My Marine Corps Experience
It had been a frigid all day long and the closer it got to the end of the day the colder it got. I had been nervous about the interview since the day before. The interview had been set up for it to be after school in a classroom. Butterflies had been fluttering around in my stomach and the closer it got to the end of the day the more anxious the butterflies had become. I was in my final class trying to focus on writing my final essay before christmas break but it was no use. I was more focused on going over what I would say and do during the interview that was coming up closer than I expected. The final bell of the day had rung and off I went to the designated room which was 232 where I would meet and interview my veteran. He had been teaching
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before I had arrived, for he had a good sized pile of papers in his arms trying to quickly get organized. I walked in and politely introduced myself he looked up with a smile and said, “ I’m Mr. Drew Jorgensen” (Andrew Jorgensen). He looked up and corrected himself by saying his name was Andrew but that his grandma gave him the nickname Drew somewhat embarrassed. At this point the butterflies were finally at rest and it felt as if I was having a normal conversation with one of my good friends. The tragic event of 9/11 had sparked the beginning of a whole new war that most people were willingly and proudly a part of. The Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) had been declared after a terrorist group named al-Qaeda hijacked commercial jetliners and crashed into the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001. President George W. Bush declared war shortly after the attacks. The U.S. and it’s allies launched strikes at the stronghold of the terrorists in Afghanistan (Shenkman, Kenneth J). Andrew Jorgensen was one of the many proud Americans to serve for his country. He had a history of family members serve for their country. Andrew was in the Marines but he had a brother that was serving in the army. He was in the 31st M.E.U. (Marine Expeditionary Unit). There are only 7 M.E.U.’s in the entire Marine Corps. They are in charge of assisting any natural disaster or any emergency in the south pacific (Marines.com). With that unit Jorgensen had been in 9 different countries. The ship he was stationed on was the only one in the south pacific. Jorgensen said, “if anything happens in Asia… and you see a ship on t.v., that's most likely the 31st M.E.U”(Jorgensen). Jorgensen said that before joining the marine corps he had no idea of what he wanted to do. At first, joining the army was a thought, but there was two major people who influenced him to become a marine. While he was in college things weren’t going to well for him. He was getting into bad things such as drugs and alcohol. He had decided to meet with a recruiter because he wasn’t liking the direction his life was going and he was determined to get away from all those bad choices. While meeting with the army recruiter he was “on something” and the conversation with the army recruiter was pretty good. As he was leaving a “marine in his dressed uniform pinned me to the wall and told me he knew I was high on something” Jorgensen said with a bit of shame. Threats were made, clearly stating that if ever walked in again like that he would he would beat him up. As he walked to his car he realized at that moment that joining the marines was his new priority instead of the army. Jorgensen had accepted the fact that he needed somebody to push him towards his goal instead of just being friends with someone who would just watch him push himself and make the bad decisions he was making. That marine had impacted his life in a positive way and led to him joining the marines. Andrew had served from 2004 through 2008 in the Marines.
In the article “Marine Corps, United States” it explains how a marine is especially trained and organized for military expeditions and amphibious operations and they get stationed and deployed all over the world. In the four years he served Jorgensen said he had visited 10 different countries which were Japan, Guam, South Korea, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Australia, Philippines, and Iwo Jima. He didn’t stay long in each country. Jorgensen stayed only a few months in each country. During the whole interview he had had a positive tone until one of his “heartbreaking moments” came up. He was headed to Iraq from the Philippines and he was excited and pumped to go the Iraq. On his way to Iraq there was a terrible mudslide in the Island of Leyte. He explained how the mudslide went over a school and killed a bunch of children. In the article “Landslides on Leyte” Luzon Manila explains how on February 17, 2006 a horrible landslide went over a school that had 246 children and 7 teachers After the mudslide, the school was under 10 meters of thick mud. Only a child and a women were saved from the horrendous mudslide. With a deep sigh Jorgensen said, “ It was a very eye-opening experience to see like people suffering… I had it good in America” he said in a serious tone. That wasn’t the only eye opening experience that he had gone through. One night him and his crew went out and did some training with lcac (Landing Craft Air Cushion). Lcacs are high speed boats that can navigate through water and land if needed to. The main reason lcacs are used for is to carry weapons, equipment and personels from a ship to a shore. Jorgensen said that he and his friends let the pilots do the controlling while they rested in the light armored vehicle that were on the lcacs. Jorgensen was also a light armored vehicle operator so that's why he was needed on the lcac (see appendix A). Suddenly Jorgensen and his friends got
a knock and they were alerted that they had two radar contacts chasing after them. They did have weapons on the lcac but what they were missing was ammunition. With that big disadvantage they decided to call in the Cobras and Harriers both described as heavily armored helicopters and jets by Jorgensen. As the news sank in he started to feel worried and scared for his life. As he was staying put in the LAV he was in he heard the Harriers and Cobras that had been called in minutes before. Right as he heard them fly by the radar contacts had disappeared. They believed that they were being chased by pirates trying to figure out what was going on. With a sigh and a chuckle at the end of the story he finished by saying “ It was a scary moment for a little bit but at the same time it was pretty cool to see how quick our aircraft carriers respond.” That is what his four years consisted of, traveling and helping out with disasters and emergencies around the south pacific.
