Female Enlisted in Marine Corps
She self-assessed that attending college would not be a good investment of her time and her parents’ money. Always a ‘Can Do’ person, she could satisfy her desire for adventure and independence by joining the military.
FAMILY BACKGROUND
JN was the youngest of 6 children. Her father worked as a linesman for the local power company before being promoted to work with the company’s electrical engineers. Although he never attended college, company testing determined that JN’s father’s intelligence was graded higher than some of the engineers who had achieved formal engineering degrees. As a result of her father’s intellectual capacity and dedication to learning, he eventually earned assignments to prepare engineering drawings.
JN’s mother also worked outside their home to help support the family financially through various jobs including her small catering business and later as a ‘punch card operator’ for a local bank, working on early versions of modern computers.
Thus, JN’s parents’ strong work ethics were a significant, indirect influence on her career paths. Just like them, JN became a ‘Can Do’ person.
CHILDHOOD THOUGHTS OF AN ADULT CAREER
Looking back, JN recalls watching tv news with her parents during the Viet Nam war, which was a divisive topic nationally; some citizens were strongly in favor of involving our soldiers in that distant fight against Communism, but other citizens were strongly opposed to sending young men to die in a foreign country which was not an apparent threat to the U.S. One of JN’s brothers was serving in Viet Nam as a soldier within the Marine Corps. So, her entire family was paying close attention to the world news, which shaped JN’s early interest in government and the law. Thus, JN thought that as an adult, she would be interested in being a lawyer to deal with governments and laws.
Concurrently, JN had always been interested in traveling and adventure, often reading the Sears catalogue to day-dream of buying camping equipment to use on hiking trips far away.
SCHOOL DAYS
While JN was in high school, she realized that she was not self-motivated to be a high-achieving student, so she didn’t want to waste her parents’ limited money by asking them to pay for her college tuition and living expenses.
PLANNING A PATH AFTER HIGH SCHOOL
JN believed that she could be a self-sufficient adult without a college education. So, she developed a plan to meet both her current priorities: (1) pursue an (out of town) adventure and (2) be self-responsible for her own living expenses. Having a brother already serving in the military, gave JN an idea for how she could accomplish both goals in the same way: join the military!
THOUGHTS ABOUT JOINING THE MILITARY
After deciding to join the military, JN still had a few decisions to make:
When to join / enlist? JN learned that when she reached age 18, she could enlist (join) without her parents’ permission. Her 18th birthday was in March, before her June graduation from high school. JN did not want to risk arguing with her parents about her plan – at least not until it was too late for them to object, after she had already enlisted – so she kept her plan secret until she signed the enlistment papers on her 18th birthday.
Which military service branch to join? Alphabetically, the options were the Air Force, Army, Marines, National Guard or Navy. JN thought the ‘National’ Guard would be more likely to remain stationed within the ‘Nation’ instead of overseas, so that branch was eliminated from consideration. Her brother exemplified – in JN’s eyes – the perfect Marine: strong and able. But JN wasn’t sure that she could live up to that image of a Marine.
Although JN was a strong swimmer, she eliminated the Navy as a military option due to her Catholic schools’ background, involving ironing her school uniform daily. That routine conditioned JN’s mind to disapprove of anyone in an unpressed, sloppy uniform, which was JN’s immediate impression of the Navy recruiter.
So, JN had narrowed her military service options to either the Air Force or the Army. The Air Force seemed like it would involve more adventure than the Army so the Air Force was JN’s first choice before she headed to the local recruiting center where all branches of military service were represented by their respective recruiters.
