Amanda Kurtz
Amanda Kurtz
By Alec Vangerpen
Amanda Kurtz's journey in the Marines began with, for lack of a better term, boredom. She never bought into the typical 1950s American dream of “going to college and getting a good job with a white picket fence and 2.5 kids,” and she was fortunate enough to know a few men who had already joined the marines. One could say Amanda saw this as a challenge, because she states, “I didn’t think it seemed right to let the guys be the only one[s] to do cool stuff.” So, one year out of high school, on March 3, 2010, Amanda Kurtz enlisted in the United States Marines, and her life changed forever.
Like every Marine, male or female, Amanda first had to make it through boot camp. She left for South Carolina on April 5, 2010. She describes boot camp as “everything you would expect boot camp to be. Constant yelling and constant running... a high stress level, so you learn to think quickly no matter what is going on.” Amanda learned about discipline and having mental fortitude in boot camp. According to Amanda “if you are thinking about everything you need to get done then you aren’t thinking about how tired you are.” I was really surprised to find that the toughest part of boot camp for Amanda was what she called “‘unit cohesion.’” When things get stressful, working with people you don’t know well becomes difficult. I understand this, because we often have to work in groups in school. If we don’t do our part, the work doesn’t get done, and, according to Amanda, “if you don’t use team work boot camp is impossible.” Upon completion of boot camp, Amanda went to North Carolina for Marine combat training. Then, she travelled to Pensacola, Florida for job school. Amanda is currently stationed at Camp Pendleton, near Oceanside, California as an Intelligence Analyst. Amanda describes her job as "working with computers and other 'nerd equipment.'”
Being a Marine has introduced Amanda to many positive things. One of those is the exposure to new people. “I’ve met a lot of cool people in my short time in the military,” says Amanda. She describes living in the barracks as “living with 150 loud annoying brothers...but no matter what time of day, if you are feeling homesick or bummed about work...there is always someone to hangout with.” Of all the great things being a Marine has brought to Amanda, being away from her family has definitely been a struggle. She loves her family so she likes to talk to them as often as possible, which is about five days a week, but she does not get to see them very often. In fact she only gets to see them once every three to six months. Amanda often worries that she is going to miss important events with her family.
Being away from family is only one of the difficult choices people like Amanda might have to make when enlisting in the military. Serving in the military has brought many positive things to Amanda's life, but serving is also sacrifice and I appreciate her willingness to do so. When asked if she would do it all over again Amanda said she would. It is that kind of dedication that is so admirable, and Americans should all be thankful for people like her. I plan on joining the military, because I can’t think of a greater group of men and women with which to surround myself.
Amanda Kurtz's journey in the Marines began with, for lack of a better term, boredom. She never bought into the typical 1950s American dream of “going to college and getting a good job with a white picket fence and 2.5 kids,” and she was fortunate enough to know a few men who had already joined the marines. One could say Amanda saw this as a challenge, because she states, “I didn’t think it seemed right to let the guys be the only one[s] to do cool stuff.” So, one year out of high school, on March 3, 2010, Amanda Kurtz enlisted in the United States Marines, and her life changed forever.
Like every Marine, male or female, Amanda first had to make it through boot camp. She left for South Carolina on April 5, 2010. She describes boot camp as “everything you would expect boot camp to be. Constant yelling and constant running... a high stress level, so you learn to think quickly no matter what is going on.” Amanda learned about discipline and having mental fortitude in boot camp. According to Amanda “if you are thinking about everything you need to get done then you aren’t thinking about how tired you are.” I was really surprised to find that the toughest part of boot camp for Amanda was what she called “‘unit cohesion.’” When things get stressful, working with people you don’t know well becomes difficult. I understand this, because we often have to work in groups in school. If we don’t do our part, the work doesn’t get done, and, according to Amanda, “if you don’t use team work boot camp is impossible.” Upon completion of boot camp, Amanda went to North Carolina for Marine combat training. Then, she travelled to Pensacola, Florida for job school. Amanda is currently stationed at Camp Pendleton, near Oceanside, California as an Intelligence Analyst. Amanda describes her job as "working with computers and other 'nerd equipment.'”
Being a Marine has introduced Amanda to many positive things. One of those is the exposure to new people. “I’ve met a lot of cool people in my short time in the military,” says Amanda. She describes living in the barracks as “living with 150 loud annoying brothers...but no matter what time of day, if you are feeling homesick or bummed about work...there is always someone to hangout with.” Of all the great things being a Marine has brought to Amanda, being away from her family has definitely been a struggle. She loves her family so she likes to talk to them as often as possible, which is about five days a week, but she does not get to see them very often. In fact she only gets to see them once every three to six months. Amanda often worries that she is going to miss important events with her family.
Being away from family is only one of the difficult choices people like Amanda might have to make when enlisting in the military. Serving in the military has brought many positive things to Amanda's life, but serving is also sacrifice and I appreciate her willingness to do so. When asked if she would do it all over again Amanda said she would. It is that kind of dedication that is so admirable, and Americans should all be thankful for people like her. I plan on joining the military, because I can’t think of a greater group of men and women with which to surround myself.
Amanda Kurtz (far right) at a volunteer event in November 2010.
