Marine relishes brotherhood, forever nature of the Corps

Marine Corps basic training focuses the mind, and that structure doesn't change even when the scenery does.

Allen Dirickson, a Sikeston, Missouri, native and Southeast Missouri State University student, knows this.

"I was kind of lost before I joined. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do in life," he said. "Now that I have served and come back, it's clear. I don't take anything for granted. When I'm in the classroom, I enjoy being there. It matured me quite a bit. Seems like it has made school quite a bit easier for me."

Dirickson considered military service in part because of a family connection.

"My sister is on her 22nd year in the Air Force. So, I grew up seeing her service happen and kind of got inspired by that," he explained. "I always had a desire to serve."

Dirickson joined the Marines in 2016, when he was 21. He attended initial training at Camp Pendleton in San Diego.

"It's pretty good. It teaches you how to organize yourself," he said of the initial training. "It kind of develops you into a better person. The Marine Corps is pretty good about breaking you down and building you back up so you come out of there a different person. It's only three months, but quite a bit can change in three months."

While there, he learned he had been selected for special duty in the nation's capitol. He said the moment he learned of the appointment was his favorite military memory.

"It took several rounds of interviews to find out, but once I found out, it was like I was on top of the world. I don't think anything could have torn me down at that point," he said.

Training at a security forces school in Virginia preceded his service in Washington. He was among the Marines charged with security for the commandant of the Marine Corps and chief of Naval Operations. Ultimately, he was part of the Presidential Support Program.

Dirickson, who rose to the rank of corporal, credited his time in the Marines for helping him develop into a better leader.

"Early on in the Marine Corps, when you are a recruit at boot camp, you start to develop leadership skills, but as you progress in your tenure, you start to expand on that," he contended.

Dirickson is participating in SEMO's piloting program. However, Veteran Affairs rules regarding new academic programs may force him to transfer to another school with an established piloting program.

No matter where he goes, though, he will continue to share a special bond with fellow Marines.

"I think something unique to the Marine Corps is the brotherhood. You can run into a Marine who's 50 years older than you, but he'll talk to you as if you served together. I really love that about the Marine Corps."