San Diego Marines
Miramar Marine Corps
By Angel Mazzeo
By Angel Mazzeo
On Thursday, November 6, 2014, Mrs. Jackie Allen introduced me to the Marines of San Diego. When I met up with Mrs. Jackie, she took me around the base for a quick history tour. I found out that Miramar Base 15 years ago was originally a U.S. Navy base. After the tour she took me to her squadron's building, the White Knights, where I met a few Marines, including Sgt. Major Sean Greenleaf.
Sgt. Major Greenleaf was 18 years old when he joined the Marine Corps. He explained to me that the Marines are “a family tradition for generations,” and was “a calling” for him during his youth as Greenleaf saw the Marines as heroes. He told me that he became a Marine because, “I looked up to my father—he is my hero so I wanted to be just like that.” When asked what defines a Marine, he said it was their ability to move towards the sound of gunfire. "Different parts of the Marine Corps are defined by different things." When one joins the Marine Corps, one takes on the Corps standards of Honor, Courage, and Commitment. From there, you take your own path of becoming a Marine. Everyone joins the Marine Corps for different reasons, but in the end, they all have the same idea of what they want to do as a Marine: To protect and serve their country and to keep it free. After interviewing Major Greenleaf, Mrs. Jackie took me around the building on another tour. She showed me where the Board Room was and told me that that was where the Command Team or the Department Team came to discuss important decisions. When I looked in the window of the room, you could see, the prison. It was amazing. Mrs. Jackie explained to me that the prison was in the middle of the base so that if any of the rogue Marines tried to escape, there was the Marine Corps standing in there way.
When Mrs. Jackie finished explaining to me about the prison, we met Sgt. Andrene Castillio and GySgt. Christopher Nix. I asked them why they joined the Marines; GySgt. Nix said that he grew up in a small town where everyone knew everyone. "There was nothing there for me!" For Sgt. Castillio though, it was different. She was born and raised in Jamaica, but when she moved to the U.S. she had trouble with immigration papers. One day, her friend wanted to join the Marine Corps, so she tagged along for support. At the time she didn't know much about the Marines, but when she saw a uniform, she thought, "Wow, that uniform is cool. And you get a sword, too?" She joined the Marines because it gave her the opportunity to travel around the world and attend school but the main reason she joined was because of the uniform. So for U.S. Marine Corps, what motivates you to join is only important to them if you except what you have to do as a Marine. If you accept the duties of being a part of the Marine Corps, it doesn’t matter what your initial motive to join was. The most common motive I hear is the need to get out of their small town once there is nothing there for them to feel like they’re living. It amazes me how many people join the Marine Corps for different reasons; however, they all feel the same way one they are a part of the Marines, and live up to the same standards of Honor, Courage, and Commitment. |