Well, my nephew went and did it.

[Brigid]

He took the ASVAB yesterday, and did all the paperwork to enlist in the Marine Corps. He goes off to boot camp in July, after he graduates high school. I was in back during the '80's. What I wouldn't give to be there when those DI's at Parris Island get hold of him!

[MrScorpio]

1. It'll be thirty years ago, this coming Mar 15 that I went to Basic Training

I would never want to do that over again.

[Brigid]

2. What branch?

It was the Corps for me.

[MrScorpio]

3. USAF

I went to Lackland in TX

[Brigid]

4. Ah, a flyboy, eh?

So was my dad.

[riderinthestorm]

5. Shit. 1 - 2 penis amputations/day in the military.... I hate to see anyone enlisting these days.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/21/beyond-the-battlefield-afghanistan-genital-injuries_n_1335356.html

'THEY WEREN'T PREPARED FOR THIS'

The decade of U.S. combat in Afghanistan has left Afghans and Americans with a seemingly endless series of woes. But among the most devastating are the blast wounds that have left more than 16,000 young Americans severely wounded.

Several hundred have suffered genital injuries in addition to amputations and burns, leaving them unable to father children and struggling to engage in something resembling the sex they used to have, often without the aid of what many view as the primary symbol of their manhood.

"Who's going to want to be with me now?'' wondered Marine Staff Sgt. Glen Silva, 39, after an IED blast shattered his leg, ripped open his lower torso and severed most of his penis.

It was a legitimate concern. Silva's girlfriend stayed with him at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., through many of his 42 surgeries. But one day he was wheeled back to his room to find she had gone, leaving a nine-word handwritten note: "I can't take this any more. I'm outta here."

[mrmpa]

6. Good luck to him! My Dad enlisted on St. Patrick's Day in 1947............

from Parris Island he went to Shanghai China, then to Pendleton, then to Korea (Chosin survivior). He came back home, married my Mom at Parris Island in '52. He was a recruiter from '53-'57. He then went to Camp Lejeune and finally mustered out in '61.

I'm an associate member of the Marine Corps League. I'm seeing a lot of young men who served in Iraq and Afghanistan joining up. We do a lot of service work of Marines helping Marines. One of the big jobs we did back in 2006, was a young Marine who served in Iraq had his home severely damaged by a flood. Our detachment put the house back together, repairs and new appliances and furniture for him, his wife and kids.

[Brigid]

7. Wow,

You guys do great work!

[mrmpa]

8. Thank you...........

if it's something you're interested in learning about, you can check the Marine Corps League's national web site & check to see if there are detachments in your area. You can talk to someone & they can help you decide if you want to join or volunteer.

BTW: Uniforms are cool.