The Point of Friction 

Ryan McCabe, United States Marine Corps

At a time in my life when I had no sense of direction, I took a leap of faith. My name is Ryan Patrick McCabe and I am twenty-four years old. I’m from a small town just south of Boston, MA. My journey began as a procrastinating, low-ambitioned teenager who was barely picking up the pieces to graduate. High school was a wash and I would’ve just been fooling myself if I told myself I had the momentum and ambition for higher education. It was at this critical moment, barely about to graduate, when I realized I could serve a purpose in the USMC. After running the entry-level fitness test in some baggy sweatpants and some Kyrie’s, I was committed.

I got sent off to Parris Island, where I experienced a major culture shock, then Marine Combat Training (MCT) shortly after. MCT was very emotionally challenging as I felt like a very small cog in a very big machine. What I soon found out, after having my limits continually tested, was that I could be the biggest cog in the machine that I wanted to be.

A few days before the final hike, I remember falling ill with pneumonia. This hike was the culminating event for MCT and was twelve miles long while carrying a one-hundred-pound pack. After completing it, I remember falling asleep on my pack but then I woke up in the Naval Hospital hooked up to IVs. They told me I had a fever of 103.6 and that I had simply walked up to the front desk and, when asked to take a seat, passed out in the chair. I was sent back to my platoon and everyone was getting ready to be sent off to their respective schools.

I learned the basics of being a Data Systems Administrator and was sent off to 3rd Battalion 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. Satellite communications became my area of expertise as I operated various satellite systems, usually attached to vehicles. I received the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for mission-related reasons, and I separated from the USMC with an honorable discharge on April 8th, 2022. I loved my Marine Corps experience and will cherish it till my last breath. I was excited for the world to meet the new and improved Ryan, but I soon found I had underestimated the struggles of civilian life. My journey eventually brought me to the doorstep of the Irvine Valley Veteran Services Center, where other veterans such as myself are helping each other thrive in the civilian sector.