Being American
I have often wondered what it is to be American and the answers that come to mind are varied. To be American you have to love freedom and liberty, democracy and advancement of society. In order to really appreciate living in America, I say you have to relinquish most of those freedoms, if only for a short while. The Marine Corps does that for you, it takes away your freedom to do whatever the hell you want and requires you to uphold standards that are not of the general society. I can't stand my job, but what I respect is the appreciation that I have earned for my country and also that I have served her well. After contemplation, I can say that I will talk to my children about military service. Whether it is in the Air Force or Marine Corps, it really doesn't matter, but I believe every American should feel compelled to serve their country. How important it really is to identify with being American, something that gets lost sometimes in our ethnic diversity is our national identity. I hope that my children will serve as I have for 4 years or 20, as long as they do it. I want to repeat something that I believe I journaled about already, but my Battalion Commanding Officer said, "The Marine Corps produces better citizens!" It is true.
2 Comments:
I agree. Read "Starship Troopers" by Robert Heinlein. It promotes a simple but powerful idea: you don't have to serve if you don't want to, but you can't vote until you do. If you want to have a voice in your society, you have to take your chance in serving and defending it. And it's a damned good story, too.
Kinrosslord- was that made into a futuristic movie? Thanks for the recommendation!
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