Crushing hard in Marine Bootcamp and Operation Semper Fi

Crushing hard in Marine Bootcamp

---------

"You want to be a what?!" My mother said rather loudly.

"Seriously we really don't need to be having the conversation mother."

"Your going to college and that's final, I don't want your ass getting killed in combat, don't you ever think of anyone but yourself Ash!"

I sighed, my mother was still glaring at me her face was a dark shade of red and she looked sort of like she was going to have an aneurism or something like that.

"Listen mom I am 18 years old I don't need your permission to join the military and I'm not your little girl anymore." I paused then added, "And if I didn't care about anyone but my myself I wouldn't be joining the Marines anyway."

I studied her angular face waiting for a reaction. Her blue eyes were full of emotion and she looked on the verge of tears. I really did hate to see her like this but this is what I have always wanted to do, ever since I was a freshman in high school.

"I know honey I just don't want anything to happen to my little girl, I couldn't bear the sight of you coming home in a casket shrouded by a flag." She said.

Tears spilled over and her face became red and puffy, I hugged her gently but she couldn't change my mind now.

"I have already called a recruiter and talked to them about my options."

I paused as my voice cracked with heavy emotion.

Starting slowly I continued, "I leave for Bootcamp in 3 days."

It felt good to get that out, but I was still afraid of her reaction. I began fiddling with a stray piece of string on my shirt. It was something I did when I was nervous.

"You mean you waited this long to tell me, and I only have 3 days left to say goodbye to you Ashly."

I knew she meant business now because she used my full name, but I was getting on that plane at DFW airport to go to Paris Island, SC for 12 weeks of Bootcamp.

Suddenly a smile came onto her face, confused I raised and eyebrow at her. She began laughing and telling my all about how my brother when he was younger used to do that.

The tension in he air was suddenly gone and I felt increasingly better and more at peace.

I glanced at the watch on my pale freckled wrist, it was already 9:56 pm. I still had to go for a quick run before I could go to bed.

"G'night mom, I love you". I said she hugged my tightly and whispered something into my ear.

I headed up the stairs of our old country style farmhouse. We lived on the outskirts of Mesquite, Texas with me and my mother Robbin. She worked as a nurse at the local county hospital throughout my life up until now when she retired as I graduated high school which was about 3 weeks ago.

"Hey Buddy", I said when I walked into my room.

Buddy was our all American golden retriever, I petted him furiously for a few moments. He licked my fingers and followed me into my closet to get my running gear and my tennis shoes.

I slipped on my I Luv Army Dudes shirt and pulled on a pair of sleek black Nike tennis shoes, grabbed my IPhone off my desk and snatched my headphones out of one of the drawers and headed downstairs to grab my water bottle.

I reached the bottom of the staircase and saw my mother, her greying brown hair covering her face as she slept on the lazy boy. The tv was still on talking about 9/11, I located the remote and switched it off. I knew she had been watching the coverage any time she she had some free time and I knew it was depressing to her.

Hastily grabbing a sheet of paper out of the kitchen I wrote her a note explaining where I was incase she woke up or something and started to freak out about where I was.

I headed outside, the sky was a silky darkness concealing me and I looked up and saw the stars dazzling overhead, What a lovely night.

I pulled out a hairband and pulled back my long silky blond hair into a messy bun. Satisfied I grabbed my IPhone and stuck in my earbuds and played my favorite running song "Cowboy Casanova" by Carrie Underwood. Where would we be without her. She had been motivating me every since I decided I wanted to join the Marines. 

Unlocking my IPhone, I scrolled through page after page of apps until I found my USMC fitness app and I looked through my last PT results. I sat down on the road and started to stretch until I felt limber and ready to run.

About 23 minutes later I completed my 3 miles and began to head home, feeling pleasently out of breath. I didn't see anyone else outside which was normal considering the fact that we didn't have any neighbors for about 6 miles to the west and cars hardly ever ventured out in our direction. 

I really wasn't your typical 18 year old girl, I was more or less one of the boys. I was in JROTC in high school so that kind of sparked my interest in the military, but prior to high school I had never even considered joining the military. I had been one of those kids who didnt really fit into any social cliques so I was more or less a drifter. never staying in one place for a very long time.

From what most people think of girls in the military, they are stereotyped as manish and very ugly that is so not cool, I was among 6 other female cadets and none of then was manish looking. I was considered a cheerleader by most people until I told then I was in ROTC. Straight golden blond hair, grassy green eyes and perfect skin and cheekbones made me fall into the "oh she is popular and probably a whore" category.

That wasn't me at all, in fact I have never had a boyfriend before, not that people had'nt asked me to go out with them. I just never had the time  or the interest. The girls who jumped from guy to guy always seemed unhappy and without boyfriends they were just complete disasters. And I never wanted to end up like them.