By: Bob Shepherd
I was the typical high school nerd! I minded my own business, was not very social, and dreaded confrontations from bullies. One particular bully—let’s call him Harry—enjoyed exercising his rather assertive and tough nature against me on several occasions during my senior year (1966). In September of that year, I received my induction orders from Uncle Sam (the mandatory draft was in effect due to the Vietnam War) and I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. I was sent to Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina, on January 2, 1967 (Happy New Year!). Suffice it to say that during my training I was remolded from a wimp to a man in short order.
The Drill Instructors have a way of doing that! The training was beyond tough, mean, and relentless; somewhere along the way, I’m not quite sure when I crossed that line, I developed a “never again” hardcore attitude against being pushed around or bullied by anyone ever again. After I graduated from Boot Camp and went home on a 10-day leave, the test to that attitude came my way within a few days. The bully I feared in high school crossed my path on Main Street in the town in which I resided. Not knowing I had joined the Marines, he stopped and ridiculed my “ridiculous-looking crew cut.” I attempted to walk around him, and he grabbed my arm. Instinctively, and without a moment’s thought, I grabbed his arm, tripped him to the ground (as learned in my hand-to-hand combat classes), and began a rapid and relentless “machine gun” pounding with my fists about his head and shoulders. Suddenly, my arch enemy’s screams of “stop! stop!” made me cease my attack. I got off him, stood up, and walked away. As I turned my head back and saw a weeping mound upon the sidewalk, I silently thanked my Drill Instructors and the United states Marine Corps for molding me into a real man and giving to me the gift of standing confident and tall wherever go.
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23 comments
When I went to Boot Camp I weighed 128# when I got out I weighed 174, much heavier and muscular. Guy’s that used to mess with totally avoided me. Some people weren’t even sure who I was.
I was always the chubby guy in grade school and high school that got picked on a lot. I was not good at sports and not very good at academics. The Marine Corps changed all of that (now I hold a Doctor of Chiropractic degree and other college degrees). I went in boot camp at 220 lbs and came out at 165. I finally got self confidence in myself and the Corps taught me hand-to-hand combat. When I left active duty in 1964 and got a good job working in a warehouse some dumb-ass decided he was going to try and prove something. He pushed me and I told him to stop that. He came at me again and I hit him as hard as I could right between the legs. Like most men he folded up like an accordion. With tears in his eyes he looked up at me and said, “You cheated.” I looked at him and said, “No, I won.”
SEMPER FI to all fellow Marines. I am a graduate .. March 66 , 3rd. Batt. Parris Island.. But my question to the original poster..was your 10 days leave from Parris Island or ITR at Camp Geiger ? Lucky you if you went home from PI…
My story is just the opposite, before I went in I was a bully. My wife’s cousin was in Force Recon and he told me before I went in I would find out I wasn’t as much of a bad ass as I thought I was. Boy was Butch right. The DI’s took me apart. when I came home that was the end of bully days. The Marine Corp was the best thing that ever happened to me. I always wanted to Thank Judge Sweet from Washington Co. Pa.
I LIKE IT
I have often wondered why it seems like almost every newly minted Marine returns home after boot camp and there is some idiot that has to challenge him. In my personal case it was a little guy with a Napoleon complex that I had to try not to hurt. But then, my buddy whom I had enlisted with got into a really bloody confrontation that almost got him locked up. I suppose the hand-to-hand fight training, and DI’s thumpings did us all some good. Semper Fi!
Ya just had to name that bozo Harry,Thanx pal.