A Day in the Life of a United States Marine

BY CAPTAIN JULIET H. CALVIN, USMC

I am a graduate of Clarkstown High School South, class of 1992. Nearly 20 years ago I enlisted in the Marine Corps directly following High School graduation. I had no idea that this decision would take me on such a remarkable journey through my life and today, I proudly still serve the United States Marine Corps as a Marine Officer.

My journey started with a visit to the local recruiters office to see if there were any military opportunities for me. Next thing I knew, I was on my way to boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina. My introduction to the Marine Corps at boot camp was exactly as most imagine it. It was physically and emotionally challenging, rebuilding my entire composition to be a proud member of the most elite service in the country.

Throughout the past 20 years I have lived all over the country, including South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, California, and even far-away places, like Japan. In addition to this, I have been given the opportunity to obtain my Bachelors Degree and receive a Commission as an Officer (currently I am a Communications Officer). I have served in Iraq and I go to sleep at night knowing that I have contributed to the well-being of our country.

The places and the deployments are a very small part of why I love being a Marine. Each day I get to impact the lives of those Marines that serve under me. Currently I am a Company Commander at the Marine Corps Communications Electronics School (Bravo Company).

I am responsible for the Marines that are undergoing communications training, as well as those responsible for conducting the training.  I have roughly 1,200 Marines in my Company. Marine Corps organizations function like large families, all contributing to the functioning of its daily activities and successes. The Marines around me make every day enjoyable and new.

There are very few of my peers in the civilian work force that enjoy their work even half as much as I do. I attribute that to the esprit de corps that runs strong throughout the organization and the quality Marines that make up that organization. In short, I would like to say that if I knew then what I know now, I would have encouraged others to take the same path. There is no more rewarding journey to lead then that of a United States Marine.