Jenna, I don't feel that it's the least bit off topic. My Marine training could be considered cross training, after all. I was a Marine in the days before the new MCMAPS program so the h2h training we had was pretty much judo and a little karate thrown in...unless you count the bayonet training as being juken-jutsu. There is an old saying that "Once a Marine, always a Marine." Anyone who put as much of themselves into earning that title as is needed will agree with that. I haven't dropped the training, it has evolved to suit me in civilian life. Honestly, the h2h training that I had was eclipsed by my kenpo training as well as my aikido training. The military training that has stayed with me and served me best is the intangible stuff. Honor, respect, dedication to duty and a never say die mentality are so deeply ingrained that it would be futile to try to purge them from me. Those aspects of who I am have and continue to serve me well in all levels of my life.
Reconciling the two different psychological dynamics has not been that hard for me. Living with the idea of having to destroy the enemy to accomplish my mission meant that fewer of my brothers in arms would fall on the battlefield. It was a point of honor and love for my fellow Marines that drove that mentality...it wasn't a desire to kill for the sake of killing. So, you see, even the Old Corps mindset was one of protecting others...you just had a narrower view of who had to be protected.
Reconciling the two different psychological dynamics has not been that hard for me. Living with the idea of having to destroy the enemy to accomplish my mission meant that fewer of my brothers in arms would fall on the battlefield. It was a point of honor and love for my fellow Marines that drove that mentality...it wasn't a desire to kill for the sake of killing. So, you see, even the Old Corps mindset was one of protecting others...you just had a narrower view of who had to be protected.
