Leaving Home to Find Home

Preface

There are many reasons why an individual would join the United States Marine Corps. Some are looking for the pride of belonging. Others wish to join the fight to defend their great country. A person may simply want to learn a specialized set of skills so that when they transition out of the military they can gain employment in a desired corporation or industry. I wanted out of Michigan and was searching for a challenging adventure.

This book describes the past seven years of my life. I went from a failing high school student with no future to a proud sergeant in the marines who guarded our nation’s secrets and embassies abroad.

The reason for writing this book began one calm November night in 2006. My brother and I were to take my mother out to dinner and a movie near Detroit. My mom dropped an emotional bomb on my brother and me when she told us that she had a lump in her breast that needed to be examined. No training I had in the marines had prepared me for a situation such as this.

When I returned home from dinner that night, I couldn’t sleep. My ceiling fan usually provided a beautiful yet subtle humming that soothed me to sleep, but the magic of the fan was ineffective compared to the torrent of thoughts running through my head. Then I tried positioning my body in numerous ways that were conducive to being in a relaxed enough state to slowly drift off to sleep, but it was useless.

As the warm, subtle drops of water ran down my back, I began to appreciate the delicate healing powers of a hot shower. My next move suddenly became clear. I have not lived a noteworthy life, nor have many. However, if something were to ever happen to my loved ones, I would want them to know how much I love them and appreciate them. As I wrote the first words on my laptop I outlined my childhood and how I became the man I am. Through the path I took, I have exceeded my own expectations for this life and have been fortunate enough to have seen many foreign lands. Further writing transformed into a retrospective of my life. My life has always been and will continue to be full of love, passion, and excitement. I attribute this to the way I was raised and by whom I associate myself with.

My brother and I are very fortunate to have been raised by a mother who cares about us deeply. When my mother looks at my brother and me, there is a gleam in her eyes that speaks volumes of pride. We feel as if we have done something amazing every time we see her. She always says, “I am proud of the men you have become,” which I have just started to understand. She makes it seem as if the marines did it or we sought it out. We are simply a product of our upbringing.

This book is a chronicling of my life as well as a thank-you to important people who have supported me unconditionally. It can also be seen as a success story of many for many. The United States Marine Corps is not just an organization of professional killers. There is a powerful element of love in its members, and I hope this book will shed ample light on that matter to its readers.

I have added a glossary of common Marine Corps terms and a rank structure at the end of the book. Many people reading this book may have a loved one who is a marine, so I thought it would be helpful to explain certain aspects of Marine Corps lingo as well as rankings within the organization.