My vision started to fail on mile four of the six-mile hike. Small white specks flickered across my field of vision. The next thing to go was my hearing, followed by my ability to walk in a straight line. My platoon sergeant saw the signs of heat stroke and forced me to stop. I should have stopped myself, but all I could think was: you will finish this, or you will die trying. At 105.6 degrees, my brain had started to physically breakdown. My mentality, on the other hand, proved less impressionable. My father was a Marine, and from a young age, I felt compelled to give back in the same way. I went to Officer Candidate School with the sole intention of proving myself capable of leading Marines but finished with an improved self-awareness.
