Before 9/11 happened, my family was not all that keen on me joining the military. My grandmother and aunts felt that I had the intelligence to become a doctor or lawyer and wondered why would I want to join the military? My father in particular was not keen on the idea at all and in fact it was not a subject we discussed especially as I got into high school Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. After the events of September 11, 2001, all of that changed...