MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO -- While clearing wreckage in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, Pvt. Joshua McCain, Platoon 2131, Company F, decided to take his commitment to his country to a higher level, so he joined the Marine Corps.
"I left something good for something better," said McCain, a native of Mount Pulaski, Ill.
He was employed by Baker and Sons Tree Service, a private contractor that cleans up after natural disasters. He has aided victims by cleaning the wreckage from several fires, a Mississippi ice storm and Hurricane Katrina.
McCain said the aid he provided to the Katrina victims opened his eyes and changed his life. Seeing the ruins that were once people’s houses and lives made him realize how many things are taken for granted, and how fast they can be taken away.
He decided to do something to keep people safe and protect them from losing these things, instead of just cleaning up the debris afterward.
According to his mother, Susan McCain, he was always the kind of person who wanted to help others. She said he wouldn’t hesitate to stop and help someone who was broken down on the side of the road, or help the elderly with everyday tasks.
Susan, who works at a nursing home, said her son would often visit the residents.
"He was always the kind of person who saw something that needed to be done and would do it," she said. "He wanted to work for a greater cause, so his decision to join the Marines was just natural."
Another factor McCain said motivated him to enlist was the brotherhood of the Corps and its similarity to the crew he worked with cleaning up after catastrophes. They had to keep each other safe from the instability of objects, like building remains, and the heavy equipment they used to clear it.
McCain said he wanted to be part of a group he knew would take care of him, and because of that he knew the only option for him was the Marine Corps.
When he gets with a team of any kind he is the motivator, said Staff Sgt. Jason Mowry, recruiter from Permanent Contact Station Decatur, Ill. He pushed people to do their best during the physical training events in the Delayed Entry Program before leaving for boot camp.
After finishing a training run himself, he would go back and motivate the others to pick up the pace and keep them going.
"He was definitely a leader," said Susan.
McCain said his family kept him motivated throughout recruit training; the first two weeks of boot camp were the hardest because he had no contact with them. After that, he began to receive at least three letters a week reminding him of their love and support.
"All I had to do whenever I was down was pick up a letter from home and read it," said McCain. "It didn’t matter if it was old or new. Every letter inspired me to keep going and do my very best at everything I had to do."
He said inspiration also drove him to perform well during Marine Corps martial arts training, which he said he excelled at the most during training.
For McCain, the hardest part of training was running and preparing for the final physical fitness test. However, he said with the help of his drill instructors he was able to cut four minutes off of his run time.
"If it wasn’t for my drill instructors, I don’t believe I would have accomplished as much as I have," said McCain. "They pushed me to do my best and taught me ways to better myself, physically and otherwise."
As McCain furthers his training in the Marine Corps, he hopes to realize his dream of providing many great services to the country, and plans to make a career of being a Marine.
"There is nothing more fulfilling than being a part of the most elite organization in the world," said McCain. "I want to help people, and in my eyes there is no more exciting way to do it than being a Marine."