It was a cold and rainy day in Oklahoma when I was getting on the plane to go to San Diego, California, to watch my brother, Cory, graduate into the marines. I was nervous and anxious to see him. All I could think about was seeing my brother again. I was also scared, scared that the marines changed him too much and that he would never be the “Cory” I knew, but yet I was proud, very proud, not only because he made the commitment and stuck with it, but because he got out of the small town “Allen Oklahoma” and made something of himself.
When the plane landed in San Diego I was ready, a little too ready. We rode in a taxi to the base where he was and to check into our rooms. I couldn’t wait! I left my bags with my mother and grandmothers’ and took off with my pappa Rob to look for Cory. All I could say to my pappa rob was ” When I find Cory i’m jumping on him I do not care if his drill instructors get mad i’m still jumping on him.”
The base was huge! There was like 1,000 or more recruits that were graduating it was difficult to find Cory. I was getting frustrated and real impatient because I could not find him, but sure enough I turned around and there he was turned the other way. I yelled to rob “there he is!” and I took off running, he turns to me just in time to catch me, because I jumped on him! The first words he said to me was ” I wish you did not look this good” not a ” Hi sister i missed you too” or anything he was just worried about the guys looking at me. So right then and there I knew that he was still “Cory” just more grown up and a gentlemen. The marines did a very good job with him.
This was a traveling experience of a life time! It taught me that there is life outside this small town “Allen Oklahoma” and that there are opportunities that most people do not even know about. I look at my brother today and I see so much honor and pride in him. I see how people look at him with so much respect and graditude and it’s just so amazing how just one decsion can change your whole life like that. It has taught me that there are alot of decsions out there and it is up to me to make the right ones just like Cory did.
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