Three years ago, one of my brothers joined the Marine Reserves. It was a move that surprised everyone in my large, close-knit family of eight siblings, and a move that no one understood or wanted him to take. As a matter of fact, several of us tried fervently to talk him out of the making the commitment.
When he started boot camp in San Diego, six months later, all of us were resigned to his choice and supportive of him. As a family, we support each other and this meant overwhelming my brother with letters during his weeks in boot camp. He struggled to write everyone back, and when we received his letters, we struggled to wrap our brains around the experience he was going through. Even more than that, when we saw him at graduation, we struggled to understand the things that had suddenly changed about him and the fact that he wouldn't hardly smile.
During the months following, when my brother was attending the rest of his training for his MOS, my co-teacher, a former Marine himself, recommended this book to me. Not only did he recommend it to me, he also brought up his copy for me to borrow.
As a busy teacher, I stuck it on the pile of a dozen books I wanted to read in the near future. It sat there for over two years. I duly moved it from house to house (I think there were three moves during that time), and I even moved it to the top of the stack a few times.
When I finished reading "The Good German" a few weeks ago, I looked at my stack of books, trying to decide what aroused my interest in reading. I pulled this book out of the stack. I wasn't sure I wanted to read it yet, but I figured I'd give it a shot, as nothing else was looking interesting.
It's a step by step narrative, in the first person, from both the perspective of the father and the son, of the son's experience in boot camp. Like my brother, John Schaeffer joined the Marines out of the blue and against the will of his family. Also like my family, John's dad (and the rest of the family) rallied around him and supported him once he had joined and departed for boot camp.
Reading "Keeping Faith" enlightened me. It helped me understand what my brother went through, why it was hard for him to find time to write letters, why he told us not to send packages or write on the outside of his envelopes, why he was different when we saw him again at Family Day and graduation. As a loyal big sister, I had tried my best to understand. While I cannot say I fully understand now, I understand a little bit more of what my brother went through in boot camp and the reasons for his change in personality.
This book touched my heart, mostly because the relationship between my brother and I is a sore spot right now. It speaks volumes to the loyalty and love of family, even when they disagree over a life path one of their number has chosen to take.
I would recommend this book to several people. First, to those who have family in the Marines. It helps you understand, a little bit more, what they struggle so hard to put into words when they tell you the experience is hard but the best thing they have ever chosen to do. Second, I would recommend this book to young people who are considering the Marines. It seems to give you a small snapshot of what you are contemplating doing in joining the Marines. Third, I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a reminder of how important the unconditional love of family is, whether you agree with the choice your family member made or not.
"Keeping Faith" isn't really about keeping faith; it's about keeping the loving bonds strong in a family.
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