Military

Apr 1, 2009
1,067
1
33
California
Tomorrow I will be officially signing papers to join the United States Navy. I was curious how many other magicians on this site are or were a part of the military? How that affected or benefited your progress in the art, etc...
 

Mike.Hankins

creator / <a href="http://www.theory11.com/tricks/
Nov 21, 2009
435
0
Sacramento, Cali
Tomorrow I will be officially signing papers to join the United States Navy. I was curious how many other magicians on this site are or were a part of the military? How that affected or benefited your progress in the art, etc...

United States Marines here...
02-06

2 combat tours to Iraq, 2 purple hearts. :)

Boot Camp took me away from anything magic related. Then I went to MCT or Marine Combat Training. I was able to carry a deck of cards with me there...and any chance I had, I was performing for fellow Marines, Officers, etc.

When I got stationed in Camp Lejeune, NC, I was booking regular gigs. Try looking into your local E-Club and see if they would be interested in that kind of entertainment.

When I was in Iraq, I was the troop morale booster. I performed almost everyday for my Marines. And then Christmas Eve, 2004...David Letterman came on over and did a show where we were stationed. I was able to perform for his show. It was awesome.

Good luck!

Mike
 
don't worry dude, being in the military is really shallow. After basic training, you will have all the time in the world to work on your material. I really do mean you have all the time in the world to work on your material.
 
Dec 12, 2009
273
0
London Uk
Ahh I am against war and against the military and the invasion of Iraq, mainly because I am Iraqi but there are many reasons I could think of that oppose me to any type of war, but that does not fit in a magic forum so...

Good luck, and I hope you continue to pursue your magic :D
 
Dec 18, 2009
399
1
Tomorrow I will be officially signing papers to join the United States Navy. I was curious how many other magicians on this site are or were a part of the military? How that affected or benefited your progress in the art, etc...

Jason England was in the airforce. Good luck in the Navy. Thanks for fighting for our country. (no sarcasm intended I really mean it.)
 
Jan 16, 2008
379
0
Asher,

God bless!
And an advice for a wonderful trick to perform to boost morale will be LIFE by Daniel Garcia. Beautiful, beautiful effect. A nice addition would be to let your fellow soldiers write all their hopes and desires onto a piece of paper about the size of the bill, and then do LIFE. Full of meaning, full of life.

:D
 
Nov 10, 2007
1,706
1
Tomorrow I will be officially signing papers to join the United States Navy. I was curious how many other magicians on this site are or were a part of the military? How that affected or benefited your progress in the art, etc...

I have never been in the Navy or anyhting of that sort, but I really would like to thank you for fighting for our country, I will make sure to say a prayer for you and God Bless.

Thank you
- Donald
 
Tomorrow I will be officially signing papers to join the United States Navy. I was curious how many other magicians on this site are or were a part of the military? How that affected or benefited your progress in the art, etc...

I'm currently serving as a United States Marine Corps Officer. To be honest, occasionally-- the military obligations have taken over my life, but I still have the time to study and pursue magic pretty intensely as well. I even perform (professionally) every now and again. Depending on how seriously you take your commitment to serve, I think you'll begin to appreciate magic as a hobby more than a complete obsession.

On an interesting side-note, I just spoke with Nate Staniforth about my experiences overseas. I was actually able to use close-up magic to unite my unit with some of the Iraqi linguists we worked with. When I first arrived in country, they were very skeptical of our motives and really didn't trust the Marines at all. I'm assuming previous commands didn't offer them the respect they deserved, and in turn-- their work ethic lacked in various regards and in some cases, the Iraqis were straight-up indignant to my men and me. Instead of firing them from their only (valuable) source of income with coalition forces, I attempted to make a significant connection with them. I was confident magic would be able to do it. I remember doing a brief close-up act silently, using pebbles and sand and borrowed items. Each effect seemed to break down layers of prejudice between "them" and "us." I was very surprised and amazed by the difference in dynamic of our relationship.

Over the next seven months, I continued to build upon this foundation and I eventually won their whole-hearted trust and confidence. I found that Iraqis are a very social, resourceful people-- much unlike what we often see on the television today. By the end of the deployment, the linguists aided in over 400 convoys, and each convoy commander noticed the significantly positive change in their productivity and work ethic. I felt as if I made some genuine friends there-- I drank a lot of tea and broke a lot of bread. I was also blessed with many gifts on my return home. They enjoyed the magic I performed and the working relationship we had so much, that they all gave my men and me various souvenirs ranging from an antique Koran to a (pricey) golden elephant. I was really humbled and thankful for the entire experience.

Magic definitely has the potential of breaking many boundaries: social, cultural, etc. My experience in Iraq personally proved that magic is not a mere visual art like so many people presume; it's a social, interpersonal art that has its basis in people and the relationship created between the spectator and performer. The trivial effects aren't what makes magic art-- in my opinion, it's the feeling of wonder and how you paint it for people watching what you offer. Through that, I do believe it's genuinely possible to bring people together cohesively. My first-hand experience in Iraq opened my eyes to that...

Much luck to you in your endeavors in the Navy. I'm confident it will be a colorful experience.


RS.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Semper fizzle

I was in the Marine Corps for 8 years. I had more than enough chances to do magic for the troops. In fact, my commanding officer, made me learn a new trick every day before I got out, which ended up being 6 months.. so that kind of propelled my learning experience.

Good luck in the Navy..

N. Never

A. Again

V. Volunteer

Y. Yourself..

LOL!

M. My

A. Ass

R. Rides

I. In

N. Navy

E. Equipment
 
Apr 1, 2009
1,067
1
33
California
Thank you all for your prayers, thoughts, and support. I just completed the first half of MEPS (processing) yesterday and today. very long days, been up nearly 20 straight hours today... Thank you all also for giving me some more insight into the military life and the advantages of using the art within it. This is the biggest adventure of my life. Not something I ever foresaw myself doing. But it feels like the right thing so I took the plunge. I hope I'm able to benefit as a person and an artist from the experiences that I'm sure to gain.
 
Apr 1, 2009
1,067
1
33
California
My dad was in the Air Force as well. Retired now. It will surely be a different adventure doing this on my own. In a new branch. If I get to see amazing places, meet amazing people, learn a ton, this will be worth the 4 years.
 
Apr 10, 2010
4
0
Navy life so far for me is pretty decent, in the bootcamp portion you won't have any time for yourself and of course expect all the cursing etc.

You will have plenty of time to work on your material unless you go nuke or special forces. I'm part of the SECF program and we have soooooooo much free time that it's a bit ridiculous.

If you decide to go you won't regret it, nothing but benefits. PM me more for what's it like when you start off, I'm still doing my A school and stuff and what type of job you would like. I talk to several people in different jobs.
 
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