Letters from the Marine Corpsman

I have begun researching letters that I wrote my mother when I was in the service from 1961-65. Many of these letters express an attitude of happiness and satisfaction of being in the service that I just don't recall having had. In a 1962 letter from Camp Pendleton, California, I express to my mother with enthusiasm and happiness that "I may be able to stay attached to the Marine Corps for the entire twenty years of my enlistment." This letter revealed an enthusiasm of being assigned to the Marine Corps, plus a mind-set of making a career out of the Navy/Marine Corps that was almost shocking for me to read. I don't recall seriously considering a career in the military until late 1964 when my enlistment was nearing completion, and I certainly don't recall having any interest in spending an entire career (20 years) with the Marines, especially since I enlisted in the Navy. In that same letter, I told my mother that I had applied for assignment to the Marine Corps "Recon" unit, the equivalent of the Army Special Forces or the Navy Seals. I'll be interest to read follow-up letters to see how those attitudes played out.