Molly Marine

Platoon 4020

Private First Class Janice L. Gilger

 

Heart and courage are what make the difference from being average and great here at recruit training. Heart is what keeps you in the fight, makes you push past your limits and keep you striving for perfection. Courage is what gets a recruit to buy into the bigger picture. It takes courage to trust that everything you do serves a purpose, everything you do teaches a lesson, and in turn instills what it takes to become a Marine.

A Molly Marine not only knows herself and constantly strives for improvement, but knows her Marines and looks out for their welfare. Throughout the 13 weeks, getting to know the recruits and seeing our transformation into Marines has been incredibly humbling. Due to the fact that, becoming a Marine would’ve been impossible without each and every member in the platoon.

The title Marine is never given, always earned. We all made sacrifices, and faced obstacles along the way. As we overcame those obstacles, those experiences bonded us together. It was through our failures that we learned how to work as a team. Every recruit had a role on the team, just as every Marine does in the fleet. Our Drill Instructors instilled the importance of every Marine being ready at all times, and as training progressed we began holding each other more accountable.

Recruit training demanded more of myself than I ever thought possible. However, knowing that I needed to set the example helped keep my focus and determination at all times. Heart and courage are what it took for me to become successful. All of the lessons and discipline has finally come full circle. As a new Marine, I will strive to better myself and my Marines in order to uphold those core values and lessons instilled here at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.