San Diego -- Every recruit that steps foot upon the yellow foot prints at Receiving Company aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego took the oath of enlistment for a reason.
Lance Cpl. Anthony F. Miranda, Platoon 1001, Company A, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, took that oath in hopes of a better future. Miranda lived in a neighborhood located on the West Side of Chicago and due to the high levels of gang violence and crime, he grew up with the mindset to stay off the streets and out of trouble.
“Where I live, there’s trouble anywhere you go,” explained Miranda, 19. “I’ve witnessed hardships my whole life – gang violence, murder, drugs, alcohol – I had enough; I was just sick of it.”
In spite of these adversities that he experienced at home, Miranda rose above stereotypes and his peers and participated in the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps at Noble Street College Prep in Chicago.
“That is where my passion for the (Marine Corps) came from,” said Miranda. “I felt the Marine Corps really understood what brotherhood meant.”
The traits, traditions and pride that Marines have displayed and upheld throughout history is what Miranda admired the most. He was sworn into the Corps October 2012 and shipped to recruit training aboard MCRD San Diego March 11.
When Miranda arrived, his maturity earned him the position of platoon guide. A guide is a recruit who displays high levels of leadership and is willing to assist the drill instructors with leading the platoon.
“Right from the get-go, Miranda stood out to me; he was a natural leader,” said Capt. Adam Moore, lead series commander, Co. A, 1st RTBn. “He took his duty as guide and just ran with it.”
Moore, a 33-year-old Milwaukee, Wisc., native, explained that when he meets the platoons, he asks each recruit where they were from. Moore had relatives that lived in Chicago and knew about the harsh conditions of the neighborhood Miranda grew up in.
“He comes from a rough part of town; knowing the type of environment that he grew up in and seeing how he didn’t let it deter him from changing his life is something to look up to,” said Moore.
While Miranda used his experiences to righteously lead his platoon, he also used them as his motivation to push through the tough times in recruit training and graduate as a Marine.
“In the beginning of second phase, I received a letter from my friend saying that a friend of ours had died; I had a tough time that night,” said Miranda. “The next day I woke up and thought to myself, ‘I have to do this, I have to finish recruit training’ I couldn’t go back to that way of life.”
Miranda continued to push through recruit training. As guide, he learned what it really meant to be a leader.
“There were difficult times when trying to get everyone to cooperate,” said Miranda. “Everyone comes from different walks of life and I learned how to understand and work with other people.”
His superiors noticed Miranda’s mature demeanor and was nominated to compete for the company honor man distinction, as well as a chance for a meritorious promotion to lance corporal. His company first sergeant, chief drill instructor and senior drill instructors, tested him on Marine Corps knowledge, regulations, bearing and confidence.
“He was able to display the traits and characteristics of a Marine confidently, so he won,” said Moore. “He just (understood) it from the beginning; he’s mature, sets the example and is someone who leads from the front.”
Miranda held several billets in recruit training, but earning the title “Marine” was his ultimate goal. Through his hard work and dedication to change, Miranda will be able to move on with his journey as a United States Marine.