When high school is over and you"re tired of school some of teenagers choose to go into the military. I went to Texas Tech, a school that flies its bright red double T flag with honor next to the White stars on a dark blue background with red and white stripes of the American flag. For one semester I walked around the tall buildings that held the students for years and decided I wanted a challenge in my life. Most high school student makes a decision to enlists in the US Marine Corp right out of school and takes a flight to boot camp. I came home and went to the Marine Corp recruiting station across the street from the oldest high school in Arlington; a red brick building that has been the center of Arlington for over 100 years.
I walked and the Station and saw a bleach blonde Marine, the shortest Marine I have ever seen, but his build was bulky covered with bright colored tattoos on each humongous arm. His name was Sgt. Lipps and he was a Machine Gunner when he was in the fleet. Sgt. Lipps came over to me and introduced himself and shook my hand with an iron fist and a smile that was like the Nile River, wide and full. I told Sgt Lipps that I wanted to join the Corp and wanted to know what I needed to do to make it happen.
The first thing we did was put my background and education down on a form that was like a giant employment application. Sgt. Lipps told me that I had to take a test that would tell them what jobs I was suited for and was open to me. We went and got into an Light Blue car that was about three years old and well driven, it look like it was time to trade it in. We went to downtown Dallas to a very tall glassed building that had an giant eagle with a shield, arrow on it about 20 feet up on the building. We walked in through the back door that had an old faded keypad on it and in need of a fresh coat of paint on it. We took an old elevator and got off on the 11th floor of the United States Marine Corp 8th Recruit Command.