Today I received an interesting phone call from a Marine recruiter. Sgt. Lopez has been serving for 12 years, has a wife, two kids, and one on the way. We spoke for 30 minutes, though about nothing exceptional other than his other phone calls, but I have an “interview” with him today at 3pm.
No one in my family has really finished college. I feel the need to break this trend. As the oldest grandchild of my family, and the last Oh, I also feel like I need to set an example to my little cousins, for the future generations of my family, and especially to myself. Every got that feeling you not only want to be different, but you need to? I do, I can’t think of any other dream I have other than to be able to distinguish myself from the other korean next to me. I’m not saying becoming a marine can do all that for me, but I can see it as another obstacle in my plan to achieve success. About 10 percent of the American population has served in the military, and about 1 percent of that 10 percent is a marine.
Their training, lifestyle, and mentality is difficult to go through, but to think about what you could benefit makes that seem like nothing. They pay for your college, not only for your BA, but also your Masters. You’re insured for the rest of your life. Travel. No one will want to fuck with you. And a bunch of other benefits I haven’t found out about. There is also a chance I might shoot someone, or be shot at. Of course its fucking dangerous, very difficult to understand why someone would do all that training for those benefits, but it’s like any professional athlete or any successful man who lives the American dream; they did it because they love the discipline. Taking no for an answer is unacceptable.
I haven’t made my decision yet, but I am inspired. I dream that one day I can have a exceptionally extraordinary functioning family of my own, and restitch my dysfunctional one I already have. I dream I can wake up in the morning knowing I serve for the freedom of every single American. I dream to be unique is any and every way possible. But these are just dreams.
Muffinmilk was a dream. Doodled out with pencil. Gary brought it to life, onto shirts, and eventually onto the people of New York. Let his achievements inspire you as they have inspired me.
- Joe
