What's One Thing That Makes or Breaks a Military Career? Share and Be Entered to Win!

Your personal commitment and willingness to endure. Sometimes life is going to throw you a curve ball and it’s awful. You have to have the personal self courage and strength to endure.

Not fearing failure. Being able to plan for success and never quitting. Mission or battle planning. The old saying "such it up and drive on." However understanding it took an epitome and realizing I could only control my thoughts and not others was the crescendo of the lesson.

Integrity and honesty, without them you are a follower not a leader. If you are a leader and do not have them, no one will follow you!

The ability to improvise, adapt, and overcome your future obstacles and life's challenges the day you walk away from your military career, whether that's 4 years or 20.

When the time comes for you too join the ranks of millions as a veteran you then take on the greatest risk yet. The term "battle buddy" seems to fade. The guidelines and information pushed from the top ceases. The phrase "welcome to the suck" just got real. You will have your family still, military brotherhood never walks away as your family at home. The hardest part is allowing them to be apart of that every day mentality of following rules and procedures set in place or having your family try to understand why your anger flares up first thing in morning when you haven't even talked to anyone yet. Your body starts to weaken quickly as it's not use to the go, go, go everyday routine and for that you start to break down faster and faster. Everyday abuse that your soul accepted from training finally is now a whole new demon.

The thing I personally have gathered from watching my brothers get out and then check out of 1st civ div early unfortunately is that everything in the Marine Corps is handed to you on a gold platter. As a young fresh Marine RO to a sqd leader with 2/4 then rounding out my 8 years as a MWTC instructor I didn't have to do all the leg work when it came to life. What I mean is.....
Paperwork - check
Vehicles - check
Food - check
Living quarters - check.

And list goes on.

So as Marines we are highly educated with a butt pack of useless knowledge but when it comes to applying it in the real world it comes up short in a lot of areas. We as Marines start to feel misjudged or misunderstood. We start putting more guilt of why can't I get this right? I want to be the best I can for everyone around me. Failure isn't an option and if we somehow feel as if we failed then getting help is the single most hardest thing to do. Realizing and recognizing there's a problem is ultimately the most challenging. In some cases taking away the issue, aka ME will allow others to love they're life without the hassle of dealing with my frustrations or complaints or mentality then becomes a win in our brains for our family. But truth be told it's not. And even though I can type it on here no problems, knowing that I'm not completely failing here with my family is another. Dealing with the outside world and being an adult and taking responsibility of paying bills or making calls, being protector of family while maintaining house chores or work schedules is now on you and that sounds petty and we'll get over it but the bottom line is vets do get over it.....they die.

My answer is long and drawn out more than likely and I could explain in person in 5 mins and cover more but to improvise, adapt and overcome your future obstacles as a civilian dealing with everyday life would be my answer. Without victory everything in your career is irrelevant if you fail. It would ultimately break your military career or being a one mind, any weapon type of Marine.

Stay strong brothers

Semper fidelis

I am a Vietnam Veteran, combat Tet 1968. From our point of view the one make and or break item would be continued combat in close areas like Vietnam. As far as todays Military I would have to say the number of deployments firstly.

Who you know will get you way farther than what you know. Knowing the right people opens doors so much faster

After three years in the Army right out of high school. I thought I would give civilian life a shot. I like the small town atmosphere an being around my family an the closeness. I knew I could re-enlist or join the Reserve if I didn't like civilian life. I should have join the Reserves but waited to long. It's been ok, Life is what you make of it. One thing I'm very happy with. Is joining the military. It was a meaningful part of my life that most people don't have. Weather we knew it or not, it helped us mature mentally & physically & for some more spiritually.

I was a reservist, our promotion system is much or was much different than regulars. I had all it took to make SGT just before we left for D Shield, and I was stonewalled. I was an independent contractor which meant army pay was our entire income. So the promotion would have been very helpful. One time at the end of a formation with over 200 soldiers making noise talking, giving section orders etc, I went up to our wimpy MAJ and the two Sgt Majors and ask the commander who do I have to B**W to get a promotion MAJ HUH? what did he say? Nice SGT M smirking mean one growling, well I answer, he says again HUH? did he say what I think? mean S M It is loud out here sir and I am sure you did not and I am sure he will be sorry if he repeats it. Never had so much before going off to eat sand for a year. That my friends is dead end career progression. Ironically at the end and we had to stay way past the war theGeneral over their gave all E1 -E4 a one rank promotion, end of the war but better than a stick in the eye

Serving in key leader positions and showing that you can handle the difficult decision making while keeping your mission, unit and soldier's interests in balance.

Leadership!!