?Born in the small town of ---------, Connecticut, Cameron ----- seemed to have been destined for the Marines all of his life. Passing through grade school with flying colors was just the tip of the iceberg. It wasn't until he reached high school, attending Bridgeport Military Academy, that he was subject to the expectations of the Marine Corps, and found his true passion in which he surpassed his peers and excelled at. Enlisting at the age of seventeen, ------- had already received several ribbons granted by the school to show his devotion to the cause; proving his physical strength, exempt behavior, etc. as well as to symbolize the skill and effort he put into doing what he loved.
?Saying goodbye was the hardest thing his mother ever had to do, but all she could do was support his decision, though it was not one she agreed with to the fullest extent. While she enjoyed seeing her son do something that he put everything he had into, it was difficult to accept the reality that there was a chance that it could be the last hug she could give to him, but she swallowed the "what ifs," and began looking forward to the day she would see him on the doorstep once again.
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?While in the field, ----- cleared his mind, and let the mix of instinct and training take over his actions. He was no longer in boot camp, getting smoked by the training officers, no, this was the real thing. All the anticipation leading up to his role in the service had built up, and finally, the time had come. The vividness his surroundings began to take hold, and a certain thought crossed his mind. He was no longer a player in the war based video games he had grown up playing, rather he was the player, only this was real life, so there was no "respawning," only death. Brushing the thought from his mind, he tried his best to focus on the mission at hand.
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?Sergeant Major Cameron ----- awoke to the wailing of his alarm clock, precisely set to 0500, or 5 AM, as he did every morning. He had been getting up at this hour so often it seemed like clockwork, unlike his first day on the job, where he dreaded waking up at such a preposterous hour. What could he say, as he had signed up for the Marines to protect the citizens of the United States, which just so happened to go hand in hand with early morning drills and exercises.
?As he wiped the drowsiness from his eyes, he began making breakfast, a predictable, but trusty bowl of Cheerios, as always accompanied by a piping hot cup of coffee, black, just the way he liked it. Following his everyday routine, which he had mastered to a T after years of practice, he warmed up the shower while brushing up on the morning news. After skimming through pages of what he believed to be nonsense, he hopped in the shower, and finally began to wake up, contemplating the rest of his day, picking at whatever bit of excitement he could scrounge up just to make it through the day.
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?Proving himself to his superiors, ------ had slowly but surely climbed the ranks of the Marine Corps. Looking back on all the years of dedication to his country, he often pondered why there was so much conflict in today's day and age. After putting in his fair share of time in the field, he was left broken and distant, some might say he had lost hope.
?It had been what seemed like ages since ----- had looked back on all of his war paraphernalia, but on this particular day, something caught his eye. In the corner of his supply room, he noticed a large olive green sack, the sun's rays casting down on it, as if by fate. He recognized the sack as his old Marine supply bag. As he rifled through it, senses of nostalgia washed over him. He began taking out objects and reminiscing his days in battle. From what he remembered, the sack felt as though it weighed a thousand pounds, while in reality, it was only packed with various essentials needed in that time. After covering his floor with items ranging from winter clothing, to ancient personal hygiene supplies, even a tent and blanket among other essentials, he reached the bottom of the bag. What he saw caused his eyes to practically bulge out of his head, or at least that's how it felt. He reached deep down in the bag, and pulled out... his childhood blanket, or Blankie, as he had dubbed it growing up. His eyes began to water, as memories flooded his mind. After being worn down over the years, the blanket weighed only around two ounces or so, but was the underlying motivation when he was ordered to go into battle. His blanket was an outlet, in which provided him comfort when he felt overwhelmed, which was more often than not, given that he was a vital soldier in the Marines. Suddenly, all of his feelings of gloom and despair seemed to lift off of his shoulders. His blanket provided him with comfort for the first time in ages. That night, rather than staying up all night contemplating what he had seen in the field, he instantly felt drowsy.
?It was the best night sleep he had gotten since he left the service.