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I remember when I first came into the Marine Corps. Boot Camp was the toughest test of my life up until that point. It felt like 13 weeks of hell. When I graduated I thought "damn that shit sucked, but now I know what I can do and I'll probably never have to go through anything like that again." Looking back, even right after graduation, the physical part wasn't so tough. It was the absolute mindfuck of the whole situation that made it tough. Well, 10 days later I was reporting for training at the School of Infantry. We ran almost EVERY day, went on hikes that seemed endless, lived out in the wilderness for days at a time, and basically got our asses torn up for 6 months. That shit was tough. Physically, yes it was absolutely grueling. Mentally, at the time it was the hardest thing I had done, but just the knowledge that I could make it through that shit made me feel invincible. I could take on any challenge. Nowadays all that shit seems like it was easy as hell, because right after that I got out to the fleet, and that's where it seems like they genuinely have no regard for your health or safety when training, but I'm thankful for every minute of it.
Then 2004 rolled around and I was in Fallujah. There are some things I'd really rather not remember, and there are some good friends who now only exist in memories. I know quite a few guys I served with who are tough as nails that are all kinds of fucked up in the head. I'm sure I wasn't quite the same when I came back, but I'm lucky enough not to suffer from PTSD. The reason we made it back alive and (mostly) sane is because of the intense mental strain we endured through our training. Our NCO's and SNCO's never took it easy on us, and I have them to thank. The average guy off the street? He probably would have blown his brains out over there, or something would have gone wrong inside of his brain carrier group.
I guess the point of my rant is that most guys these days are pussies because they've never had anyone push them. They've never tested their limits. They've never surpassed their limits, physically or mentally. These days I'm a Sergeant so now the responsibility falls upon me to impart upon them the same attitude my superiors gave me, and as much as they'll hate it, one day they'll understand. I feel like we're the last of a dying breed and that tradition must be kept alive. There are very few truly tough men in our society these days, and I'm glad the Corps is able to recruit some of them.
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