themontashu said:
My mom is very much supportive of our troops but does not want me to join and will not have it, what can I do to convince her?
Okay, aside from the fact that mom's never want to see their babies be in harm's way, you might consider that instead of convincing her that you mitigate her concerns. See what numbers you can dig up scout sniper survival. I seem to recall that they have a lower loss rate than other battle positions, in part due to the fact that much of their job involves NOT engaging the enemy, but being clandestine information gatherers. So you might could present the argument that you are going into the Marines regardless of your mother's opinion and that you are picking one of the safer jobs. Never mind the fact that if you are caught spying, you will be dealt with harshly and the fact that the enemy, any enemy, hates snipers. Just glaze over those facets.
Heck, in Jarheads (book, not movie, I haven't seen the movie) that is by a marine scout sniper, the author and his partner never fired a single shot at the enemy during Desert Storm and never had small arms fire directed at him. When fired upon, it was while with other marines and the Iraqi mortar attack on them was nothing compared to the friendly fire damage inflicted. Not having fired at the enemy is a point that is lamented some and he decides that he is better off for not having to be put in a position to kill anyone directly.
As noted, don't trust your recruiter. No matter how much honor he claims as a Marine, you are nothing but a sweet victim child in the eyes of a child molester. He will attempt to draw you in, gain your respect and friendship, offer you treats, tell you of wonderful things he can and will do for you, and then when the time comes, you will end up as a powerless victim of his sick scheme. That is, if he is good at his job. Remember that he does not have your best interest at heart and that once you are in the Marines, he won't be around to make sure all that he promised will come through for you.
I don't know your chances of becoming a scout sniper, but it might be prudent that you develop your skills now so that you can at least demonstrate you have the capabilities when the time comes. I can't recall if it was for the Marines or not, but you need to be able to hit a 4x6" steel rectangle target at 600 yards consistently. That is just one facet at which you will need to be skilled, but one you can practice yourself.