"I just want to be a Marine," senior Nicholas Schroback said. "I want that leadership experience. I just want to learn [what Marines learn] and do what they do. I want to lead Marines."
Soon, Schroback, a history major, will get his wish. After attending Officer Candidate School this summer, he will enter the United States Marine Corps as a second lieutenant when he graduates from Tufts in the spring.
Schroback said his own sense of duty spurred him to enlist, in spite of the dangers inherent in serving during a period of military conflict.
"It had to do with the war in Iraq; the whole time, I saw who started it, and it was people who had never been in the war," Schroback said. "The Congress had not been there, so they didn't know what it was like, and I realized that I didn't either.
"I decided that if I ever might be in a position to put our nation's military in a wartime situation, then I needed to be there also to have justification to support my arguments," he added.
Schroback joined the Tufts, MIT and Harvard ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) program several years ago, focusing on the Marine option rather than the Navy option. The ROTC, Schroback explained, is intended to build a foundation for leadership skills.
Schroback had a greater interest in the more traditional military experience of Marine ground forces, which focuses on leadership and fitness rather than the Navy.
Schroback said the Marine Corps is "basically referred to as a small, elite fighting force that focuses on expeditionary warfare."
As the second-smallest branch of the nation's armed services after the Coast Guard, Schroback said the Marines are the nation's first option in any crisis. "We focus on rapid response and, when bad things happen, we're the first to get the call. We're really mobile and light and able to get places quickly," Schroback said.
After submitting his grades and recommendations, as well as fulfilling a physical fitness test, Schroback received a scholarship that allowed him to attend Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Va. this summer.
While Schroback viewed this as an opportunity to fulfill his dream, he said his family was "wholeheartedly against it. A lot of tears were shed when I first brought it up and since then."
Schroback decided to go through with the training despite his family's protests.
"Everyone [who wants to be a Marine officer] must go [to Officer Candidate School] and graduate to be commissioned," Schroback said. "To use their terms, [the school's purpose] is 'to screen and evaluate' people for leadership potential."
"It is six weeks of absolute hell," he added. "Hell in terms that you are being evaluated for your leadership potential. Everything is leadership-focused."
Schroback said enlisted members of the service learn to follow and accomplish duties, while officers "are tasked with thinking about everything. Everything in the military is about mission accomplishment."
Of his time at Quantico, Schroback said that it was "a hell of an experience." To him, it was not just about preparing for the Marines, but it was also a test of physical, emotional and mental strength.
"It's a weed-out," he said. Schroback will return to Quantico after he graduates to begin basic school.
Schroback said the school dramatically changed his outlook on self-discipline. Now, he feels that he is stronger emotionally as well as in all other aspects of his life.
Schroback said that the training taught him his limits and how far he can "push himself."
Though he's aware of the risks he'll face, Schroback said he's ready.
"If I go to Iraq, which I almost certainly will, obviously I'll be a much different person, like anyone [who serves]," he said. "I'll come out and have a profound respect for people in the military and a new understanding for men and women in uniform."
Schroback said that his Tufts experience allowed him to gain greater analytical skills and cultural understanding. In addition to ROTC, Schroback is a TEMS volunteer, a former tennis player, and was president of the AEII fraternity last year.
While he loved being a part of the fraternity and while being president "was a fantastic leadership experience," Schroback explained that it had nothing to do with his decision to join the Marines. Schroback said he is two different people: one when he is at Tufts and the other when he is with the Marines.
In the future, Schroback said he would like to enter some kind of political office. As a Marine, he is required to do four years of active service and four years of reserve service in the Marines. He currently hopes to attend law school after completing his service, and he plans to start politicking soon after.
Schroback said Tufts students should "try to gain a better understanding of [the] military though reading some memoirs about [service members'] military experience."
"It is better to understand than to be oblivious, [because] the military is obviously something which is prevalent in our culture and is here to stay," Schroback said. "It will only get stronger as time goes on. It has huge implications internationally and domestically and will invariably affect your life."
