“I learned how to grow up,” said Pvt. Shawn M. Moore, India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion. “I’m the way I am because I don’t want people to go through the same pain I went through.”
As an infant, Moore was involved in a tragic accident and grew up dealing with a constant series of unfortunate events. With time, he learned that maturity made dealing with pain and stress easier on him, and people around him, especially when it came to overcoming those difficult obstacles.
In his first few months of life, Moore and his mother were involved in a major vehicle crash. The accident forced his mother’s femur to lodge six inches into her pelvis, leaving her constantly in and out of hospitals.
“My mom has had sixteen hip surgeries, two hip replacements, back fusions, everything, and she is now finally able to walk,” said Moore. “The first time she was able to walk was when I was eight. It was actually at my dad’s funeral.”
Moore’s father was 35 years old when he suffered his second heart attack that took his life. At that point, Moore’s older sisters worked tirelessly to keep the household together.
After his father died, Moore became frustrated trying to balance learning at school and dealing with his life at home. He was making life difficult on his family and realized how he was affecting those close to him. He knew he needed to make a change in his attitude and actions.
“I wanted to show what I was capable of instead of being a little trouble maker who caused more pain and more stress,” said Moore.
He enlisted in the Marine Corps shortly after graduating high school. After arriving to recruit training, Moore noticed that just as he started to adapt to things, something would happen to change it.
“There has been nothing but changes,” said Moore. “I’ve had a little bit of experience with [change], but it was harder for a lot of people.”
Moore got used to his way of life on the depot by his third phase of training. Unfortunately, he developed pneumonia and was dropped from his original platoon and placed into the Medical Holding Platoon.
“The good thing about it was I got to see more of a picture,” said Moore. “Some recruits were there for months. I was only there for a week.”
Full of resilience, Moore began training again with India Company, where the recruits welcomed him like he was part of the family.
“We get along with each other, but we bicker,” said Moore. “That’s always going to happen.”
Moore always knew that his maturity would be a helpful trait that would allow him to deal with and overcome stressful situations through his whole life. However, going through recruit training re-enforced that belief even more.
“Maturity…that’s the most important thing to learn from boot camp,” said Moore. “I learned how to set things aside, let things go and do what you need to do.”
Following recruit training, Moore will report to the School of Infantry at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., and then to his military occupational specialty school. India Company is scheduled to graduate Oct. 28.