RANDOM CIRCUMSTANCES MAY ALTER A PLAN
On the day of her 18th birthday, JN left school during her lunch period, to arrive at the closest military recruiting office, by early afternoon, where she expected to find representatives of all the service branches, though she only planned to talk to the Air Force recruiter. Unfortunately for the Air Force, their recruiter was out to lunch. While JN was waiting, the Marine recruiter introduced himself and asked why she was there. Soon they were discussing that JN’s brother was already, proudly serving overseas in the Marine Corps, so the Marine recruiter began describing all the advantages of life as a Marine. The more JN listened, the more she pushed aside her concerns that she couldn’t live up to the image she thought every Marine needed to be. So, by the time the Air Force recruiter returned from his lunch break, which obviously had involved excess alcohol consumption, JN (essentially a ‘Can Do’ person) had already signed enlistment papers to be a Marine!
QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE ENLISTING IN THE MILITARY
How JN’s enlistment process proceeded: JN listened to the recruiter’s brief description of basic training: “It’s not easy but I’d bet you’ll do fine. You will enjoy being part of the historic and elite, U.S. Marine Corps. All you must do now is sign these enlistment papers, but you won’t actually start your military service until after your high school graduation. We’ll let you know more, later.”
Now, with experience, how JN recommends enlistments should proceed:
- Talk to someone in that military service branch in addition to a recruiter – you will learn the realistic ‘highs and lows’ of military service, such as:
Lows –
Military discipline can be very rigid and demanding – because civilians, who set their own schedules, which can vary from day to day, depending on their energy, must learn how to function as part of a team which may be called upon for immediate action, possibly involving life and death situations.
An old saying about military life is: “Hurry Up and Wait!” – meaning you don’t always know why you are told to act and sometimes there is lots of boring, inaction but you are not to question your orders from those who are in command.
Military duty assignments are chosen for you by your superiors, not by you, according to the needs of the military, not according to your interests and abilities.
Highs –
Take pride in serving your country, literally putting your life at risk if necessary to carry out whatever military mission may be assigned.
Once you accept military discipline, you will have established your own, built-in, self-discipline which will help you through the rest of your life.
Military training is on-going, strengthening your body and your mind.
Some military training may be specifically applicable to a later civilian career – for example, flying jets, air traffic controller, police work, skilled trades, and leadership practices.
You will make life-time friendships. (When JN’s husband died many years following her active military duty, former Marines, now scattered across the country, called to offer their condolences and support.)
If you remain in the military for at least 20 years, you will qualify for a lifetime retirement pension. Even serving for less time, you may be eligible for free medical care provided by the Veterans Administration.
- Learn the options for military assignments and if possible, secure any promises in writing. In addition to talking to a military veteran or to someone currently in active service who is not a recruiter, do some research into what military specialties are available in your preferred military service. Are there some which could provide training later useful in a civilian career?
WHEN ENLISTING, BRACE FOR PARENTAL REACTIONS
Mom – Appreciated JN’s twin goals of adventure and financial independence so she was thrilled for her!
Dad – Not initially thrilled; “Little girls should be little girls” but he accepted JN’s decision and later said he was proud of her.
MILITARY SERVICE
Between high school graduation in June and reporting to active duty – commencing with boot camp in September – JN was hired by the Marine recruiter to help in his office as a paper-work assistant.
Boot Camp
Marine Corps training (“Boot Camp”) at Parris Island, South Carolina, is famous (some say ‘infamous’) for being an extremely challenging, 9-week, course, both mentally and physically as ‘soft’ civilians are transformed into ‘hard’ Marine soldiers.
The government arranged for JN to fly to South Carolina. When she arrived at the Parris Island, USMC base, all the recruits were issued basic uniforms (camouflage utilities) plus boots and assigned to an all-female barracks, where they had to promptly make their beds (to military specifications), stow their personal belongings, and then respond immediately when their Drill Instructor (DI) called them to assemble outside “on the double quick!” This was their introduction to military commands and discipline. In days following, they learned the proper ways to salute (who and when), stand at attention and march in formation. Classroom time covered Marine Corps history and military skills.
All branches of military service refer to time as 0 to 24 hours; so, 1:00 p.m. is civilian time but in the military, it’s 1300. However, the Navy and Marines are unique in their use of naval language whether on land or at sea. Since the Marine Corps is formally part of the Navy, Marines are required to use the same terms as Naval seamen to describe certain objects, as if they were aboard a ship. For example, Marines stand on the ‘deck,’ not the ground; Marines climb the ‘ladder,’ not the stairs.
