Discussion: Values and Perspectives

Military Branch Scenarios

The following scenarios are true accounts of interactions with military personnel.

CHOOSE ONE SCENARIO

Scenario 1:

“It was March, 2008. I was sitting in the orthopedic unit at the United States Naval Hospital-Balboa in San Diego. I had minor wrist surgery and was going to begin my physical therapy. I was surrounded by several wounded soldiers, some very young. To my right, was a young man, a corporal in the Army who returned from his second tour in Iraq. He could barely move his left arm and a deep scar cascaded down from the bottom of his shoulder to his wrist. He also wore two prosthetic legs. He was talking with an occupational therapist and, because the area was so small, I could over hear their conversation. The young man’s demeanor was hard, direct, and unwilling. He didn’t want to exercise today, he told the therapist. He didn’t want to be there. He said today was the first anniversary of the road-side bomb that killed four men in his unit and left him severely wounded. He said he felt useless. “I need two legs to be a soldier. These won’t get me anywhere. I’m a soldier. I need to go back and help my unit. That is who I am. It is what I stand for. How do I become something else?” —Army Corporal, personal communication, 2008

Scenario 2:

Ava, a Marine Sergeant, entered the Marines right after high school. She was raised by a single mother who had two other children by an abusive, alcoholic father. She wanted to leave her chaotic home and felt the Marines would be a great place to start her own life. She planned to leave the military once she earned enough money to pay for her college education. As she entered boot camp, she was not sure she made the right choice. She had gotten through many difficult times, however, and she was determined to persevere. She learned the core values of the Marines, and “Semper Fi” (“always faithful) became ingrained into her memory. She eventually deployed to Afghanistan and served three tours. While there, she fired her weapon and put-down (killed) one insurgent. She also saved the life of a Marine in her unit, rescuing him from the effects of an IED (improvised explosive device). She completed her mission as ordered and would gladly do it again. Discussion: Values and Perspectives

Two months after she returned home, she spoke at her high school’s career night. She shared her experiences and what it meant to her to be a Marine.

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“Once a Marine, always a Marine,” she said. “When I joined, I gave myself four years and then I was planning to be out. I thought joining the Marines would be an easy path to a college education; I did not think it would be a way of life. But I worked too hard for this uniform and for the ribbons on my chest. In the Marines, we look after each other, and our experiences are like no other. Most people would not understand. I have decided to complete my twenty years and retire as a Marine. I believe in our mission and in the Corps, and I always will.” —Marine Sergeant, personal communication, 2008