Hillbilly Elegy

Marine Corps boot camp is set up as
a life-defining challenge. From the day
you arrive, no one calls you by your first
name. You’re not allowed to say “I”
because you’re taught to mistrust your
own individuality. Every question begins
with “This recruit”—This recruit needs
to use the head (the bathroom); This
recruit needs to visit the corpsman (the
doctor). The few idiots who arrive at
boot camp with Marine Corps tattoos
are mercilessly berated. At every turn,
recruits are reminded that they are
worthless until they finish boot camp and
earn the title “marine.” Our platoon
started with eighty-three, and by the time
we finished, sixty-nine remained. Those