My Journey

[gsvetly]

MCRD Parris Island

01, April 2013.

     I was 25 years old when I got a taste for MCRDPI. There is not a day that goes by where I do not forget the scent of the way the buildings smelled. To me, the receiving building smelled like a mixture of Gain laundry detergent and old musk. The squad decks smelled like Aqua Velva and gain. The mindset of the men who train is not for everyone. But their job is effective. they are there to create and train Marines to go to war. 

  The first 36 hours was the longest of my life. I knew nobody and it was my first time away from my family back home. My time started 24 hours earlier in the MEPS center in Boston, MA.  I and a few others that were shipping out to their training bases were there as well. Not everyone I went down with was heading for the Corps. Some were heading down to Fort Benning in Georgia to join the Army.  Once we all boarded our Delta flight, it felt as if the hatch was closing on our freedom.  I arrived at the rally point around midnight with a few others. We were fed our first official USMC meal which was a sub. I tried to sleep on my way to the island with no luck as I was full of adrenaline. Once we arrived at the Island, we were all instructed to keep our heads down by a female Marine on sentry detail.

We got off the bus and on to the infamous yellow footprints and the journey to the island ended.  

[gsvetly]

We all wear masks. The thing is, for how long do we wear them? For some of us the facades we have last only until high school. For others, they will go their whole entire life without knowing who they actually are. That is where a lot of struggling can subside. Figuring out who you are and staying true to that is the only way to break free of the emmense weight the mask has.

It was not until I met someone truly special that I was able to off my mask and be true to who I am. There is no more anxiety or distress from trying to be someone I am not.

[gsvetly]

My Old Story

My old story is a story of who I was. I was a person who was just existing and not living. I grew up in a lower middle-class family in the age when kids were being prescribed medication for ADHD at an alarming rate. I was one of those kids. Truth is, being on it did not really relax me. I was always anxious and restless on it. At night, I could not sleep as I would have a second prescribed dose to help me concentrate on my homework. After a few months, my doctor suggested I should take a barbiturate at night to calm me down.

On top of the medication and the anxiety that the medication did not help with, there was the fact I did not fit in. In fact, I make it a point not to today. However, I was bullied relentlessly throughout my school career all the way until my senior year of high school. I was always more interested in learning than my peers. I thought to myself that is why we are here. I am here to learn and absorb as much information as possible to be successful.

I had both of my parents growing up. My dad worked nights and sometimes during the day at a second job just to unfuck the bad financial decisions he would make. Although my dad meant well, he told me a lot of false promises growing up. there were a few times when he said that it did well I would be rewarded with a toy or a gadget I wanted. He would later tell me he could not afford to. To a kid growing up, this sucked. Today, I know that there was not any doubt my family struggled financially. However, I believe some of it could have been avoided.

Going to junior high school was more of a chore than a pleasantry. I was bullied more often than not. My support system was small to nonexistent at times. Some say bullying was a part of growing up. But for me, it was a daily hell that I faced. I felt like I was in the trenches and at war but did not know why. I was never disrespectful to others. Yet, they disrespected me. I did not know what it was I did to them or if I did anything. Most of high school was the same thing. I did not attend prom due to this stressful struggle. Then, senior year came and the dust settled as people matured.

[gsvetly]

The love of aviation

My love for aviation started when I was young. When I about 8, my dad took me to my air show at Hanscom Air Force Base. I remember seeing all the typical types of aircraft that you would normally see. That day, the Blue Angels air performance was the grand attraction. For me, seeing how those blue F/A-18 Hornets were together captivated me and grew my fondness for my country and flight.

Fast forward a few more years and I would be starting my journey to join the United States Air Force Auxiliary to fulfill both rolls of being around aircraft and the love of country.