04/05/2023
I usually refrain from posting about my Marine Corps days, mostly because I try to stay way away from that “Thank me for my service” mentality so much that I tend to go on the other side of the spectrum. With that said, this picture and a conversation with friends coming up brought this topic up to my brain today. Please allow me to vent: In my time in the Corps, I was intentional to ask about my Marine’s “Why?” Why did I do that? Because I saw, even in the Marine Corps, that once someone told a Marine that they deserve something special because they raised their hand, that they would be presented with a choice between a couple options: #1- The more tempting option: Agree, with pride, that they are indeed owed something and thus that they are somehow victims, not being treated appropriate to their sacrifice. #2- Let other’s praise and commentary on their sacrifice roll off them like “water off a duck’s back.” Often, asking them their “why” would re-center my Marines, making option 1 look much less appealing. Never once was one of my Marine’s answers something akin to self seeking or wanting attention. Even if they lacked the ability to go deep and find their “why”, when you’d spend time digging it up with them, it nearly always came down to something more like “I love my country and wanted to serve it” or “I want to protect those who can’t protect themselves” THAT IS ADMIRABLE! I am so impressed with most of the men I served with. Most of them were in it for the right reasons, even if they didn’t know it at the time. One thing I’d talk about with my Marines is our nations first Veterans. Sometimes a little perspective can help people understand that they don’t have it so bad. In this case, they had it SOO much better than Vets who helped create this country some 240+ years ago. Don’t get me wrong, our Veterans deserve so much. I continue to serve them every opportunity I can. There is much to do in the way of Veteran care. I only write this to share my heart on how easy it is to become a “victim” and how that can shape your perspective dramatically. Service to others is admirable. Do it without expecting anything in return and you’ll do it well. End of rant.
