- May 5, 2024
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There are 100 things I’d advise a high school student to partake in, other than joining the military during their Christmas break. But, some kids are built a different way, and Maverick Dennis is one of them.
In the middle of his senior wrestling season, over the holidays, Dennis traveled to MEPS and lifted his right hand to swear his oath of enlistment into the Marine Corps.
Dennis has wrestled his entire high school career or played lacrosse, so he will enlist in shape, but there are some things in basic training that you can’t prepare for.
Shower drills. He’s never heard of military shower drills, and I’m not sure I can talk a great deal about it, so I’ll just let him find out about them on his first day.
The fastest haircut. Barbers have taken up to 45 minutes to cut my hair (I know I don’t have any hair, right?), but, when I sat down in the chair for my first uniform military cut, it took eight seconds, literally! Dennis says he’s never wore a bald head. Well, no one’s exempt.
The gas chamber. I’m coughing just thinking about that brief moment. He assumes the gas chamber is similar to holding your break under water for a minute. I laughed at him. Water has never made my eyes burn and tear up, nose run while stinging, and mouth slob while incessantly coughing He’s in for a treat.
Walk. No matter who has driver’s licenses, everyone walks…far. Everywhere soldiers go, they walk. And then there are the scheduled walks, from three miles to 10 miles. I’m not sure when the Marines go on the 15K, but we left in the middle of the night and got back at 9 a.m. When we rested, I often fell asleep on the side of the road.
Graduation. When you walk across that stage, having achieved more than you ever thought you could, no one will ever be able to take away that diploma that sets itself apart from any other piece of paper. Less than 1% of Americans can boast of receiving that piece of paper.
Everything aside, I would like to thank Maverick Dennis for making one of the best decisions in his life, and I know he will serve his country well. In the words of his fellow Marines, Ooooorah!
