My Experience in the Marine Corps - Marine Corps Boot Camp

My Experience in the Marine Corps

Marine Corps Boot Camp

My day of departure was such an emotional day for my family and I. It was a cold December morning at 4 am when I had to say my goodbyes. I was at the Hilton Hotel with my family and my recruiter. We were putting the few things I could bring to Parris Island in a small backpack. The backpack contained a pen, a 3 subject notebook, address book and $20. I looked up at my mother and she had tears welling up in her eyes. Turned to my dad and sister and they also had tears in theireyes. I held back my tears to try and make it easier for them, this was the last time they were going to talk to their daughter for at least 3 weeks and they wouldn't see me for at least 4 months. My recruiter let them drive me from the hotel to Boston MEPS center. We walked in the building, went up the elevator to the 1st floor and they had to sit in a waiting room until they could watch me be sworn in. It was what seemed to be the longest 4 hours of my life. I had to go be examined by the nurse. Speak to a counselor;take my physical exams and also a written exam. The next time I saw my parents I was standing up in front of them with my right hand raised giving my oath to The United States of America. As I was repeating after the officer, I looked at my mother and I couldn't hold back my tears. My eyes started welling with water as I looked at her both joyful and sad tears in her eyes. She was proud and sad at the same time. After the oath was complete, I gave my family the last hug and kiss goodbye for a while. They handed me letters they had written me telling me how proud they were and I walked into the elevator to the bus that would be taking me to Logan Airport. As I was walking through the airport I had thoughts running through my head trying to picture what exactly it was going to be like when I arrived. Nothing could have prepared me for what I was in for.

I got off the plane in South Carolina; I didn't know what I was looking for or who I was looking for. I noticed a man with camoflauge pants and shirt on and a hat, so I slowly started making my way over to him. As I got closer he stared me down, almost like he knew me from somewhere. He was a tall, dark, handsome man with a very mean look in his face and mean, dark eyes. I put my hand out to introduce myself and that was the biggest mistake I had ever made. My hand didn't even reach half way and he started screaming at me, being as rude as a man could possibly be. "I don't want to shake your nasty hand, put that hand down." I immediately listened. He ordered me to follow him so I did. He took me into a room with 20 other recruits in it with their heads on the desks, pointed at a seat ordered me to sit in it, so I obeyed. I put my head down and just waited. It seemed like hours went by when 2 more Drill Instructors with the same mean look on their faces came in and ordered us to get up quick, so all of our scared, not knowing what to do attitudes, got up and started walking as fast as we could to keep up with what I called "The Pit bulls." They had us go to a bus that looked just like a greyhound bus. We all got shoved in and were told to put our heads down. The ride to Parris Island was silence. We weren't allowed to look out the windows or anything. Then about 20 minutes later the bus came to a halt. We had arrived. I was scared. I had thoughts all through my head asking me, why did you do this? Why are you here right now? Telling methere is no way I was going to survive. A Drill Instructor came onto the bus and screamed at us for a few minutes telling us when we got off the bus we were to, as quickly as possible, get into a formation onto the yellow footprints that were already painted onto the cement ground. I was one of the 1st to get off the bus so as quickly as possible I got off the bus and stood on the

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closest yellow footprints I could see. Everyone was running around like chickens not wanting to be "that person" who didn't get onto them quickly enough. We were all in formation