Journal 4 Charles Milton

I asked my grandfather if he could think of any one event that had comepletly altered the course of his life. He answered me without even having to think about it, "it's your mother." In his family there was always only one course for the men, the Marine Corps. Both of his brothers, his father, uncles, cousins, all the way back to the start of the Marine Corps had been in it. All serving forty years as career soldiers and retiring twice from the Marines. He told me "that was what men in our family did", thinking back he said, "there were no other options presented to us."

"I had already been in the service for six years and went to Korea." he continued with his story. He was finally back home with my grandmother with plans to continue the family tradition of retiring from the Marines. "The best thing that has ever happened to me stopped me from leaving again.", he went on. My grandmother had become pregnant with my mother. My grandfather decided that being with his family was more important than continuing the tradition of becoming a retired Marine.