When my older brother Eric decided to join the United States Marine Corps at the end of last year, I was really scared for him and for myself.
He had the dream of joining the Marines since he started high school. However, his path in life took him to community college for a few years first. After community college, he started working full time. He encountered some problems in working full time and other aspects of his life, and after a while, he decided to finally pursue his dream of joining the Marines.
When my family first got the letter saying that he decided to join the Marines I was crushed. I didn’t know what to do, and while I wanted to support him as his sister I didn’t know if I could. I was in shock for a week after, feeling numb.
Even though it was really hard to not to be able to pick up my phone and text or call him to ask him for advice or talk, I couldn’t be more happy for him and proud of him for pursuing his dream. His letters home stated how well he performed on the tests he took, and how happy he was.
Although I was so worried about him passing the final test, “the Crucible”, my heart breathed the deepest sigh of relief and was somersaulting with joy when we saw a picture of him posted on the parents of Parris Island Facebook page finishing it.
Watching him stand tall and proud in his uniform on his graduation day was the happiest and proudest moment I’ve ever experienced. I loved listening to all of his stories and hearing him talk of his experiences on the ride home.
It will be difficult looking out into the crowd on my graduation day and not see him sitting with my family, because he has always been there for me for everything. But I know I can always count on him to celebrate once he’s on leave again.
While being a sister of a Marine can be difficult, it has its ups. I get to talk to one of my professors about Eric every day. I show him and my friends pictures my mom and I find on the family Facebook pages. I’ve been able to truly experience and value my brother’s homecoming and his presence while he’s on leave – a thing that most sisters might take for granted. While I still worry about him, I know that he is in good hands and God is protecting him.
I am proud to be a sister of a United States Marine!
All images courtesy of Elise Rosati.