Introduction Chapter to Always A Marine
Guys: I was lucky, I guess, to be able to write about the difficulties I experienced when I made the transition from a Royal Marine to a civilian. I'm sure many of you will have had similar experiences and could relate to this.
ALWAYS A MARINE - Introduction Chapter
Leaving the armed forces is a big step for a lot of soldiers. They spend their careers working with colleagues whom they can trust with their lives. Teamwork is crucial to their job, as is the ability to work alone when necessary. When they walk into civvy street, they need to learn to dapt quickly to a different life style in a world full of individuals.
I left the Royal Marines in 1990 after serving for 7 years in various parts of the world. I'd been trained to live, work, think, react and survive as a Marine. What I hadn't been taught was how to stop being one. It wasn't something I could just turn off. The propensity for anger, aggression and violence hadn't gone away. This was something that only time could heal: in my case 13 years of time.
This story portrays my journey through life as a civilian. I have worked in various locations throughout the world, where I have experienced many kinds of different challenges and emotions, including violence and desperation as well as warmth and laughter.
When I left the Marines, I expected to walk into a new job, but I found it hard to find work with my skills and background and had to register as unemployed. The respect I had grown used to from the people of my home town soon disappeared, as they began to realise that I was no longer a Marine. Suddenly I became a target for them to test their fighting skills on. They were even coming at me with baseball bats. Yet I was not defeated and I forged a life amongst them.
My aggressive reputation preceded me in the work place and eventually I was forced to work abroad. What follows at this point is a blow by blow account of the situations I got myself into and the types of people I met and worked with. At times the survival skills I was taught in the marines came in useful, when I applied them in violent and difficult situations. As you will see, what finally stopped me from unleashing my violent nature on those who crossed me was the love of my family and the healing non aggressive philosophy of the ninja.
Best Regards
Steven Preece
Author of Amongst The Marines
and
Always A Marine
