Tadie views military as great life lesson

BY EMILY DEE
Cardinal Staff

Veteran’s Day, also known asArmistice Day, is celebrated annually on Nov. 11 to commemorate those who served or are currently serving in the armed forces. One of those honored is Saint Mary’s University philosophy professor, Joseph Tadie, a United States Marines veteran.

With a father who served in the military, one may think this was Tadie’s major motivating factor for joining the armed forces, but a desire to visit France was how everything started.

As a kid in high school, Tadie saved enough money from his job in order to afford the trip. His parents, however, had a different plan for him - college. In hopes of pleasing his parents and fulfilling his own desires, Tadie applied for a full military scholarship given only to top students. “The scholarship included free tuition and books, complete with a food and clothing stipend,” said Tadie. “You had to have the grades, the community service hours and superior physical abilities as well. On top of that, there had to be approval from a congressman and a senator plus letters of recommendation.”

Awarded the full scholarship in 1986, Tadie chose the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, where he completed his basic training. This included everything from scaling walls and swimming through water during an oil fire, to scuba diving, flight training and target shooting. While Tadie never went on to continue his full training, he still found the experience exhilarating.

“I loved the competition, being able to be physically active outdoors, and pushing myself to the limit, but I couldn’t believe that it (the Marines) was God’s purpose for me,” said Tadie.

After many debates, Tadie was able to convince officers to give him an honorable discharge. “I just found another purpose in life,” said Tadie. “I believed my skills could be put to better use, so I refused commission on the grounds of conscience.”

Despite choosing a career out of the military, Tadie believes his experience was a good one and helped him figure out what he really wanted to do with his life.

“The thought of what my life would have been like if I had stayed in the military (retirement in 20 years, a nice place, a wife, etc.) still sticks with me,” said Tadie. “I still find my time in the military to be a great life lesson.”