Lt. Peters, USMC, guest *new 28Feb*

28Feb15 NYTimes essay about killing; written by a Marine officer. 

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/03/01/opinion/sunday/how-we-learned-to-kill.html?referrer=

Questions for our guest, Lt. Peters, USMC

Students: what questions do you have for Lt. Peters?  She will be with us next week (4 Feb) from 3:00-3:45.  She is a 1st Lt. in the United States Marine Corps.  She has seen some combat, which she will describe at least briefly on Weds.  She is now a recruiter for the region.

Here are some that I thought of:

* Tell us about your background, including what you studied at university.  Why the USMC?

* What is your combat experience?

* What training, if any, have you had in preparing for the possibility that you might die in combat?

* Have you discussed your funeral arrangements, prepared a will, etc. with your next of kin?

* Have you discussed death & dying with your fellow Marines?

* What insight do you have into human nature?  What did you learn about yourself or human nature by becoming a Marine, by serving in combat, and in your other responsibilities?

* What training have you had in suicide prevention for your fellow Marines?  What initiatives have been instituted to reduce the post-combat suicide rates for returning veterans?

* What gives your life meaning?  Are you living a good life?

* What advice do you have for young people about living a good, meaningful life?

These are questions from my students in last semester.

• What made you choose the Marine Corps instead another branch of the military?
• Are there any times where you wanted to just give up after experiencing tragedies during combat? 
• How do you now deal with death since you have been through combat, and now a recruiter?  
• How do you prepare yourself for going into combat, especially with the knowledge that death could be near? 
• Do you feel you have been desensitized towards death and violence after being in combat and seeing people die?  Are you now numb to death? do you see the enemy's death as less than your own?
• What was it like to face death each day? How did you deal with that? Did you have to alter your beliefs when you joined the marines?
• Do you feel like you lose a piece of yourself or moral structure when preparing for combat?
• Did you ever doubt the true motive of being at war? 
• How did you adapt to coming home to the United States? 
• What is it like to be a female marine and did you ever face sexist conflicts?  
• Have you had any experience with innocent casualties such as children? If so, how is that something you deal with?
• Have you lost any loved ones in combat such as relative or members of a unit? Does this either push you towards your goal or make you want to give it up?
• In combat zones and conflict areas, are there people like grief counselors or psychiatrists there to help any soldiers who may be struggling with the loss of a comrade? 
• Do you miss it? Do you wish you could go back in to combat? 
• Why should a person wishing to serve in the military chose the Marine Corps over the other four [sic] branches? 
• What is the average age of a recruit coming into the Marine Corps?
• What do you plan on doing after being a recruiter? Do a different Marine Corps job? Or something different, like a chef or a real estate agent?