Patriotism

             Patriotism is defined in the Webster Dictionary as the love for ones country. And in the military you are taught to be patriotic. But, what if a dilemma came along that you felt would affect you the rest of your life? How would you react? How will you come to a decision without knowing the out come?.
             That grueling decision came crashing down to me on January 15, 2003. I had just come back from a six-month deployment from Kuwait, an oasis of sun and sand. All of us in the military knew this was the preset before war would start. I had approximately one month till I finished my four years tour of duty in the Marine Corps. Because of the short time I was in a rush to start my processes of checking out of the Marine Corp. Ordinarily, we are supposed to start this process six months prior to getting out of the military. I was adamant that I wanted start this process, a boxer, so full of cockiness, knowing he would win the match before the match starts. But as days passed and I had started my processes, I started to feel a heavy heart, engrossed with questions. Was I doing the right thing? Was I abandoning my fellow marines? Was I just thinking about my self? .
             Even before I could start to rationalize my decision the word was spreading like wild fire that the Marine Corp was passing on February 15, 2003, the day my contract would terminate, a provision called the Stop Loss. This provision, meant if you were close to your end of duty that the Marine Corp now could involuntary extend your contact to a minimum of a year. I was now ambivalent with my decision. In one hand, I was twenty- three years old, realizing my prior crass mistakes, wanting to make a change in my life. I knew what another year would mean to me. I would almost be twenty-five years old, lacking what many of my peers have already accomplished, school, career. I knew society would not wait for me to catch up.