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TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - Diane Durden served nearly 24 years in
the Marine Corps and continues to work with Marines as a Family
Readiness Officer.
I was a very rebellious teenager. Nothing
criminal. Normal '80s teenage mischief. Staying out late, not being
where I was suppose to be.
My mom didn't want me (to join
the Marine Corps). The more she didn't want me to, the more I was
anxious and eager to do that.
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September 17, 2013 - Diane Durden served 24 years in the Marine Corps and continues
to work with Marines as a Family Readiness Officer. (U.S. Marine
Corps photo by Cpl. Ali Azimi)
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At the time, I had met some Marines that were stationed
near my house. I thought what they did was interesting and
exciting. Although it really wasn't, because they were gate
guards. Now I know!
I was bored with school and felt
that I was not going to get anything out of going to
college. I didn't want my parents to waste their money by me
going to school so having met these Marines and becoming
friends with them just gave me a natural interest in that.
I run marathons. I
didn't run a marathon 'til I was 40. It was part of my
“mid-life crisis,” ... one of those bucket-list things.
When I was in the Marine Corps I hated running. It was
not something I did for enjoyment. I ran, for physical
training at lunch time or before work, because I needed to
maintain my height and weight standards and of course, I
wanted a first-class PFT. That was the extent of my running.
Once I started adding that mileage, going five
miles, six miles, 10 miles, I realized that I really enjoy
running, just not three miles. I feel like I'm just getting
warmed up at that point.
I've done nearly 60
marathons and several ultra-marathons.
The first one
I ran was the Marine Corps Marathon and I've run one every
year since then, to include running it again this year.
A marathon is 26.2 miles. That's the standard marathon
distance. An ultra-marathon is anything beyond that.
I've done a 100-mile (marathon), but it was over several
days. It was over last New Year, when I went to Phoenix,
Ariz. I signed up for the 72-hour race. The object is to get
in as many miles as you can in that time period.
I
could have done much more than I did, however, I napped a
lot. I went way off my plan. My plan was to do 20 miles, nap
for a few hours, nap for another 20 miles and do that
throughout the whole weekend. I did the 20 miles and I ended
up sleeping all night. I made my camp-site way too comfy.
Things you would eat normally are the best things in
the middle of the night after you've done 30 miles.
My first ultra that I did – I do not like canned chicken
noodle soup – and I swear they had that at one of the aid
stations and that was the best chicken noodle soup I've ever
had.
I like to push myself to see what my limits
are. I think as a whole, as people, we don't ever really
know what our limits are, because we are afraid to push
ourselves to what they are or we set what our limit is and
realize that's not your limit when you could have gone
farther.
I was stationed in Ohio, my last
duty-station, and just like every Marine I had to take
Separations and Transition Assistance Program and because
there wasn't one located right where we were, I chose to
come out here.
I had already known that I wanted to
do something with public affairs or media related. So I met
with (Mr. James Ricker, G-5 Deputy Director) and said, “Here
are some of my ideas and I'd really like to come work with
you when I retire." He was very enthusiastic about that.
However, when I retired there was a hiring freeze, but there
was a contractor opportunity at the PAO office. I applied
for it and fortunately for me they (hired me).
I was
originally just supposed to do “admin and assist” stuff in
the public affairs office, but they knew what I wanted to do
ultimately.
The second day I was there they handed
me a camera and said, “Here. Go take pictures of this
event.” It was a (Single Marine Program) haunted house up at
the East Gym.
I didn't even know how to turn the
camera on. I had to get the operator's manual out. Some of
the Marines were helpful, but some of them were like,
“Nobody told us. Here you go.”
In my time in the
Corps, one of my favorite billets that I held was a platoon
commander at the School of Infantry. I worked at medical
rehab platoon. So students that got injured or sick in
training would come to my platoon and I would monitor them;
help keep them motivated, help keep them out of trouble,
keep them on track so we can get them healed and back to
training.
It was one of my favorite duty stations
and one of my most emotionally trying. There were issues
with Marines that became emotionally draining sometimes.
Marines that you became close to that no matter what you do
medically, they still weren't going to be able to go back to
training.
But I also had the most fun with that job
too. I felt like I had a positive impact on young Marines as
they were coming into the Marine Corps.
When I went
to boot camp in 1983, women fired the M16, but did not
qualify with it. I did not qualify with the rifle until I
was already in the Marine Corps ... almost two years.
The biggest change that I've seen is just the women and
our role in the Marine Corps. Many more opportunities have
opened up.
One of the funniest things I think, when
I was a young lance corporal, we were issued slacks with our
uniform, but we weren't allowed to wear them off base. We
had to wear skirts with our uniforms.
I wanted to be
in color guard, but women didn't learn that in boot camp
like male Marines did. I had to take the initiative to learn
it on my own.
I was a casualty assistance call
officer. That was absolutely, no kidding, the hardest thing
I have ever, ever, ever had to do; to notify a mom that her
Marine daughter was killed.
Going and knocking on
that mom's door, every parent knows what it means to have a
Marine come and knock on your door like that. I don't wish
that experience on anybody, to have to do that.
By USMC Cpl. Ali Azimi
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2013
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