Do you ever wonder why people join the Marines? What jobs they want to do in the Marines? What about their families? Do you know how they react when their son or daughter tells them what they’re planning to do?

The Marine Corps Delayed Entry Program (DEP) allows young men and women to enlist in the Marine Corps even though they may not begin recruit training for up to a year. During this time, recruits use their time to learn more about the Marine Corps and improve on their physical ability. Here at Miami High 3 seniors are a part of this delayed entry program.

Everyone has their own reasons for choosing a career, but for people who choose to join the Marines, the reasons usually go deeper than simply finding a job they like. “I chose the Marines because I wanted to be part of a brotherhood and camaraderie,” said senior Albert Villalobos. Senior Adrian Gandara’s reason for choosing the Marines is “To not only serve for my family, but to serve for my country.”

Think back to when you chose what you wanted to as your job. Do you remember how old you were or even what you were doing? For future Marine Adrian Gandara, he became interested when he joined the young Marines (a youth program open to all youth from 8 to 18) and when his dad came back from the army.

Senior Anthony Ruiz said, “I became interested in the Marines Corps at the young age of 5 because they looked brave and I wanted to be brave and look cool. Then as time progressed, I saw it as a brotherhood.”

Telling your family that you are joining a military service can be a very nerve-racking experience. You can never predict how your parents are going to react. Albert Villalobos said, “My family asked if I was crazy or if I wanted to kill myself.”

Anthony Ruiz said, “My mother cried for days, and we argued for many days, but now she’s open to it.  My father, on the other was always supportive.”

A huge part of why parents fear their kids joining the Marines is the threat of war, but how do the future Marines themselves feel about that? Are they scared to go? Anthony Ruiz says, “Of course not because I feel like I have to be there to defend this country; it is the greatest honor I can have.”

On the other hand, Adrian Gandara said, “Hell, yeah, I’m afraid, but I know I’m doing this not only for myself, but for my country.”

Back up plans are always a good idea for people considering a career. You might believe that you will always get your dream job and be happy forever, but sometimes things take a turn for the worse, and if they do, you would be smart to have a safety net. For Albert Villalobos and Adrian Gandara, their backup plan is to join another military branch, with Albert joining the Army and Adrian joining the Coast Guard.

The Marines offer a variety of jobs for aspiring Marines to choose from. Jobs range from engineer to mechanic, from infantry soldier to legal service specialist and even musician. For our three future Miami Senior High Marines, they all aspire for the same job in infantry. Albert Villalobos and Adrian Gandara want to be riflemen and Anthony Ruiz opting for machine gunner.

If someone plans to join the military, it’s a good idea to choose what branch would be the best fit. If someone plans on choosing the Marines, Staff Sergeant Carrasco, the recruiter for Miami Senior High, said, “Students who are mentally capable and motivated are the best fit. Students who do not take their career seriously, students who are immature, and are not committed to the delayed entry program are not a good fit for the Marines.”