Hello World,
There have been plenty of people over the years that have doubted me when they see the real me and I tell them I served five years in the Marine Corps. It is probably the hardest thing I have done, and has definitely helped shape who I am. The lessons learned and characteristics instilled in us are on display for the world to see at any time, wether you are a boot or a salty Veteran Marine. I am going to give you a brief overview of my time in the Marines, I'll save specific stories for other posts. Mikey was the one who made it through the Marines, not Mike. However on the outside to my family, it was Mike, but to those that got to know me, met Mikey.
I joined the delayed entry program in February of 1998 and I left for bootcamp in April of 1998. I blew the tits off the ASVAB test every time I took it. In high school when I took it I qualified for the Navy Nuclear program, I had the local Army recruiter try to wine and dine me, but I simply wasn't interested in the military at the time. I went to college, drank too much, realized it wasn't working out for me at the time, and was looking for a change. I had to retake the ASVAB to join, and I had already picked the Marines, it was just a matter of what job. I scored high enough to qualify for the Marine Corps College Fund, which was a HUGE benefit for me as long as I got an Honorable Discharge. I signed up to be an 2171, an electro-optical ordinance repairman, and this required a five year contract because our MOS school was nine months long, the government wanted to make sure to get a return on their investment, so we spend four years in the fleet.
Bootcamp was easy. I was already athletic and intelligent, as well as been mimicking behavior around me my whole life so I could blend in. Bootcamp you just do what the person in front of you does but better if you can, follow the rules, and perform your best at every chance. I never scored a first class PFT in Bootcamp or the fleet, however all of the academic portion of bootcamp were simple, and my MOS school too. In fact in our MOS school the person with the highest average test performance for each graduating class got a meritorious promotion before they get their first duty station assignment. I came in 2nd, I had messed up one test by forgetting something (I even was hospitalized for a week during MOS school) and it cost me 1st place.
There are less than 500, "2171" positions in the Marine Corps. They fix electronic weapons systems, so TOW missile systems, Javelins, optics in tank & artillery, computers in tanks, night vision goggles, who else knows now. My first duty station was 1st Tank Battalion in 29 Palms, California. My job was fucking pointless. In the TOW armory there were five billets for us, and one Staff NCO. The only maintenance we were authorized to do was to verify if a TOW system was broken and send it off to a higher echelon to fix it. Think about if you look at your car, you know its broken, you know how to fix it, but you aren't allowed to fix it yourself, you must send it to someone else to fix it. What was the point of nine months of school for that? Let's say I was in hell for multiple reasons.
I was so bored in 29 Palms, that I volunteered for anything the "0352," aka Grunts, that we supported did for training. I was eventually sent to the Fleet Assistance Program where I was one of two Marines that ran the base education office in 29 Palms for six months. I also signed up, qualified for, and turned down orders for the Marine Security Guard duty (MSG) it is a very prestigious duty station guarding embassies around the world, I still regret turning down the orders. After 2 1/2 years there I was transferred to "2nd Battalion 1st Marines or two one" in August of 2001. It was a huge change in mindset as far as training and leadership. Both 1st Tanks and two one are combat units, however two one is ALL grunts. The mentality is to train your ass off, party your ass off, and trim the fat off the unit.
It was in two one that I had my second episode with my Borderline Personality Disorder, and ended up getting transferred to "1st Battalion 4th Marines or one four" which was in the same camp, Camp Horno, on the same base, Camp Pendleton. Two one deployed, then one four deployed so I got transferred to 1st Marine Regiment Headquarters where I spent the last year of my contract doing dumb shit. The camp was empty and only a handful of us left in the "rear."
One thing that never made sense is they wouldn't let me deploy and have a weapon because I was on medication, yet when I was left in the "rear" I was put on guard duty with a rifle. Made no fucking sense to me. I ended up receiving an Honorable Discharge, that qualified me for my VA benefits, and when I went to college, I received, the GI Bill, the "$600" kicker bonus they offered back then, and the Marine Corps College Fund, and qualified for the Post-9/11 GI Bill
I met a ton of great men that till this day I speak to. I could hear some of my peers make jokes about me behind my back because of my disabilities but I was able to prove myself time after time. I have a lot of stories I can share and will eventually, but this post is meant to give you a brief overview about my time in and where I was at. I picked up Lance Corporal (E-3) on May 1st, 1998 and maintained the rank until I was discharged. The VA has rated me as 100% Permanent & Totally Disabled, I sustained physical injuries as well as mental injuries.
There are plenty of people who can verify my service too, the most notable is the CEO of Ethos-Space.com. He was an 0352 that became a great friend to me.
If you have questions feel free to send them to xlCoachlx@gmail.com or find me on social media, or catch me during a live stream on Twitch.
Thank you,
Mikey
