'I'm in love with my country'

Under the big blue wall bearing tall, strong letters that spell out “Marines,” Taylor Houser and her mom, Shelley Sealy, say goodbye as Houser begins her first few hours as a Marine Corps recruit.

A small bag containing her driver’s license, Social Security card, toothbrush and cell phone is all Houser has with her. By Monday evening, Houser would trade the contents of that small bag for hard work, sweat and a career.

“Thousands of women have made it before me, so I’m not frightened,” Houser said. “But I’m nervous, because I don’t know what to expect.”

Marine Corps recruiter Sgt. Micah Soboleski chatted with Houser’s friends and mom as he waited for his new recruit to say her goodbyes. Houser is the only woman in this group, and on Monday she began 13 weeks of boot camp at Parris Island, S.C.

“In time I’ve grown more in love with my country,” Houser said. “I’m more than willing to go.”

Houser, 18, graduated from Conifer High School this year and decided that military life was for her. She talked with the recruiter and decided she should research the different military branches and talk to veterans. After doing a little research, she learned that her grandfather had been a Marine.

“I thought about this a lot,” Houser said. “It just seems honorable.”

Honor through service is part of the fabric of Houser’s life, both for her older brothers in the Army and a few friends who also have joined the military. A good-natured, standard-issue competition among Houser and her friends over which service branch is superior is a running battle.

“It’s an ongoing war between me and my friends,” Houser said with a laugh.

Boot camp

Houser knows boot camp won’t be a walk around Evergreen Lake, and she’s tried to prepare herself physically by attending strength and endurance classes, called “pool functions,” sponsored by the Marine Corps. The new recruits are called “poolees,” and their relaxed civilian countenance in pictures on the recruiter’s wall is in sharp contrast to the smartly uniformed grads whose photos hang nearby. Houser’s confident that in 13 weeks her photo will be added to line of young, serious-looking Marines.

“The recruiter told me it wasn’t going to be easy,” Houser said. “There’s a lot more mental stuff that goes on — they have to break you down.”

She said she’s not allowed to have jewelry or makeup. Sealy asked Soboleski if she could send her daughter care packages during training. Soboleski said care packages from home only earn the recruit some deck time that can include extra workouts.

So the only thing Houser can expect from home is as many letters a day as people care to send her.

Houser is trying to understand life at Parris Island while she’s still in Conifer. She says she’s prepared for the intense training and being in constant motion, but probably won’t realize just how hard it is until she gets there.

“It’s not the life I’m living now,” she said. “I know I’ll have to wake up at 3 a.m. and run my butt off.”

Yet she remains undaunted by the prospect of the life-altering reality of boot camp.

“I have very high expectations for this,” she said.

On the feminine side of things, Houser said she has spent the last few months growing her hair out so it’s long enough to be pulled into a bun. She chose the bun over the “bob” cut even though part of her really wants to do away with her long blond hair all together.

“I want to shave my hair off and go G.I. Jane all the way,” Houser said.

Houser has gained 10 pounds preparing for boot camp; lifting weights and eating a high-protein diet have added muscle to her slight frame. She also says that, because of her “less-than-perfect” eyesight, she’ll have to wear “birth control glasses” — thick, dark frames that do little to make a woman’s face more attractive.

While conformity hasn’t been that hard to achieve so far, Houser knows her ultimate goal will be much more difficult. Though she’s slated for a position in intelligence, she really wants to be on the front lines. Reconnaissance is where Houser’s heart is, but women aren’t allowed in forward combat areas, she said.

‘Why not?’

Houser has been asked why she’s joining the Marines, and her answer is simple.

“I don’t see anything wrong with it; when people ask me why, I say why not?”

Houser has also thought about the prospect of being near combat.

“I have family here, but I don’t have anything to lose; there’s nothing holding me back. I have no husband and no kids; it would be better for me to go rather than a woman with kids back home.”

Sealy puts on a brave and proud face as her daughter shoulders her black bag and heads toward the recruiter’s car. There are a few tears, but they will be able to say goodbye once more before she leaves on Monday.

Soboleski told Sealy she can expect time to drag while her daughter is in boot camp.

“The time will go fast for her, but slow for you,” Soboleski said.

This story ran in the December 1, 2010 edition of the High Timber Times.