It all started for me...

…behind a strip club. Yes… my journey to become a Marine Corps Officer began behind a strip club called "Sinsations" on the corner of Emerson St. and Philips Hwy. because that's where the USMC recruiting depot was located for the Jacksonville FL region. It wasn't really a seedy spot in town, but there are quite a few strip clubs on Philips. Before I walked in, I found it kind of amusing that of all places, Marines from Jacksonville would begin right here. When I came in, the Staff Sergeant recruiter that I met was, much to my surprise, a woman Marine. I don't mean this in a sexist way, but I was just kind anxious that I would meet some jacked salty leatherneck just coming in from the sandbox who would take one look at me, tell me how skinny I was, laugh and say that I wasn't even recruit material.

Instead, the recruiter I met was very friendly. I was like, oh of course; they've got to have recruiters with people skills because the first step in getting recruits was to make them feel comfortable and welcome and she did just that. The Staff Sergeant I talked to was attractive lady and I noticed that she still managed to maintain that feminine look about her, even having time for a French manicure. But looking at one of the certificates in her office showed me that she was a black belt in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP), a rank that's not very easy to get… so that slapped me into thinking that she joined the Marine Corps because she had something to prove. I expressed to her that I wanted to do the same and I told her my desire and intention to join the Marine Corps. I was glad that she was easy to talk to, very informative and enthusiastic in telling me about the program.

This was all back in 2005 and I was still a sophomore in college. I was really unsure which direction I should take after graduation. I initially wanted to be an Aerospace Engineering major when I enrolled in UNF, throughout high school I wanted to join the Air Force. I really wanted to fly because I was very passionate about aviation…I was basically an aviation nut. I would always buy the latest Jane's military aircraft guides and would instantly name and describe any plane that flew overhead or a plane I happened to spot on the ground. My dreams of being a pilot, all came crashing down when I became nearsighted during my junior year in high school, and I knew in the Air Force, because of my eyesight, there would be no guarantee I would ever get stick time on a plane. Bombing my calculus class later at UNF didn't help either. I suddenly realized that in fact, social studies and political science were my strength back in high school but I had my head so far up in airplanes that I just couldn't see it then. I changed my major to poli sci and international studies and realized that this was what I wanted to be working with after college.

My whole family left Jacksonville for Okinawa the same year in 2005 and it would also be my father's second tour of duty on that island. (His first tour of duty was from '96 to '00 during which I went to school there on the island)

After my first six months living on my own, I flew over to Okinawa in December '05 to see them. Being back home and back in Okinawa just brought about so many memories of my former time here on the island. It was probably the happiest moment of my life for the longest of time. For the past six months, time felt like it just stood still and seeing my family in another home living about their lives in a completely different place made me feel like I was missing all this time. I really missed my family and from then on in, I would always consider home to be where the family is. But... change is good sometimes and living alone has helped me be ready for life after college. I guess for better and for worse, I've gotten used to living on my own.

My decision to join the Marine Corps was solidified during that December on the island. After I flew back to Florida, I set up an appointment to meet with an Officer Selection Officer (OSO) from Gainesville. We decided to meet up on campus between classes during the first week of the semester. I met this Marine captain at the food court on-campus. He wasn't that hard to find, because I remember he was wearing this extremely sharp looking service uniform and all the stares were pointed in his direction out of the ordinary crowds of shorts, jeans and flip-flops.

I'm sure all Marines will remember the first moment when they meet their OSOs or recruiters. I'm sure looking sharp in their uniforms is the first step in making a good impression. We both led ourselves to one of the tables so we could talk. This captain was not the OSO I ended up with who sent me to OCS but I can still recall that this guy was jacked; I mean he was ripped… He looked like he was a pull-up aficionado or something. I remember one of the first things he did was that he looked at me from head to toe… all 98 lbs. of me, and simply asked me, "You sure you want to join the Marines?" I put all doubts aside, smiled and said "Yes, Sir!" My application process began that day.

I've been consistently been told during my application process that officers need to set the example and lead by example. In fact, the motto at OCS is "Ductus Exemplo", leadership by example. The point being, if officers can't keep up physically with the Marines under their command, then how can they be motivated to follow in other aspects? That's why the physical requirement standards are set higher for candidates than those recruits going to Parris Island or the Recruit Depot at Camp Pendleton. That's what I found most challenging for myself, the physical aspect... Especially coming from 98 lbs, I never was the athletic type but applying for what arguably is the toughest officer training school in the nation required that, bluntly put... I get my ass in gear.

What motivated me to keep going, waking up for PT at 5:30 in the morning, to keep pressing on about my desire to join were the other candidates, Marines and Officers who have gone through the same struggles and the same situations that I have gone through. Whether it was to gain weight, lose weight, get stronger or to get faster, that common strive that we all shared to become more well rounded physically, mentally and morally was the motivator that I always fed off of.

I've had a lot of things in my life that I quit because I didn't have the stomach to finish them, but the thought that has helped me for the past few years has been to tell myself that I will never let something that seems insurmountable stand in my path; part of the reason that I want to go to OCS is because I don't know if I can do it… But I know I'd rather go there and fail then regretting not going through with it.

I have also been continuously impressed by the esprit de corps and professionalism of Marines that I meet, which has also been one of the things that have kept me going and to see this all the way through. Yeah… I know this blog may have been a little long. Ok… it is long.

I just felt like I needed to get this off my chest before I leave in a week. I hope that for some of you who may read this, it'll show you that despite what you may lack now, nothing is out of reach given a strong will and desire to see it through. That once you find your reason(s) to succeed, you can find strength to overcome your weaknesses and determination to conquer your doubts.