1974 Journalist gives up job to become a Marine

A 32 year old Wall Street Journal reporter in poor physical condition decided to go for it and become a Marine officer after living in China for 7 years and reporting on the tsunami last December. He'd been disgusted and sicked by the murder of a colleague and the beheading of Americans. He wanted to become part of something bigger than himself and so he trained and disciplined himself until he could pass the requirements. What made him give up what some would see as a wonderful career? On December 15 he wrote his story in the WSJ:

"It's a cliché that you appreciate your own country more when you live abroad, but it happens to be true. Living in China for the last seven years, I've seen that country take a giant leap from a struggling Third World country into a true world power. For many people it still comes as a surprise to learn that China is chasing Japan as the second-largest economy on the globe and could soon own a trillion dollars of American debt.

But living in China also shows you what a nondemocratic country can do to its citizens. I've seen protesters tackled and beaten by plainclothes police in Tiananmen Square, and I've been videotaped by government agents while I was talking to a source. I've been arrested and forced to flush my notes down a toilet to keep the police from getting them, and I've been punched in the face in a Beijing Starbucks by a government goon who was trying to keep me from investigating a Chinese company's sale of nuclear fuel to other countries."

HT to our Blue Star Mom, Beth.