When he got back from his service he had a complete attitude change of how he viewed life. Before going of to the war Jorgensen said he had more of a negative view on society and americans in general. He realized that he had a great life in America and that he had privileges that other people wish they had, such as electricity, running water, and even an education system. The way he reacted to issues had also changed. Before going off to war he’d get upset when something bad happened. But after he returned he’d get angry over the slightest things instead of being upset and feeling sympathy. His views on politics had immensely changed from when he had returned too. When asked about this he grinned and said, “Absolutely. That was one of my biggest changes” as he tampered with a marker. He had seen the bad side of the government for example where the government money goes and how it was spent. He said “It's spent on some good things, but it also gets spent on ridiculous things.”An example was when he was leaving Thailand for the first time their ship was filled with weeks of trash and as they were leaving they were awoken at around one in the morning. They were told to take all their trash that they have had for weeks to the flight deck. From there they dumped all the trash he and all his fellow marines had in the ship into the ocean. For Jorgensen that was a shocking experience they were only “ twenty to thirty minutes away from Thailand” and them dumping out the trash and letting it wash up on Thailand shore was unbelievable and embarrassing to him. Coming back to the point he said “ It gave me a more realistic view of the United States… instead of us being perfect and awesome…. Maybe we have a couple flaws” sarcastically. He didn’t realize that he had changed, but everyone else saw the complete change he had gone through. His wife pointed it out once he got back from the war. Anger was his issue, he’d get mad over simple things. He felt like no one cared that he was a veteran because he was a non-combat veteran. A little upset he said, “ Once I tell people I was a non-combat veteran they seem to lose all interest.” This made him upset because he believed that no one cares about non-combat veterans since they didn’t fight off terrorists. After telling him that he was appreciated for his service and that people still look up to him as a role model he put a smile on his face and thanked me. Jorgensen learned how to keep himself under control and his anger is no longer a big issue. He says that it’s still their, but that it's not as bad as it used to be. Jorgensen has to know how to keep it under control because if he didn’t he wouldn’t be teaching. The changes that he went through were for the better good. He had come to the realization that America was privileged place but that it also had its flaws. He had a more realistic perspective on everything after returning. After he had gotten back he tried being a security guard but that didn’t work out for him. He wanted a profession where he could “give back to the country.” His wife pushed him to pursue the career as a teacher and he did pursue that career. With this career he can get the point across that America is privileged country and also that teaching students would help him with his anger, which it has. Now he teaches world history in the small town of Eaton and he loves it. Jorgensen is married and has a child and enjoys telling his story about his war experience because people really don’t ask him about it.
before I had arrived, for he had a good sized pile of papers in his arms trying to quickly get organized. I walked in and politely introduced myself he looked up with a smile and said, “ I’m Mr. Drew Jorgensen” (Andrew Jorgensen). He looked up and corrected himself by saying his name was Andrew but that his grandma gave him the nickname Drew somewhat embarrassed. At this point the butterflies were finally at rest and it felt as if I was having a normal conversation with one of my good friends. The tragic event of 9/11 had sparked the beginning of a whole new war that most people were willingly and proudly a part of. The Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) had been declared after a terrorist group named al-Qaeda hijacked commercial jetliners and crashed into the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001. President George W. Bush declared war shortly after the attacks. The U.S. and it’s allies launched strikes at the stronghold of the terrorists in Afghanistan (Shenkman, Kenneth J). Andrew Jorgensen was one of the many proud Americans to serve for his country. He had a history of family members serve for their country. Andrew was in the Marines but he had a brother that was serving in the army. He was in the 31st M.E.U. (Marine Expeditionary Unit). There are only 7 M.E.U.’s in the entire Marine Corps. They are in charge of assisting any natural disaster or any emergency in the south pacific (Marines.com). With that unit Jorgensen had been in 9 different countries. The ship he was stationed on was the only one in the south pacific. Jorgensen said, “if anything happens in Asia… and you see a ship on t.v., that's most likely the 31st M.E.U”(Jorgensen). Jorgensen said that before joining the marine corps he had no idea of what he wanted to do. At first, joining the army was a thought, but there was two major people who influenced him to become a marine. While he was in college things weren’t going to well for him. He was getting into bad things such as drugs and alcohol. He had decided to meet with a recruiter because he wasn’t liking the direction his life was going and he was determined to get away from all those bad choices. While meeting with the army recruiter he was “on something” and the conversation with the army recruiter was pretty good. As he was leaving a “marine in his dressed uniform pinned me to the wall and told me he knew I was high on something” Jorgensen said with a bit of shame. Threats were made, clearly stating that if ever walked in again like that he would he would beat him up. As he walked to his car he realized at that moment that joining the marines was his new priority instead of the army. Jorgensen had accepted the fact that he needed somebody to push him towards his goal instead of just being friends with someone who would just watch him push himself and make the bad decisions he was making. That marine had impacted his life in a positive way and led to him joining the marines. Andrew had served from 2004 through 2008 in the Marines.
