memoir

 Criminal justice is a broad system that includes the practices and institutions that are put into place to uphold the law. The system aims to sustain social control, diminish crime and hold those who violate the law responsible for their actions. Laws are rules that the government sets and enforces, and laws often help maintain order within society. As a citizen of the united states I grew up in a society based around certain laws that I was expected to follow. However the society in which I grew up in made it challenging to obey those laws. I was born and raised in the city of Brockton Massachusetts for most of my childhood life, where drugs, gangs and violence became a norm for me very early in life. It was while living in Brockton where I had to make hard choices that would forever affect the man I was to become. It was while living in Brockton where I learned that criminal justice would perpetually be an important part of my life. It took a long time for me to fully understand the impact in which it had.

 Brockton was a challenging environment where poverty and violence was affecting everyone in the community. With my mother working long hours, I quickly learned that I had to be self reliant, in doing so I made friends who were in a similar case. I lacked discipline and I was making my own rules. I lied, did drugs, and broke the law relentlessly without being caught.  When I was 15 years old I robbed a gas station at gun point. I was caught and charged. After a long court process resulting in me being put on probation. My father gained custody of me where he instilled discipline, and taught me the difference between right and wrong. Maybe it was getting arrested, or maybe it was a change of scenery, but I realized at that point that I couldn't be the person I was and I desperately needed to change. I was tired of hurting the people in my life that were suppose to matter the most.

While in high school I made the decision to join the United States Marine Corps where I felt I could benefit from the structure while serving my country. In 2008 I deployed to Ramadi, Iraq as a Machine gunner. There was no fighting and we acted like a police force ensuring the locals were not committing crimes against the public. It was an easy seven month deployment that made me very grateful for the things I have in my life. I returned home in 2009 and was put into a leadership role where we started training for a deployment to an unknown destination. Little did I know that by 2010 I would be in Afghanistan. I deployed with some of the most respectful and courageous men I have had the pleasure of knowing. We worked tirelessly while engaging in some of the most horrendous firefights Afghanistan has ever seen. It is my deepest regret that we did not get to bring all the guys home alive. I lost one of my best friends and mentor while I was over in that terrible place. Unfortunately there are some things you can not change. What I have learned from his death is that regardless of how much I try or want for things to change, there are always going to be evil people in the world wanting to do harm on others. I feel as though it is my moral obligation to keep these things from happening in any way, shape,  or form. Although I have always thought about being a Massachusetts State Trooper, the events leading up to this point in my life has set that goal in stone.

 My enlistment from the Marine Corps ended in June. I'm now taking the appropriate steps towards my overall goal which is to become a Massachusetts State Trooper. From my early childhood where I lived the life of crime, to early adult years where I swore to protect my country against all enemies foreign and domestic. It seems my whole life was based around the concept of crime and justice. It just so happens that my theme is actually the thing that made me the man I am today. I have learned from my mistakes and I plan to be a better role model for others to emulate. My theme crime and justice has been a very important factor in my life that I take very serious. Hopefully someday I will be able to lower crime while increasing justice as an occupation.