The Title Beyond the Title
By
Stacy Atkinson
Going to college was a goal I grew up wanting to achieve. I promised myself many times that I would be a college graduate no matter the effort. I never put much thought into just how much effort becoming a graduate was going to take. I attempted college twice before I made my third time a charm.
I sat in a Marine Corps Recruiters office wondering to myself ŇWhat am I doing here?Ó Wasting his time is what. I really didnŐt think I could go through with becoming a Marine and earning that title. I was only curious. Great! How was I going to get up and leave now? HeŐs going to follow me and worse yet; he is not going to stop calling me.
Well, I was right about some of my thoughts that day and dead wrong about others. The recruiter, to my belief, did not stop calling me and I sure was going to earn that title. On July 14, 2006, I did. I was a United States Marine.
After graduating from 13 weeks of Boot camp, I went on to Marine Combat Training. I then moved on to my Military Occupational School in Avionics located in Pensacola, Florida. I liked school, but this just seemed like it was never going to end and I relearned my hatred for numbers and whoever the demon was that invented them. Finally, I was assigned to my final school in Oceana, Virginia where I received the hands on training in my job as an Avionics Technician. This would complete all of my military occupational schools.
At each of those schools, I remember always being scared of the Fleet Marine Force, commonly known as just the Fleet. The thought of being on my own in the Marine Corps frightened me. No senior marine would care about my well being the way my school instructors had. I was shaking in my boots when I checked into my new duty station at Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron Three One. This was the fleet I had heard so much about in Boot Camp and in school. The fleet that I never really believed existed. This fleet I became a part of was filled with great times and great Marines and tons of work and long working hours. I felt as if I was ready but I was still really nervous.
I had been in school for a very long time and was excited not to be cramming for tests or attending those study groups where nothing really ever got accomplished. What I didnŐt know is that I would be bored. I was eager to go to work everyday and learn about my job, but once I did, I felt like I was doing the same exact thing day after day. I yearned for something else to occupy my mind as work had just become monotonous.
I thought back often to the evening I spent in my Recruiters office. I could hear him tell me the things I wanted to hear. Well, the ones he thought I wanted to hear. I remember the motivating poster about the Marines and just how wonderful and tough they all were. On many occasions throughout the day at work, I thought back to that night and wondered why I was sitting in that work center in this uniform.
I canŐt deny the fact that I was proud to be a Marine. I worked hard for that title and worked hard to wear that uniform. I was proud to be able to serve my country but still there was something more. What now? Was there something else beyond this title Marine?
Again thinking back on that very memorable night in that tiny Recruiters office I remembered these colorful tags my recruiter laid out for me. He called them benefit tags. I thought of them as sales pitches in small rectangle shapes with big font and bright colors. He laid them in front of me and said ŇOk, pick the three that mean the most to youÓ. What kind of a question is that? I couldnŐt possibly pick three benefit tags right now. I expected to take them home and have time to think about the question. This was important and I could never make such a quick decision.
There were tags with tangible things on them and others with intangible things. Things like leadership and a challenge. Those were important but I didnŐt feel as though I needed the Marines for that. The opportunity to travel was one I remembered. That was nice and all but I didnŐt really desire to leave the place I already knew. I looked down and saw one that really hit home for me at the moment.
At the time of my visit to the Recruiter, I was working full time to pay for school and spending all my time at work and little time focusing on school. So in a nutshell, I was working full time, going to school in between, getting bad grades and paying an enormous amount of money for the whole thing. I picked up the tag that read ŇEducational OpportunitiesÓ and said Ňthis one is the benefit most important to meÓ.
He went on and on about the educational benefits the Marine Corps offered. He spoke about things like tuition assistance and Montgomery GI Bill. He mentioned how convenient it was to transfer credits from one college to the next when changing duty stations. All around it sounded like the Marine Corps as an institution was very pro education.
I decided to join and believe that my strong desire to obtain a college education was one of the reasons why I swore that oath.
I enrolled in school immediately upon my check in to MALS 31. My shop was little. 650 they called us. I saw one familiar face and hoped for some more. Slowly they trickled in and I felt like we were all a family. I enjoyed working at 650. It was fun place filled with great people, great leaders and lots of work. Just as promised to me by the instructors back at MOS school.
I quickly found myself balancing a full time job and school work at the same time. Being a Marine didnŐt make it any easier, it was actually harder. It didnŐt cost me any money but the stress I dealt with was higher than any amount of tuition fees.
I was lucky to have somewhat of a support system. One amazing Staff Sergeant I worked for was so considerate of my school situation. He told me heŐd support me in anything I decided to do and would never ever stop a Marine from bettering themselves. Turned out he was a student as well as we would help each other through.
Unfortunately, there were some Marines that did not support me and these I encountered more often as there were more of them. Some Marines immediately thought I would require special treatment or some sort of special accommodations. Without even knowing me people would label me as the Marine who only cared about school. These labels hurt me but I would never let them get me down. I worked hard to become a Marine and I worked hard to be a student too. Neither title was compromised for the other.
I found that some Marines centralized their life around the Marine Corps and embraced the idea that being a Marine is the only thing they were responsible for. It seemed that they thought that anything outside of their MOS, formations, Physical training, rifle qualifications and safety briefs would negatively impact the Marine they were supposed to be. This mentality was not one I possessed. All of that was important but what about the person underneath that uniform. What significance did their goals and dreams have? For me, the significance was great but I canŐt deny that it was difficult dealing with those hard charger Marines. They always made me feel like I was doing something wrong.
I never neglected my duties as a United States Marine. I never put my education in front of my title Marine. I knew that the fleet would be a tough place to be, without adding more to my plate, but the sacrifices were worth it to me. I knew that I was inflicting more work upon myself. Being a student was important to me and a becoming a graduate was a part of my dream. It was that simple and I just had to do it no matter what it took.
Regardless of the struggles I faced attending college, I graduated on October 18, 2008. I reached that dream. I had to grow a very thick layer of tough skin and I had to shrug my shoulders often and ignore the snide comments from other Marines. But I couldnŐt be stopped. I knew what I wanted and I knew how to get there.
Graduation represented something huge for me and walking across that stage was one of the proudest moments of my life. The Master of Ceremonies read my name and read what I did in the Marine Corps and announced that with a 3.781 Grade Point Average I was a distinguished graduate with Summa Cum Laude Honors. I could barely believe it was me they were announcing. That moment made every single one of my struggles worth it. I did it. I obtained a Bachelor of Science in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. For just a moment, as I took those steps on and off the stage, nothing else mattered. I was grateful for every single person that stood by me and appreciated every one else who made it difficult for me. They helped make the struggle worth it.
My dreams will not end here. My personality will never allow me to stop the fight for success. Graduation felt like a door was closing and everyone knows what they say about closing doors, another door opens. For me, itŐs the door that leads to a graduate degree. I have already heard the comments and seen the eye rolls when I talk about. But when itŐs all said and done and I am walking across another stage listening to my name through the speakers at commencement, nothing else will matter and the struggle will once again be well worth it.
The benefit tag Educational Opportunities is one of the strong reasons I became a United States Marine. It doesnŐt make me a better Marine but it surely doesnŐt make me a worst one. Every single credit hour represents something greater than I could ever put into words and that moment on stage was priceless. It all represented a dream from a girl who sat in a Recruiters office and picked the benefit tag that mattered most to her. She took the tag and ran with it giving herself a title beyond the title Marine.