In the article “Marine Corps, United States” it explains how a marine is especially trained and organized for military expeditions and amphibious operations and they get stationed and deployed all over the world. In the four years he served Jorgensen said he had visited 10 different countries which were Japan, Guam, South Korea, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Australia, Philippines, and Iwo Jima. He didn’t stay long in each country. Jorgensen stayed only a few months in each country. During the whole interview he had had a positive tone until one of his “heartbreaking moments” came up. He was headed to Iraq from the Philippines and he was excited and pumped to go the Iraq. On his way to Iraq there was a terrible mudslide in the Island of Leyte. He explained how the mudslide went over a school and killed a bunch of children. In the article “Landslides on Leyte” Luzon Manila explains how on February 17, 2006 a horrible landslide went over a school that had 246 children and 7 teachers After the mudslide, the school was under 10 meters of thick mud. Only a child and a women were saved from the horrendous mudslide. With a deep sigh Jorgensen said, “ It was a very eye-opening experience to see like people suffering… I had it good in America” he said in a serious tone. That wasn’t the only eye opening experience that he had gone through. One night him and his crew went out and did some training with lcac (Landing Craft Air Cushion). Lcacs are high speed boats that can navigate through water and land if needed to. The main reason lcacs are used for is to carry weapons, equipment and personels from a ship to a shore. Jorgensen said that he and his friends let the pilots do the controlling while they rested in the light armored vehicle that were on the lcacs. Jorgensen was also a light armored vehicle operator so that's why he was needed on the lcac (see appendix A). Suddenly Jorgensen and his friends got
a knock and they were alerted that they had two radar contacts chasing after them. They did have weapons on the lcac but what they were missing was ammunition. With that big disadvantage they decided to call in the Cobras and Harriers both described as heavily armored helicopters and jets by Jorgensen. As the news sank in he started to feel worried and scared for his life. As he was staying put in the LAV he was in he heard the Harriers and Cobras that had been called in minutes before. Right as he heard them fly by the radar contacts had disappeared. They believed that they were being chased by pirates trying to figure out what was going on. With a sigh and a chuckle at the end of the story he finished by saying “ It was a scary moment for a little bit but at the same time it was pretty cool to see how quick our aircraft carriers respond.” That is what his four years consisted of, traveling and helping out with disasters and emergencies around the south pacific.
When he got back from his service he had a complete attitude change of how he viewed life. Before going of to the war Jorgensen said he had more of a negative view on society and americans in general. He realized that he had a great life in America and that he had privileges that other people wish they had, such as electricity, running water, and even an education system. The way he reacted to issues had also changed. Before going off to war he’d get upset when something bad happened. But after he returned he’d get angry over the slightest things instead of being upset and feeling sympathy. His views on politics had immensely changed from when he had returned too. When asked about this he grinned and said, “Absolutely. That was one of my biggest changes” as he tampered with a marker. He had seen the bad side of the government for example where the government money goes and how it was spent. He said “It's spent on some good things, but it also gets spent on ridiculous things.”An example was when he was leaving Thailand for the first time their ship was filled with weeks of trash and as they were leaving they were awoken at around one in the morning. They were told to take all their trash that they have had for weeks to the flight deck. From there they dumped all the trash he and all his fellow marines had in the ship into the ocean. For Jorgensen that was a shocking experience they were only “ twenty to thirty minutes away from Thailand” and them dumping out the trash and letting it wash up on Thailand shore was unbelievable and embarrassing to him. Coming back to the point he said “ It gave me a more realistic view of the United States… instead of us being perfect and awesome…. Maybe we have a couple flaws” sarcastically. He didn’t realize that he had changed, but everyone else saw the complete change he had gone through. His wife pointed it out once he got back from the war. Anger was his issue, he’d get mad over simple things. He felt like no one cared that he was a veteran because he was a non-combat veteran. A little upset he said, “ Once I tell people I was a non-combat veteran they seem to lose all interest.” This made him upset because he believed that no one cares about non-combat veterans since they didn’t fight off terrorists. After telling him that he was appreciated for his service and that people still look up to him as a role model he put a smile on his face and thanked me. Jorgensen learned how to keep himself under control and his anger is no longer a big issue. He says that it’s still their, but that it's not as bad as it used to be. Jorgensen has to know how to keep it under control because if he didn’t he wouldn’t be teaching. The changes that he went through were for the better good. He had come to the realization that America was privileged place but that it also had its flaws. He had a more realistic perspective on everything after returning. After he had gotten back he tried being a security guard but that didn’t work out for him. He wanted a profession where he could “give back to the country.” His wife pushed him to pursue the career as a teacher and he did pursue that career. With this career he can get the point across that America is privileged country and also that teaching students would help him with his anger, which it has. Now he teaches world history in the small town of Eaton and he loves it. Jorgensen is married and has a child and enjoys telling his story about his war experience because people really don’t ask him about it.