Introduction
The American Army has never been involved into a full-scale warfare since the moment of its creation. However, it is full of veterans, considering the international policy of the country that positions itself as the major peacemaker and fighter for democratic values in the world. My interviewee is the friend of my family, and he is the veteran of the Operation Desert Storm in Kuwait, 1991. His name is John Blackwood; he is 43 years old, and he has the rank of Sergeant Major of 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines. John is still in active military service. My father has known John since high school, so it was not a problem for John to answer the questions from the interview list.
Individual Background
John was born in Chicago in the family of a schoolteacher and a truck driver. However, when he was 10, the family moved to Florida, and they settled in Miami because his mother needed warmer climate because of the health issues. He grew as a typical boy, played football in high school, and after the graduation, he decided to become a driver working for a delivery company. When he was 18, John decided that the life of a driver was not what he truly wanted. John desired to achieve something in life according to his words and do something useful.
The Decision to Join
The decision to join the military was conditioned by several factors. First, John was tired of what he was doing at that moment. Second, he had always admired the idea of serving his country in such a noble way as being a soldier. Finally, the third factor was money. John wanted to become a warrior, belong to the company of the best soldiers in the world, to see the world, and to have financial stability. It can be said that John’s decision was ideological by 70% and business by 30%. John went to the recruitment office, and the new chapter of his life has started.
Personal Experience
The initial period in the military was very controversial, as per John’s words. It was especially difficult when he decided to become a marine. John had always loved the ocean, but he had never thought how intimidating the ocean could be. It was the time of tremendous challenges, but as John said, it was the best time in his life. In the Marine Corps, he learned what real friendship and brotherhood were, finding friends for life, brothers he had never had as a civilian. Through the hardship and challenges, John had managed to coin strong will and understanding of what he was made of. He said that he would never refuse to choose this way again if he had such a chance.
Combat Experience
As for combat experience, he said he had such, of course, during the Operation Desert Storm. His battalion was in the middle of the battle of Khafji in 1991 when 3rd Battalion of the U.S. Marine Corps had the task to support the process of the city liberation from the Iraqi troops. According to the vague description of that tense situation, there were no heavy casualties and shooting, but it was an incredibly nervous moment for the young private John Blackwood. He said, smiling, that it was his first combat, but he shot only two rounds and did not hit anyone. However, he added, this exceptional experience would be quite useful in his future service.
Impact
The military experience has had the great impact on John’s life as per his words. He had managed to get through the toughest drills in the world that provided him with the understanding that will could do almost anything in this life. John has become the professional in what he does only because he was determined to finish the training. He is happily married and he has three sons, so John knows what kind of experience to share with them to make them real men. He also has friends, calling some of them brothers because for the years of service, during which they had gone through hell and survived because of unprecedented support, impossible in routine life situations.
Ideology
While listening to John, I caught myself thinking that I was sitting in front of some movie hero from a heroic war film. He was so wise, confident, calm, and organized that I wondered how that was even possible in a real life. Then I realized that he was a boy when he had joined the military service, a typical18-year-old boy with the right ideology. It was the desire to serve his country, his people, and his own ideals. The ideology can be called as never give up.
Conclusion
The interview has provided me with the understanding that everything is possible if the desire to achieve it is larger than fear, mental, and physical pain, and all other challenges people usually have in their lives. I have realized that the best way to achieve success in life is to believe in what I do and never give up on the way to this goal. It is necessary to pursue the goal, facing all the challenges with strong will and determination. This is the only recipe of success in the modern world.