The Military Experience

​I spent 5 years and change in the Marine Corps infantry. I was wounded in Afghanistan and was stabilized before being medically retired at the ripe old age of 23. My military experience gave me incredible experience and exposure (though limited for sure) to how a battalion is run and how it fights. More than that, I got to see the small & large picture of serving during a time of war and experienced its benefits and shortfalls. In this article, I am merely going to describe my analysis from 50,000ft (so to speak) of what it is like to serve in the military. This is not going to be fully detailed, but should hit the wavetops of how it affects the psychological state of a US citizen as they serve in our volunteer military (during my time, anyways). Just remember this is my isolated experience being condensed down to be honest and comparable for someone unexposed to military life. I cannot speak for current Marines or even other branches.

THE MILITARY EXPERIENCE

In the mid to late 2000s, the goal of the Marines was to get you to stop thinking independently and to become team oriented, task oriented, and outcome oriented. “Mission accomplishment before troop welfare” is the common saying in the infantry. Do exactly as your told, regardless of the consequences. Follow the orders or you will get your team killed, and so on. In Boot Camp, if people didn’t follow orders immediately, blindly, and quickly, they got a “correction” (tackled, punched, kicked, choked, or just a humbling A** chewing). The more egregious the violation (Verbal refusal or long hesitation) would incur the harshest correction while the minor violations (too slow or not perfect enough) would get you punched, kicked and/or humiliated. This was called “discipline” and it became normal and even expected/desired. As I got to my unit, the “Physical” corrections faded largely (because they were considered “HAZING”) in place of losing rank, all your pay, barracks restriction/isolation, and nonstop menial (B****) work for a month or so. Get in trouble off base (jailed for any reason, even if mistaken) and you will get the most severe of it. If you are even accused of disobeying an order, hazing someone below you, or committing adultery, you were sent to the Brig (military prison) without question or investigation. Either you are a poster boy who looks and acts right or you will be “corrected” Marine Corps style.

As a Marine, you were subject to “correction”, from anyone and any rank, for anything from not having the right haircut, walking and chewing, having a hand in the pocket, having your hat on wrong, or having a boot not perfectly bloused. When correcting a senior rank, obviously tact is incredibly important since you were basically talking to someone who held the prestige of a God just because they had more “black” (chevrons/rank) or “shiny” (officers) on their collar than you. Failure to meet a perfect standard as a junior (E3 or below) Marine was punishable, and the degree of punishment is up to the Authority confronting you. It wasn’t unusual for a Platoon Sergeant to choke slam a Marine for not arriving on time and trying to give an excuse, good or bad. Yes, it was considered “Hazing”, but as I said, it was expected and therefore often unreported for fear of peers thinking you weren’t “man enough to take a correction”. This fear of peer pressure is valid because your life is in their hands. They could just decide not to cover you when you are under fire, or just “get rid of you” on deployment. Disobey orders and it will hurt. Obey orders and it will hurt less. In Rome, do as Romans do…OR ELSE.

COMPULSIVE VS SELF-DISCIPLINE
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What I have shared with you is a textbook example of compulsive discipline, which is definitely not the same as self-discipline, and the lack of the latter throughout the military, is one of the biggest reasons why SF selection has a high attrition rate. Lack of any form of discipline in the civilian world has always been an issue which is why most civilians will always fall short in performance compared to a veteran who still demonstrates compulsive discipline. Beware of the differences.

Lack of self-discipline is why most veterans can’t stay in shape or “TRANSITION” effectively. However, compulsive discipline instills a sense of being superior and elite compared to all other branches, which preserves the respect the Marine Corps has enjoyed to this day. That observed respect makes the pain and compliance easier, and as time goes on, the constant stress erodes more and more of the commonality you share with your fellow American. Soon civilians become an “undisciplined gaggle of ****” or some other insult that can be used to describe your discontent for those of an unfamiliar culture. And right as you get comfortable with the pattern of being “better and tougher than the rest” you must make a decision to stay in or get out. If you decide you have had enough of the harsh reality of Marine life, it will be time to prepare for “the transition” to “being human” again.

THE “TRANSITION” TO CIVILIAN
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Your compulsory discipline in the military afforded you the comfort of being told everything from when to wake, eat, sleep, take a crap (literally), and you had a huge team of people in the same situation supporting you through all the B.S. Upon getting out, there is a void of orders and initially it is great and you may have some time to decompress for real and just relax. Then at some point, perhaps right away, you need to get to work and support yourself and maybe a family, if you have one. This is where the conflict with civilian life turns ugly. No more orders, timelines, micromanagement, discipline and ability to discipline or receive blind compulsive respect from others, guaranteed pay as long as you don’t mess up, free medical, etc. Talk about culture shock. Imagine someone straight out of high school or college going in the military. They effectively started their life in the military and now are going to experience being a civilian after little to no frame of reference/experience.

MY CHALLENGE TO YOU

Imagine someone raised in a 1600s lifestyle growing up with only minor knowledge of the modern world such as or powerful technology and godlike lifestyles. This person was supported by their family and did tasks familiar to the 1600s, but mainly just school, play, and household/cultural stuff. Then this person leaves this lifestyle and voluntarily goes to the modern world where they are indoctrinated. Eventually this person becomes a software designer and is immersed in the same things we enjoy today like social media, stores, medicine, everything. Then after 4 or so years, after becoming fully comfortable with the modern lifestyle, this person is given the decision to go back to the 1600s lifestyle and takes it out of a sense of stress from being a software designer, social pressures, and other stuff we find stressful. This person believes they will be better off just escaping all of the modern issues and going back to a “simpler life”. This person never supported him/herself or had any real exposure to the “adult” life and the inherent stresses of the 1600s except what they observed growing up in that life. Sound familiar?

The people from the 1600s lifestyle may speak the same language but they are ignorant about computers and convenient gadgets we consider normal. Imagine this person’s transition and how he/she would apply being a software designer to a job in the 1600s. This person will undoubtedly make comparisons between the advanced tech and capabilities of today and the primitive ways he now is in. There are only primitive alarms, no ways to contact people immediately, horses and row/sail boats instead of cars and planes, a lack of safe over-the-counter medication and few if any real medical doctors, no rapid response police, not to mention the stark social/cultural/political differences. Welcome to the closest way I can illustrate the military transition process.

YOU WILL CONVINCE YOURSELF THAT YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GETTING INTO, AND THEN YOU WILL BE SHOCKED WHEN YOU GET INTO IT. This applies to enlisting and getting out.