Jim Embry was a nervous but excited 22 year old when he first boarded the train that would start him on a new chapter in his life. He traveled to the science museum (which used to be the train station) and boarded the train taking him to his new life as a soldier. The men on the train were very different; some were well educated and some had only a high school diploma. Jim was one of the better educated men who got drafted and was hoping for a military job in his field of study, biology. The first day of boot camp was a long and tiring experience for Jim and the other fresh recruits coming in to Fort Jackson. It began with a long train ride through the night from Richmond down to Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina. Right after the recruits …show more content…
This included no private bedrooms and the military could determine when you ate, took a shower, woke up in the morning and went to sleep. The bathrooms are not always private either, Jim had to use “gang showers” where the soldiers all had to shower in a line out in the open. The military determines where you will live and when you have free time. This means they have huge influence over a soldier’s personal life. “The biggest difference between military and civilian life is lack of freedom. You know when you get home from school you can pretty much do whatever you want, but in the military you always have a job to do and always have the duties. You still have to maintain physical …show more content…
Even though that stage of his life was finished, he still kept in touch for many years afterwards with the friends he had made. He felt the military really gave him skills that helped him have a successful career, skills like being able to follow directions but also the discipline to lead others when necessary. The military introduced Jim to the idea of a medical career and trained him for this goal. Then when he wanted to further his education, the military helped pay for this. Even though he did not choose it, Jim’s experiences in the army improved his life and gave him a profession that he still continues doing to this
No one can ever understand a soldier’s experience as they return home from war. On the battle field, they experience tremendous loss. They have returned from a terrible situation and often have difficulties reintegrating into society. Ordinary situations can be a challenge, and family members cannot understand what soldiers have endured. In the short story, “Soldier’s Home”, by Ernest Hemingway, a young man, Krebs, has returned home from war. He returned home to Oklahoma and looks for a simple life. He avoids talking about the war, but the war changed him to be distant and outcast. In, “Soldier’s Home” by Ernest Hemingway, the events of the war have caused Krebs to distance himself from society. He has distanced
The author Wes, when first being forced into military school by his mother was very eager to go back home and tried everything he could to make it back home, over the course of a couple of years that idea started to change. “I was now a platoon sergeant, a cadet master sergeant, and the youngest senior noncommissioned officer in the entire corps. Three years ago I’d been one of the insubordinate kids first entering the gates of Valley Forge. In an ironic turn, I was now one of the ones in charge of them” (Moore 115). One can see the dramatic switch in the author’s motivation, he once upon a time had a mixture of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation due to where he used to live and his surroundings, now he’s eager to progress in the military with strictly intrinsic motivation, with the plus of the extrinsic motivation of making his mother happy, but he mostly did it for himself. The author at this point knows that there are no rewards in the military, no payment for training nothing but pride, and is functioning on nothing but making himself content with his achievements, he’s focusing on the human not the economic aspect (Pink 25). In the other Wes’s case, his motivation did shift a bit after his friend Levy had told him about the Job Corps. He was a bit speculate because he’d heard about it before, going to the Job Corps was purely intrinsic on his part; he wanted to get out of the dealing game. Though, he had high motivation while in the Job Corps it
Life of a soldier is very tough and full of discipline, in the Army of the Potomac the soldier has to keep his body in shape for any battle that might come up. The soldier would do drills every morning. The camps for a soldier were tents, they would pitch a tent and that’s what they would sleep in. The soldier would play games to keep himself entertained and not get bored.
Jim was also faced with loosing some people he was very close to cause of the Great Depression. His family friend died living in a terrible environment in the hoovervilles. Jim had to watch as loved ones around him died similar to many families that lived through the Great Depression. Unfortunately, Jim faced many hard times during this time in his life but in the end dealing with all the problems he faced made him stronger.
O 'Brien illustrates to us the necessity for each man to be connected to their old life, telling a story of Mark Fossie flying in his girlfriend to ease his loneliness (104-05). Each soldier found himself facing insurmountable barriers throughout the war, and these small effects and coping mechanisms were often the only necessity that would give them reason to return home again. They needed personal methods of coping with the war, and this primeval survival was the only way to remain a man.
