just They 03:42.478 --> 03:45.130 always rolled in packs . And I just 03:45.130 --> 03:47.890 remember thinking like , man like Mom , 03:47.890 --> 03:50.001 who are they ? She was like those Air 03:50.001 --> 03:52.320 Marines . Just the way she said it . 03:52.360 --> 03:54.570 She had so much respect behind it . It 03:54.570 --> 03:56.960 was like , Oh , Marines , you know , 03:56.960 --> 03:59.016 the history of the interest that was 03:59.016 --> 04:01.182 generated from just those interactions 04:01.182 --> 04:03.238 early on in my early on in my life , 04:03.238 --> 04:05.349 you know , and then growing up in the 04:05.349 --> 04:07.600 military , having Mom , Dad in the Air 04:07.600 --> 04:09.767 Force brother and sister in the Navy , 04:09.767 --> 04:11.989 I always had this idea about the Marine 04:11.989 --> 04:14.290 Corps that interest me the most because 04:14.290 --> 04:16.512 I was never really a part of the team , 04:16.512 --> 04:18.623 and I wanted to be a part of a team , 04:18.623 --> 04:18.200 and I wanted to do something that was 04:18.200 --> 04:20.311 significant . I didn't want to follow 04:20.311 --> 04:22.478 the same path , a similar path that my 04:22.478 --> 04:24.700 mom and dad had pursued . I didn't want 04:24.700 --> 04:26.589 to follow a similar path . And my 04:26.589 --> 04:26.330 brother and sister pursuit . I wanted 04:26.330 --> 04:28.497 to do something different . And within 04:28.497 --> 04:31.560 my family unit , it was always , always 04:32.240 --> 04:34.910 made apparent that , like the Marines 04:34.910 --> 04:36.854 air hardcore , the Marines are the 04:36.854 --> 04:38.910 toughest . The Marines are generally 04:38.910 --> 04:41.132 going to be the more challenging branch 04:41.132 --> 04:43.354 of service . And if you're gonna do the 04:43.354 --> 04:42.900 Marines , you need to make sure you 04:42.900 --> 04:43.950 were in tip top shape .