It's Like Any Other Job

We sat in the dining-room of his families pint-sized one bedroom apartment while I began to think about what question I was going to ask him first. I could not shake the thought that this was a child sitting in front of me and in July he will be a United States Marine.  As the sun fought its way through the leaves and fell between the blinds, the small apartment Chris shared with his mother and 2-year-old sister began to take shape. The dining-room evidently functioned as his makeshift office, outfitted with game consoles and high-school literature. This scene was worlds apart from the pink Hello Kitty bowl filled with Cheerios in the booster seat peaking out from behind him. As of 2011, reports state that African Americans only make up about 5.6 percent of the Marines total active duty population, that is meant for everyone black officer there are 17 white officers. When discovering the low number of black representatives in the Marines Corps I was curious as to how a young man like himself made the decision to join one of the smallest and most undiversified divisions of our armed forces.

Me: What made you want to join the Marines?

Chris: I always wanted to be a soldier. I remember seeing my uncle wearing his uniform when I was younger, me and my cousin thought that was pretty cool. So, I guess that is when I decided I wanted to be in the military. At first, I wanted to fly, so I was going to go to the Air Force, but then I found out that they do not allow you to choose your job as freely as the other branches. When I got to high school, I decided on the Marines. I like the jobs they offered more then the other branches plus many people have told me that the Marines are harder, and I like a challenge.

Me: When do you leave for basic training? Are you nervous about the medical screening you’ll have to go through to see if you can serve?

Chris: I leave in July, but I am not nervous about if I’ll pass my physical screening because I did that already. After I signed my contract, they set up an appointment for me to go to MEPS. At MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) they do all the physical exams and review your medical history. The only thing I was nervous about was getting my blood drawn. I hate needles.

Me: (laughing) Wait, you wanna drive tanks, but you are scared of needles?

Chris: (laughing) Yah! I hate needles! There aren’t any needles in tanks.

Me: Is there anything you're looking forward to doing while serving?

Chris: Traveling. I heard that I would get to see lots of places.

Me: Do you think every person should serve?

Chris: No. I think people should serve if they choose to, you shouldn’t be forced into a job that you don’t want to do. Especially with the military because it's so demanding and involves being dedicated.

Me: You are every confident in your decision to serve. Have you ever second-guessed yourself?

Chris: No. I don’t like to second-guess myself. Once I choice to do something, I just do it.

Me: Will you miss your family?

Chris: Ah, I see them so much now I don’t think I’ll miss them, but people say you will start to miss your family after a while, so I don’t know.

Me: You have decided to put your life on the line to protect and serve your country, that is a very noble and heroic. Would you call yourself noble or heroic?

Chris: I never thought of it that way. I just think of it as a job. It’s a regular job being in the military, like any job. I will do it as long as I can.