I am currently involved in the NROTC, Marine option at the Virginia Military Institute. The reason I decided to pursue the Marines was partially because of an essay I wrote during my senior year of high school. I knew I wanted to seek a commission predominantly because of two of my grandfathers. My grandfather on my father’s side was an Army Paratrooper and flew planes for the Army back in the 70’s. My grandfather on my mother’s side was a Chief of Police in New York during the September 11, 2001 attacks. He was a significant leader in the roles of cleaning up and sorting through the debris after the attacks. After growing up around these two great men, they both have instilled in me their values of service to one’s country and to helping those who are in need. Learning these values at a young age lead me to realize that I wanted to join the military. I just never knew which branch. It wasn’t until I went and visited the Marine Museum in Virginia that I decided that I wanted to be a Marine someday. Then writing my essay for English class and deciding to come to this school confirmed that I wanted to take that path.
During my senior year of high school, back when I was still trying to decide which school I would be attending for college I was required to write a “personal research paper.” The paper had to be on a topic that was personally related to us and would affect us in some way. It was supposed to improve our writing while helping us learn about something that will affect us personally. So I decided to write about VMI. Specifically the ROTC programs at VMI. I knew that if I did eventually decide to come to VMI I would be pursuing a commission into the military.
Before I was given this assignment I was pretty sure that I wanted to go into the Marine Corps. Even though I was pretty confident that I wanted to go into the Marine option, I decided that it would be beneficial to research all of the other branches. I did this so I would know that I wouldn’t have any reason to regret my decision. Plus if I figured it would be interesting to see what is different between all the branches. So I decided that I would break my paper up into four different sections, one for each ROTC. With the NROTC section broken up into Marine Corps and Navy.
So I began writing my paper. I first had to research which branches of ROTC VMI had and then I had to research how the process of ROTC worked. One of the key points was the career paths that each ROTC would eventually lead to after graduation and commissioning into said branch. I knew I needed to make sure I chose a branch where I could have a career in a field that I would enjoy while serving my country. As of then I wanted to go infantry. Personally I like to know about all my options and have a good understanding of them before making my final decision. I knew that no matter what I chose I would gain leadership skills and experience. It will also give me the opportunity to learn many new skills that can be used in the civilian world and can be beneficial to my future.
After I finished research and began to write my paper I conclusively came to my final decision to choose the NROTC Marine option. I chose this because marines are the smallest of the branches and are seen as the most elite. Throughout history they have always been seen as the toughest and are almost always on the front lines of any conflict involving the United States of America. So I decided I wanted to join the branch where I knew I would be pushed hard and if I make it I will became a well-trained and elite warrior.
Writing this paper helped me gain an insight on what I was about to be getting myself into for the next four year, ROTC wise. This helped me go the VMI well informed and confident about the path I was about to embark on. It helped me understand the process of commissioning and gave me an idea of what type of career path each branch leads to. This paper also helped me decide that if I am able to earn a commission I want to go Infantry.
Now that I am here, at VMI, I am beginning to see how things may look and seem different on paper than they do in real life. Actually experiencing something first hand and reading about it on paper are radically different. In my mind this whole process seemed easier on paper back then than it does now. Also there are parts of the experience that cannot be conveyed to a reader who has only read about it. For example someone wouldn’t understand that you have to deal with the exhaustion and stress of the rat line as well as the tough grinding PTT sessions with the ROTC branch.
This paper has stuck out in my mind as one the most influential papers I have written because I am currently at VMI living out the points and information that I researched and wrote about. And now I am working towards a goal of becoming a Marine Officer that I have been thinking about since I was a little kid when I went to the Marine Corps Museum in eastern Virginia.
This has given me a new insight when it comes to reading and researching. They can open up a window for people to see another world through, but until they actually experience it they will only see what can be seen from the window. They would miss out on everything that can’t be seen from that window.