By: Eduardo Sagastume
Stepping off of that bus, drill instructors and sergeants yelling at you to go faster, transforming from a civilian to a United States servicemen, and being selfless enough to serve one’s country is one of the hardest tasks anyone could do.
A marine’s, soldiers, sailors, airmen, and coast guardsman's lives are easily one of the toughest lives people can live. Enduring grueling training to earn the title of any branch is hard enough, but being able to live for 4-6 years minimum is a very great sacrifice.
Life in the military is not easy, the months and possibly even years away from loved ones, and mental and physical stress all break a person down substantially. There are many different jobs or MOS --Military Occupational Specialty-- in the five branches of service but they all require a certain level of sacrifice from each member.
The most famous of those jobs is an 11 bravo in the army, and a 0311 in the marine corps, both are known as a combat infantryman, a soldier that fights in war. This is by far the most demanding and strenuous job any serviceman could have and they are literally putting their lives on the line for our freedom.
I conducted an interview on retired Sergeant First Class, Roberto Placa, on his experiences in the military as an infantryman.
He gave me this astounding response, “It was hard, it was hard being away from home, it was different, it was a different experience, you know? It was really hard, being deployed, being in combat, you know doing those things.”
This is not the only job but is is one of the most dangerous and demanding jobs in the military. There are great sacrifices that must be made by these servicemen and women. Some do it for pride, others do it for family.
According to the Reserves Officers Association, Colonel Frank Ryan was recalled to active duty from retirement in 2004. That was around the time that we invaded Iraq, and according to him, “The hardest part of this sudden deployment is delaying the adoption of a baby girl from China.”
There are a lot of things people do not understand about life in the military and sacrifice is one of the top things people should begin to think about.
Living this life seems overwhelming but like anything in life, things have their highs and their lows. They all go through something called Basic Training or Boot Camp.
When interviewed about his experience about boot camp, Sergeant First Class Placa said this, “Different, it was hard. There was nights where I wish I wasn’t there you know? But it was normal. They took me, a city kid and put him in the country.”
The military has always been under alot of media scrutiny, from the war in Vietnam up until now, there has always been disapproval of the military.
There are terms used for combat veterans such as “murderer,” or “baby killer,” and that is such an unjustifiable choice of words. Some of these veterans are permanently affected by war and they only did their jobs.
The military does much more than fight wars, they are the reason we are free and are safe from enemy attacks. An example would be from Scholasticinc.com where they state that, “The army works with the Department of defense, it’s focus is to protect freedom and maintain peace. The Coast Guard is responsible for the protection of the nation’s coast, U.S. Marines are the first to fight the nation's battles, and the protectors of Honor, Courage, and commitment.”
Sergeant Bolin, a United States Marine stated that, “The military has changed my life, I grew as an individual, and make some of the greatest friends that I could ever ask for.”
The military will always have its supporters and its rivals.
But, there will always be those few individuals that are selfless enough, and courageous enough to put themselves up to the challenge to be the protectors of us, and our nation's constitution.
No matter what, anyone with the courage to serve is a bona-fide bada**.
Stepping off of that bus, drill instructors and sergeants yelling at you to go faster, transforming from a civilian to a United States servicemen, and being selfless enough to serve one’s country is one of the hardest tasks anyone could do.
A marine’s, soldiers, sailors, airmen, and coast guardsman's lives are easily one of the toughest lives people can live. Enduring grueling training to earn the title of any branch is hard enough, but being able to live for 4-6 years minimum is a very great sacrifice.
Life in the military is not easy, the months and possibly even years away from loved ones, and mental and physical stress all break a person down substantially. There are many different jobs or MOS --Military Occupational Specialty-- in the five branches of service but they all require a certain level of sacrifice from each member.
The most famous of those jobs is an 11 bravo in the army, and a 0311 in the marine corps, both are known as a combat infantryman, a soldier that fights in war. This is by far the most demanding and strenuous job any serviceman could have and they are literally putting their lives on the line for our freedom.
I conducted an interview on retired Sergeant First Class, Roberto Placa, on his experiences in the military as an infantryman.
He gave me this astounding response, “It was hard, it was hard being away from home, it was different, it was a different experience, you know? It was really hard, being deployed, being in combat, you know doing those things.”
This is not the only job but is is one of the most dangerous and demanding jobs in the military. There are great sacrifices that must be made by these servicemen and women. Some do it for pride, others do it for family.
According to the Reserves Officers Association, Colonel Frank Ryan was recalled to active duty from retirement in 2004. That was around the time that we invaded Iraq, and according to him, “The hardest part of this sudden deployment is delaying the adoption of a baby girl from China.”
There are a lot of things people do not understand about life in the military and sacrifice is one of the top things people should begin to think about.
Living this life seems overwhelming but like anything in life, things have their highs and their lows. They all go through something called Basic Training or Boot Camp.
When interviewed about his experience about boot camp, Sergeant First Class Placa said this, “Different, it was hard. There was nights where I wish I wasn’t there you know? But it was normal. They took me, a city kid and put him in the country.”
The military has always been under alot of media scrutiny, from the war in Vietnam up until now, there has always been disapproval of the military.
There are terms used for combat veterans such as “murderer,” or “baby killer,” and that is such an unjustifiable choice of words. Some of these veterans are permanently affected by war and they only did their jobs.
The military does much more than fight wars, they are the reason we are free and are safe from enemy attacks. An example would be from Scholasticinc.com where they state that, “The army works with the Department of defense, it’s focus is to protect freedom and maintain peace. The Coast Guard is responsible for the protection of the nation’s coast, U.S. Marines are the first to fight the nation's battles, and the protectors of Honor, Courage, and commitment.”
Sergeant Bolin, a United States Marine stated that, “The military has changed my life, I grew as an individual, and make some of the greatest friends that I could ever ask for.”
The military will always have its supporters and its rivals.
But, there will always be those few individuals that are selfless enough, and courageous enough to put themselves up to the challenge to be the protectors of us, and our nation's constitution.
No matter what, anyone with the courage to serve is a bona-fide bada**.