Why do I want to be a Marine?
It gives me a purpose. It gives me worth. It enables me to look back on everything I’ve ever dealt with in life and know it was all worth it. I need to show myself that I can be something. I want to accomplish something great. I want to be a part of something. I want to fit in. I want someone to trust me with their life so I can trust them with mine. I want to actually be proud in what I do, and know that I earned every thread of my uniforms. I want to work for my awards. I want to bleed, sweat, scream, cry, and fight for each rank. I want to be known. I want to show up to social events and have people come talk to me about my experiences. I want little kids to look up to me and how ‘cool’ it is. I want to walk through a public place and have a complete stranger shake my hand. I want to save the lives of other Marines, or at least prevent something from happening. I want to know that I made a difference in someone’s life. I want to help make the Marine Corps the best damn organization in the world and keep it that way. I want to be feared. I want to be idolized. I want to be proud. I want to be asked to attend social events, and I want to be called a hero. Even though deep down inside of me, I know that I’m not the hero, everyone else I serve with is. I want to set an example. I want people to be proud to know me. I don’t want to disappoint. I want my family and friends to be able to be proud of my accomplishments. I want to be the one that people point and talk about, but in a positive light. I want to be a good representation of the Marine Corps, and a great representation of my country. I strive to be the best that I can possibly be, and that can’t come about without a true challenge. I want to be pushed past my limits. I want to yell louder than I’ve ever yelled. I want to sweat more than I’ve ever sweat. I want to fight harder than I’ve ever fought. I want to be more confident in everything I do than I ever have. I want my recruiters and DIs to be damn proud of the Marine they created. I want to stand tall, stand straight, and be proud but modest about how far I’ve come. I want to honor the Marine Corps’ past and traditions, but set forth a bright future for them too. I want to show fellow female Marines that we can in fact be just as good, if not better than the males. I want to show everyone that females can be great too. I want to show them that we rate the title of Marine just as much as anybody that has come before us. I want to be the parent that my kids can’t wait to tell their class about. I want to be a hero in my child’s eyes. I want to be able to give my dogs a run for their money. I want to be able to support myself without feeling like a mooch. I want to the greatest, most amazing Casey that I can be because I deserve to achieve my dreams that I work for.
And most importantly, I want to show my father that he has a good reason to be proud of his daughter.
