My son told us this morning he's joining the Marines

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momof2angells

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Hi all,

I just received the news this morning. Hell be 18 in a few weeks. My heart breaks and my teen daughters too.

It’s still fresh in my head since he just told me. I cried very much. I will miss him terribly and my heart is breaking really.

I am only here for a bit of support or advice, anything.

Thank you for any encouragement you can provide.
 
Pray for him every day. I know that it is hard to accept, but he is a man now and must make his own decisions.
 
My husband knows two marines and will have them talk to him so he can be informed. To be honest I’m a little off right now trying to get to work with a tear stained face. I thanked my son for telling me and I told him all the prayers I gave to God for him I must trust He will care over you. I am trying to be supportI’ve but him not home breaks my heart.
 
Just remember he will be well looked after, he will see the world, he will learn so much and statistically he is less at risk of injury in the Marines than an ordinary citizen in the US. The numbers suggest he should be more worried about you than you him.
 
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Thank you. I just arrived at work amd don’t know how I can stay. I’m going to miss him so much it hurts. But I know that’s selfish. Oh gosh why did i I come to work today. I feel so ill. My sweet boy. My mind and heart are a mess now. I keep imagining all sorts of things, he’ll be hungry…someone will hurt him, he’ll freeze somewhere…
 
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It’ll be good for him. I enlisted at 17 for the army but was rejected because of health issues. One of my biggest regrets in life was not being able to do that. He’ll grow a lot as a person.
 
His mind is made up. I could have an Air Force Re ruiter come but my heart is still fresh from this wound to do much research today. I’m just not feeling well at all.
 
momof2angells said:
Thank you. I just arrived at work amd don’t know how I can stay. I’m going to miss him so much it hurts. But I know that’s selfish.
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You knew from the day he was born you couldn’t S-Mother him forever. It’s now time to lose the S and Mother him. He will be going through the same thing. He’s lived a cosy cocoon all his life and now he’s going out into the big wide world. You need to be strong for him. If you remember leaving home yourself you’ll know it’s the biggest challenge but also the most rewarding.
 
My husband’s uncle was a Marine and it did him nothing but good. He became a convert to Catholicism and has been married to his wife for over 50 years and is a wonderful man all around.
(My own family had a lot of veterans but they were all Navy and Army men. )

I understand your tears and worry over your son but as someone said, he’s a man and must make his own decisions, and being a Marine is a very respectable decision indeed. So be very proud that you have raised such a fine son who’s not afraid of hard work, responsibility and serving his country.

P.S. Saint Elizabeth Seton had a son who went away to sea to become a Navy officer. She was very sad over him going away too, although he became a very fine officer and his experience helped strengthen his faith in God. Maybe you want to ask for her intercession.
 
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Thank you, I just feel he’s going to be with really tough young men and he’s not tough. I know how I sound but there it is. He didn’t do great in high school but will graduate this June, I think he feels this may be his only chance at success and he’s excited about it.
 
Perhaps he feels he needs some extra toughness and sees this as a good way to build that skill in himself and to meet a challenge. I wish him the greatest success in his endeavor.
 
I would PM IrishMom2. She has a young son in the Marines. Her story is quite enlightening.
God bless you, you’re in my prayers.
 
Thank you. Thank you all so much. Ugh I need to get a hold of myself. I am crying still thinking he’s so young, he still likes video games. I’m a wreck at work afraid someone will notice. Just 2 days ago I prayed to St. Padre Pio to take me and my family as his spiritual children this happens lol. I literally feel sick. I must trust this is for the best.
 
momof2angells said:
he still likes video games
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I’m 26 and still play video games occasionally 😂

That’ll be a good way for him to kill downtime when he reaches his duty station. All my friends that were in Iraq or Afghanistan spent tons of time playing video games and such when they weren’t on duty.