JN was not a natural runner, but she pushed herself to complete the 1.5-mile course in under 15 minutes. Like the rest of her all-female platoon, she did ‘bent arm’ pull-ups, sit-ups, and performed other physical challenges to meet the required time or repetition standards.
During boot camp, the female recruits were separated from the male recruits. Although male Marines waited on tables where all the food was served in ‘mess halls’ where the females dined, the female recruits were not permitted to look up to see the men.
Not every recruit successfully completes the full training schedule, some quitting early to avoid the stress and exertion of being mentally pushed (shouted at) to constantly do more and do it faster! When the DIs realized that JN was not going to be intimidated by their constant barking, they turned their attention to mentally stressing other recruits. JN worked hard to meet all the challenges and proudly graduated from boot camp with a promotion from Private to Private First Class (PFC). Eventually, JN earned other promotions, finally to Corporal.
During JN’s four years enlistment as a Marine, excepting boot camp, the women Marines served alongside the male Marines. More important, during JN’s enlistment several decades ago, women Marines were not widely accepted or appreciated by long-serving men in the Marines but after her discharge, JN talked to Marines who served after her, and was assured that the situation for female Marines had changed significantly for the better, as training is now conducted among mixed gender troops, women are taught how to use a rifle – the basic combat equipment of every Marine – just like the men and overall, women are now more numerous and more respected as Marines.
Active Duty
Following boot camp, PFC JN was randomly assigned to various administrative, office tasks. Eventually, she was able to be transferred to work within the Judge Advocate General’s department, which is the military equivalent of an in-house law firm. Here, JN continued administrative duties, but the situations were more interesting, as she was involved in preparing paperwork for government investigations of aircraft mishaps, court martials (military trials) and discharges.
MILITARY TO CIVILIAN TRANSITION
JN’s military adventures never took her overseas but overall, she enjoyed her four years as an active-duty Marine and gave serious thought to re-enlisting. However, then looking ahead to an additional 17 years of military service (to qualify for a military pension) seemed daunting so she decided to accept an Honorable Discharge and re-start her working life as a civilian.
JN told friends outside the military of her plan to join their world, without a specific job lined up. One of her friends had another friend who was looking for a dental assistant. Admitting to the dentist that she had no such experience in dental offices except as a dental patient, the dentist quickly appreciated JN’s ‘Can Do’ attitude in her willingness to undergo on-the-job training. After sufficiently mastering the required skills, JN worked at that job for a year and then her spirit of adventure re-surfaced, causing her to look for an outdoor job, changing her focus from cleaning children’s teeth all day long, with varying degrees of youth cooperation.
A ‘CAN DO’ ATTITUDE EASILY DEALS WITH CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES
Just as JN’s 18-year-old priorities led her into military service by combining her need to be financially self-sufficient and her quest for adventure, JN continued to seek civilian world jobs with the same two goals: earn a living and mix in travel / adventure when and where possible.
Thus, over the next several decades, JN worked at many different jobs, ranging from driving a truck for UPS, to driving a bus for an airport car rental business, to delivering pizza, to warehouse manager for durable medical equipment, to pharmacy tech, to phlebotomist, to hospice care, to tour guide, to farm market teacher, to blog writer and more recently, to manager and guide within campgrounds and national parks.
CAREER SATISFACTION
Looking back, JN is proud to have consistently met all challenges while succeeding in reaching her goals to be self-sufficient, adding some adventures when and where possible. Along the way, JN served her country, brought her ‘Can Do’ attitude to every situation and earned the appreciation and respect of higher-ranking Marines and civilian employers.
When faced with a current challenge, JN reminds herself that she successfully completed Marine Corps boot camp so whatever next situation, it cannot be more difficult. “Once a Marine, always a Marine!”
