A Marine from Renault
An Alternative Start to a Career Path
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My whole purpose of writing this book was to tell my story on what I experienced in transitioning from a seventeen year old farm boy to a mature twenty year old citizen pursuing a career. Little did I know at the time that the military tour unknowingly opened my eyes to new horizons in thinking about the future career?
It seems that today more than ever young people have difficulty in selecting a career path after high school or in some cases even after college. Thanks to the Marine Corps for instilling the discipline and teamwork requirement, and how to maintain a way of life on your own without having to rely completely on others along with the other attributes of military life. This was a valuable experience for me.
Hadn’t it not been for this experience I probably wouldn’t have made the decisions that I made in pursuing my career the way that I did. In laying out what actually happened in my three years plus experience in the Marine Corps may help others in deciding if they wanted to proceed down a similar road. True, I had some luck along the way, but I also took risks. Like the old adage, you can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a chance. I took the chance and I and Bessie feel that we and our family came out winners in the end. Also, the brief synopsis of my life after leaving the Marine Corps may help others to decide if they wanted to pursue a similar career path with mobility being the key.
I feel that my career has been successful for many reasons starting with my parents raising me to work hard, obey the law, maintain the spiritual beliefs that I was taught and to respect others. High school played an important role in providing proper learning techniques, behavior and respect for authority in addition to instilling the need for spiritual wisdom. Lastly, the Marine Corps played an important role in my future. The discipline, chain of command authority, love of country, loyalty, physical fitness, teamwork and the motto Semper Fidelis (always faithful-Semper Fi) gained from the Marine Corps were positives in shaping my career.
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About the Book
Upon reaching adulthood, many people go from job to job seeking simply to survive. If college, technical school, or apprenticeship in a trade isn’t an appealing option, there’s another avenue young adults may wish to consider: the military.
In A Marine from Renault, author Andrew J. Rickert shares the true story of his experiences upon leaving high school and entering the US Marine Corps in 1954, at the age of seventeen. He describes in detail his three-year adventure with the marines, traveling from his home on a farm in Renault, Illinois, to boot camp in Paris Island, South Carolina. He also recalls his assignments during his time with the marines and offers a snapshot of his civilian life afterward. Through these recollections, Rickert hopes to demonstrate that there is a path to success after high school for those who lack the resources or interest to continue their education—and his life represents an example of that success.
In this memoir, one man describes his three-year stint with the marines and how that time served as a stepping-stone for his future career in civilian life.
About the Author
Andrew J. Rickert was raised on a farm in Renault, Illinois, and joined the US Marine Corps at age seventeen, in 1954. After three years, he returned to civilian life and found success in several different fields. Now retired, he and his wife live in Maryland.