Everyone I’ve known that was in the military complained intensely about “the suck” when they were in, but 99% of them miss it after getting out. He’ll be fine, and you’ll appreciate the good that institution has on him as a growing man.
 
momof2angells said:
Thank you. Thank you all so much. Ugh I need to get a hold of myself. I am crying still thinking he’s so young, he still likes video games. I’m a wreck at work afraid someone will notice. Just 2 days ago I prayed to St. Padre Pio to take me and my family as his spiritual children this happens lol. I literally feel sick. I must trust this is for the best.
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I’m a vet of Iraq and Afghanistan, so maybe I can set your mind at ease a bit. (Although I was in the Army, not the Marines, so ymmv slightly.)

What is your concern, exactly? That you’ll miss him, or that he won’t be able to hack it?

If it’s the first, I totally get it. It’s tough, especially if he’s posted far away. That said, he has to leave the nest at some point. You should be proud you raised a son who has the initiative and guts to do something “big” instead of just living in your basement till he’s 40. He’ll see the world and broaden his horizons in ways that most young men his age never do. I’ve been in something like 20 foreign countries, some of them pretty exotic. It wasn’t always fun, but it was a huge part of my personal growth. I say this gently, but you can’t treat him as a baby anymore, or as your precious little angel. He’s a man now. You should want him to grow into a confident, well rounded gentleman, not stay trapped as a little boy forever.

If you’re afraid he won’t be able to hack it, I wouldn’t worry too much. Contrary to what you might imagine from movies, not everyone enters the military as some kind of He-Man Alpha male. The military is huge and contains all kinds of people. There are plenty of “nerdy” guys who enjoy playing video games who still get the job done. Perhaps he feels the Marine Corps will help him develop self-respect as a man. And don’t worry about him not being able to cut it. The Marine Corps is very good at turning civilians into Marines. They do it with thousands of kids a year. As long as he gets in decent physical shape and tries to maintain a positive attitude, he will be fine.

And also, what’s wrong with playing video games? I have like 13 years of military experience, and I still like playing video games on occasion. 😁

Good luck. If you have any questions, I can try to help, although as I said, my service was not in the Marines specifically.
 
As a former Marine, I’ll tell you that men join the Marines for a different reason, one that the Air Force can’t fulfill.
 
Thank you so much. For putting my mind at ease. I think of all the horror stories of assault, men to men even, are men and women together btw. I’m so clueless.
 
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momof2angells said:
Thank you so much. For putting my mind at ease. I think of all the horror stories of assault, men to nem even, are men and women together btw. I’m so clueless.
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It’s true that sexual assault goes on in the military, but isn’t that true of the wider society as well? I mean, sexual assault goes on on college campuses, too. Surely you wouldn’t try to keep him from going to school. I can say that as a guy in them military, the thought that I might be sexually assaulted literally never once crossed my mind. It’s not really something I would lose sleep over.

As far as “are men and women together”, I’m not sure whether you mean in training or in line units (the regular units of the military that people serve in when they’re fully trained and ready to go.) If you mean in training, no. Basic training classes in the Marines are gender segregated. As far as in the line units, yes, especially now that all jobs are open to women. Of course, there will be a much higher percentage of women in some fields than others. If he serves in the infantry, it’ll be overwhelmingly male. If he’s doing some kind of office-y type thing, there will be plenty of women serving.
 
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As someone else said “pray for him daily”

But also show expression that you “respect his decision highly”.

Men like to be trusted.

I am a former Marine - 27 years. Combat tours in Iraq. Loved it. Would go back to the “yellow footprints” this afternoon to do it all over again if my knees would let me.

It was in the Marines…being 6 hours from crossing into Iraq in March 2003 that led me to ‘put my shoulder into my Catholic faith’…our BLT chaplain came around as we prepped to load into our vehicles…and said “Who wants to go to Mass”. I shot back, “only if a confession comes with it”…and he just waved me onward to where we had our 14 minute Mass, then he heard my confession! Total serenity as I crossed through a contested breach.
 
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