Wes Moore, the author, is living a meaningful life that brings about a positive change in the world, thanks to repeated positive actions. Of that series of decisions, the most significant in the determining of his fate was continuing military school after his first year. The self-discipline and desire to better himself the school inflicted proved to be crucial in leading as positive of a life as he does. Role models in that environment ignited a flame of diligence in Wes, “…the support of people like Cadet Captain Hill and the others in my chain of command and on the faculty…made it clear that they cared if I succeeded, and eventually so did I.” (Moore 115). Initially, Wes hated military school, saying he, “woke up furious and went to bed even more livid.” (Moore 90). Despite his hatred for the place at first, his mother’s encouragement, as well as blunt refusal to bring him home, kept
It seemed as if he had found his place while in ROTC. The discipline along with the structure, it was as if he had found people who were like him. He had fallen in love with the Army and after forty years of service, he had retired. He was ask, what would have you done if you had not come in the Army? “I’d probably be a bus driver, I don't know."
Soldiers during this time period on both sides had very little to live off of during their service. During the being of the war, soldiers would receive 11 $ per month. Gradually, the pay would increase from anywhere from 16-18 $. They were also not giving very good sanitary conditions. It was typical for a soldier to be shot in the arm, and have that arm be amputated. There were very little medical resources during this time, and that caused soldiers to become very ill with disease and infection that many of them died due to the lack of cleanliness.
A “Soldier’s Home” by Ernest Hemmingway is an intriguing story about a man by the name of Krebs who enlists in the Marine Corps during his attendance at a Methodist college in Kansas. After serving for two years at the Rhine, he returned with the second division in 1919 but Krebs wasn’t in the same state of mind as before he left. The reason why Krebs was so distraught when he returned home was not because of the fact that no one wanted to listen to his war stories but because him and other soldiers were without any real benefits such as medical, education, extra remuneration, or anything to help him get back into the real world. This reason stated is the reason that Krebs and soldiers alike came home from war with nothing to show for
Numerous people all over the states join a military branch. Some are forced with war and others are not. Soldiers that have war experience might experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) when returning home. In the story of “Soldier Home”, Harold Krebs seems to have quite a few symptoms of this disorder. Prior to his war services, Krebs experiences conformity, connections, and his faith; however, after the war he has a difficult time adjusting back to civilian life.
After graduating high school, Jesse and his family moved to San Diego, California as part of his father’s job relocation requirements. “My father was in a leadership role as far back as I can remember, and I learned a lot from him. He always encouraged me to seek out new challenges, such as Eagle Scouts, and eventually my enlistment in the Navy” (Kenner). For the next two years, Jesse attended the public community college and held lower level positions working in retail electronic centers. At the age of twenty, Jesse knew it was time to establish a career, and was interested in serving his country. After a brief interview with a Navy Recruiter, Jesse signed up to join the military. His research
When people think of the military, they often think about the time they spend over in another country, hoping they make it back alive. No one has ever considered the possibility that they may have died inside. Soldiers are reborn through war, often seeing through the eyes of someone else. In “Soldier’s home” by Ernest Hemingway, the author illustrates how a person who has been through war can change dramatically if enough time has passed. This story tells of a man named Harold (nick name: Krebs) who joined the marines and has finally come back after two years. Krebs is a lost man who feels it’s too complicated to adjust to the normal way of living and is pressured by his parents.
As one of 12 recruits from his school, they all joined a training camp of 50 men and women. They were tested, struggled through every test, and eventually all graduated. Dane and only 2 familiar faces from school were assigned to the USS Bowden. They were to be stationed in the Pacific ocean for months. Dane instantly went to his cabin and laid there for hours until they sailed off.
While in the air force Michael was an Armament System Specialist, he explained “It seemed like the most interesting, and most advanced in technology.” While in the air force he told me how it was the most horrific and exhilarating job at the same time. Michael was in the military for 6 ½ years and while there he traveled so much he visited around 40 states and over 20 countries. While going to these different places he would usually go hangout with friends and visit different capitals, and monuments etc. while he wasn't busy. While living with the air force he stayed in a type of dorm sort of like a university dorm but more neat and very well ordered. After 2 years of being in the air force you are allowed to leave the base
Proudly, he finished high school at the age of sixteen, but could not follow the footsteps of his older brothers and join the military, because he was too young. Therefore, he decided to continue his studies. The completion of his degree in biology was bittersweet. He was the first and the only one in his family to have graduated from college, however, there were not a lot of opportunities for a young African-American male in 1957, in small town Alabama. After taking few odd jobs, he decided to enlist in the military.