Some Conclusions
This paper has argued that men who sustain serious physical trauma that persists and gets in the way of their job performance are perceived as not belonging because of their inability to endure the pain of being a Marine.
And over time these injured enlisted infantrymen are labeled and stigmatized for their inability to perform. Then they are recycled or let go from the organization. This process of being seen as broken occurs in a variety of ways, and depends on the social, political, and economic contexts which informs the particular experience with pain. Thus it is always important to examine a marine's position in a field of social relations in order to grasp his experience with pain (Rosaldo 1989, 1993; Kan 1989).Being injured in an organization that places primacy on the ability to physically perform causes a crisis in the individual's identity. These individuals make sacrifices to belong all the time. And some are more extreme than others. And all know when they do not belong and why. Their understandings of the pain experience and its relationship to processes of social stigma and labeling reflect an insight into an organizational culture and structure which is intolerant to persistent pain and injury (especially if the trauma was not sustained on the battlefield). It also reflects an intense labeling process. In effect, Marines who are physically or emotionally “broken” during boot camp or soon after they are in the fleet might not heal, might never be fixed, and consequently cannot be reformed or remade. This metaphor of “broken” serves to raise doubts amongst one's peers—those who do belong, who are “normal,” who without physical or emotional injury are “unbroken.” They are the rightful members having earned the right to identity and belonging.
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