Making a Decision to Join the Marine Corps Reserves

I've wanted to serve in the military for a long time. I wanted to be a Seal for as long as I can remember. However, I also want to have a family, and be able to support them. As a serviceman it is hard to provide for a family. I give my greatest thanks to those men and women who have made this sacrifice. Having come to realize this as I pondered my own future has caused me to have an even greater appreciation for those who have enlisted to protect and serve their country.

With this in mind I have for the most part decided against enlisting as an active duty soldier in any

branch. However, I am currently considering joining the Marine Corps Reserves. This has brought me to another bridge. Boot camp is a 12 week course. I am paying for my entire college tuition by myself. I am not taking out any student loans. This means that I need to be making about $20,000  during a period starting in the spring, and ending at the beginning of the school year. You are paid during boot camp, but that pay does not come close to what I make working 60-80 hours a week. It is next to impossible for me to give up that time, and still be able to pay for college. Many others have had this same struggle, but selflessly made the sacrifice. Just another thing to applaud the men and women in our Armed Forces for doing.

If you are in the Marine Reserves you need to give 1 weekend a month, and two weeks in the summer to the Marine Corps. For your weekends you make about $275 depending on your rank. Again, this does not seem so bad, until you realize that these men and women are most likely trying to get through school, supporting a family, or even both. These soldiers might also be sacrificing more than money. They will have to catch up on their studies if their away training for the weekend. Maybe they are religious and have to miss a church service each month. This might not seem like a big deal to many, but to some it is a huge sacrifice.

I am not sure what I want to do yet when it comes to joining the Armed Forces. I may join the reserves, I may not. I will be considering the options that are in front of me. The main reason for this post is to point out some of the more hidden sacrifices of our armed forces. When someone thinks of the sacrifices made by soldiers, it is mostly that they are willing to give their life for our freedom. The truth is that even soldiers in the reserves, who will most likely not see much combat, make huge sacrifices for us. Some of these sacrifices I had never considered, until I started looking more indepthly into serving. It gave me a sense of pride for our nation. Men and women all over this country clearly think that it is worth sacrificing a lot to protect this great nation. God bless America, and God bless our Armed Forces!