What I’ve Learned: Joshua Bailey

Photo By Cpl. Thomas Mudd | Lance Cpl. Joshua Bailey, pay clerk, Installation Personnel Administration Center, is a volunteer for the Single Marine Program aboard Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif., and holds a position on the organization’s executive council. (Official Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Levi Schultz)  

MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

08.12.2016

Story by Cpl. Thomas Mudd 

Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center

Lance corporal, pay clerk, Installation Personnel Administration Center
Hometown: Madison, Ala.
>I stared volunteering to help the community and give back to the people around me. Volunteering helps me make the best out of the times I’m in.
>I have volunteered for several events around here such as the a healthy eating program. I do as much as I can for the Single Marine Program. We just had an event that I helped with. Last year, I helped with the Stage Coach and Coachella events, which helped pay for my unit’s ball. Our efforts helped Marines get to the ball, bring their dates and all around enjoy the event.
>I spend a lot of my time volunteering with the Single Marine Program but I do like to spend time alone to help unwind from the work day.
>I enjoy playing video games that are quick-paced and full of action. I use video games to help calm down after difficult days.
>Right now, I’m reading the book, “Flags of our Fathers.” [by James Bradley and Ron Powers]. Books like those one are great for me because I feel like I can learn something to help better myself.
>Movies like “Saving Private Ryan” and other movies that depict that time period are some of my favorites. I enjoy being able to see how the events of the past have helped shape the present.
>I enjoyed war films before I joined the Marine Corps. They kind of helped influence my decision to join the military but I joined the Marines for the challenge, the pride of belonging to something bigger and the acceptance for who I am and how I can better myself and those around me.
>I am really close with my mother. She has always pushed me to go further and test myself. She’s has been my biggest fan and even in my weakest moments she helped me up and kept me going.
>I never really had a father figure until my step-father came around. He filled that gap and he also pushed me forward. He helped support and challenge me to get started on a career as soon as I could. In the long run, it paid off.
>Throughout middle school and high school I was bullied and treated as an outcast. Fortunately, I found a place in the Marines Corps, where I’m accepted for me.
>Before I joined the Marines Corps, I would say that I was a pretty immature person. Since joining, my maturity has grown. I will never forget with where I came from in life. Where I came from is my foundation. If I ever fall on hard times, I know how to pick myself up. It is something that I have done from the get-go and continue to do throughout my life.
>I plan to stay in the Marine Corps for the long haul and make a career out of it. I want to become a drill instructor so that I can help make the next generation of Marines.
>As Marines, we are still humans. We all have emotions. Even though we put on these uniforms we all have different backgrounds and what unifies us is the title. It’s important to remember that while we all have different backgrounds, we are all in it together.

• Date Taken: 08.12.2016
• Date Posted: 08.17.2016 16:55
• Story ID: 207499
• Location: MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, CALIFORNIA, US