Marine recruiter's words on growth and grit strike a chord

A Marine Corps recruiter is drawing attention online after sharing remarks he made at a noncommissioned officer recruitment seminar, explaining why he chose to serve in the Marines.

Staff Sgt. Jeong Won-gyo posted a video Wednesday to social media under the title "Why I Chose the Marine Corps," sharing footage from a past seminar. "When I look back someday, I hope it will be remembered not as the hardest time but as the time I grew the most," he said in the post.

In the video, Jeong said he had not wanted to have the same military experience as everyone else. "I didn't want to go through the military the same way other people did," he said. "Training was genuinely brutal. But after pushing through moments when I wanted to quit — time that felt like pure hell — something clicked, dopamine hit, and it was like a whole new world opened up. From that point on, it became a source of pride in my life."

"The Marine Corps is a place for people who want to grow through hardship," he said, adding that even among those who join, some spend their weekends lying in the barracks with the air conditioning on, scrolling through short-form videos on their phones."

And yet, he noted, "among those same people, there are some who go outside to do pull-ups or go for a run, and some who head to the study room to hit the books." "That one difference in attitude can, particularly for us men, turn your life completely around," he said.

When Jeong asked the audience, "Is there such a thing as a free lunch in this world — yes or no?" everyone in the room shouted back: "No."

Online commenters responded warmly, with reactions including: "I want to become a Marine like this recruiter," "My son is joining the Marines — hearing these words puts my mind at ease," "Special reconnaissance is so cool," "The Marines aren't for just anyone" and "Impressive."