The Marines

         The Few. The Proud. The Marines. When people think of the Marines, they think of the toughest and most fearless men. I think the same thing. Yet I think something else as well. I think of Marines as Unconquered. They themselves are unconquered, and they represent a country that has always been unconquered. I want to become a part of this tradition because I will join the military, so why not the best, my life is going to be a full one, and that means I'll need the tools to succeed in it, and because I have something that I'm willing to serve, fight, and die for.
         I decided at the first of my senior year that I wanted to join the military. I decided this because I was ready to expand my "horizons", and ready for a challange that I was allowed to choose. The military was a perfect solution. It gave me all the challenges I could possibly want, and some extra bonuses that just help make it worth the effort. I get to see the world (bonus), I get to feel apart of something greater than myself (bonus), and I get to become the best person I can become (challange). So with all this in mind, I had to decide which branch of the military I wanted to join. I didn't even consider the Navy or the Ari Force, because of my lack of interest for know-it-alls and spending all my time mopping a deck. The Arm was a possibility, but I turned it down in light of a discovery of my own. The Marines put you through thirteen weeks of hell (boot camp) while the Army wasn't nearly as long. So why did I decide the harder of the two? Because I am a perfectionist about certain areas of my life... and pushing myself as far and as hard as I can is one of those areas.
         This brings up another great reason for me wanting to be in the Marines. I don't know what I want to do when I get older. I am not sure if it involves the military, or if I'm going to be a police officer, a lawyer, or even a shoe salesman. What I do know is that there are certain skills one must possess if that person is to succeed in anything in life. These skills, to me, are discipline, honor, pride (not to be mistaken with self pride... or being proud), the sense of never giving in or giving up, and self-motivation. These are always the characteristics I hear when I'm talking to anyone that has ever been, or even met, a Marine. This being a fact, I want these skills, and I'm willing to work harder than I've ever worked to make sure I get them.
         The last reason I can give for joining the Marines is because I have something worth fighting for. In my opinion, there are two major sides to America. One of these sides is the political side. The people keeping in touch with world events and making decisions based on these facts form it. The second side is the freedom side. I look at this side as many different things, ranging in everything from the obvious freedoms such as freedom of speech, all the way down to the freedom of children getting to wake up on a Saturday morning and getting to chose whether or not they should play video games or watch cartoons. That in itself is a freedom that I'm willing to push myself to the edge of my abilities for... and if need be, past them.
         So, all in all, I want to join the Marines to become the best at whatever I do, have the skills needed to do what needs to be done, and to protect the freedom that this country so honorably upholds.