The reason the author picked being a marine as the basis of this visual text is because the author's brother, Kyle, is a marine and the author is very familiar with the ups and downs of his life. Some of the pictures used show the not so bad parts of what he has to go through but a few of the pictures pull at the viewers heart strings just a bit. There are some pictures used that are not him but were the same things he has been through. These pictures have a sense of realism along with the use of perspective and symbols to show how the author has a close relationship to her brother who is a marine and the feelings that they provoke. 

To Begin with, the perspective used in these pictures aids in the explanation of difficulties and struggles one gets from them. The first picture that was used with the caption, "The Beginning", are the footprints at Parris Island, which is where 17,000 new recruits annually, go for boot camp. These footprints represent their first steps into becoming a marine. The perspective used in the picture is a close up on a few of the yellow footprints that are at the base. The close up gives a personal feel to the prints and makes one think of the people who have had the honor to stand in them. The fact that all the footprints are identical coinsides with the fact that once the men get off that bus at Parris Island they are given the same bald haircut and the same clothes to wear. The people that do this to them are trying to make them one of "The Few, The Proud, The Marines". They are trying to make them equally great as being men and soldiers.  The picture of the man coming home to his newborn baby that he is meeting for the first time uses the same up close and personal feel of the yellow footprints. This picture makes one think of the many sacrifices that these men make to protect us and their growing families. Lastly, the picture used to show a deployment is a far back look on what is going on. One sees the three men there kneeling in the sand and in the background there is a helicopter landing. This gives the scene a surreal aspect and gives one a chance to see a bunch of things going on at once. All of the men in the pictures are hiding their eyes with sunglasses and that makes it hard to tell them apart. They are one in the same when they get the title of a Marine. This perspective shines a light on there being a sense of brotherhood and them protecting their own. The same perspective can be used in the picture with the man hugging his wife and baby. The viewer cannot see his face which once again takes the personal aspect out of it because most of them go through the same things. 

Next there is the aspect of symbols that are used throughout the visual text. The yellow footprints are used as the marker of the beginning of a new marine's life. This is the first time they are doing something all marines that have made it through Parris Island have done. The picture of the marine coming home to his newborn and wife is one symbol that can be used of what a marine has to sacrifice to do his job. This could also be a symbol of their ever changing lives while they are away. They go off for months doing their job but at home everything is changing and they do not get the feel for it until they get home. So many marines have to miss the birth of their new child or miss the funerals of loved ones. When Kyle was in boot camp he missed the death of his uncle and he had to be told over the phone and was not allowed to come home. While he was in California for some training he had to do he missed the death of this fiances' mother that been battling ALS for years. These are just the few examples of the heartbreaking times that he had to miss because he is out doing his job. These go with the images becasuse they are examples of the author's brother going through tough times just like the men in the pictures. Another example of a symbol that was used in the visual text is the picture of the sign that reads "Welcome home Kyle We missed you" It is a symbol of how much families miss their loved ones when they are deployed. The sign could also be a symbol of relief. The relief that the marine is finally coming home and is out of that dangerous place where they have been for much of a year. One can finally let out a big breath of air because there they are once again in one's sights and in one's arms. That is one of the best feelings and the picture of that sign really shows that. One last example of symbolism used with these images is the picture of Kyle and the other marines in the back of the helicopter with the "Don't Tread on Me" flag behind them. This picture symbolizes their sense of brotherhood and dominance over their counterparts. The symbol of brotherhood is shown through them all being together and posted up with the flag in the background. The sense of brotherhood is huge with being a marine or being in any branch of the military. They are showing their dominance by standing like they are a team and no one can mess with them and the flag just aids in that. The Gadsden flag symbolizes that they are always ready to strike on whoever wants to do something against them. It is saying no one can do anything to them because the marines are a force to be reckoned with and they will not go down without a fight. 

The aspect of realism is a big part of this visual text. The pictures are real accounts of what marines have to go through to do their jobs. Every one of the pictures used have the aspect of realism. The yellow footprints represent here the situation gets real for the soon to be marine and that is where their future begins. The deployment picture shows the barren land they are in when they are deployed overseas and this makes it real that that is what they have to look forward to for 8 months or a year of their lives at a time. The picture of the marine coming home to his baby and wife shows the raw feelings of excitement and happiness that man felt when he could finally get his arms around his family. That is also a realistic portrayal of how much they give up to go and protect their families and ours. Next there is the story of Kyls's "brother" that has just been killed overseas that is in the picture with him and the other guys in the back of the helicopter. That story makes the hardships so real that they face on a daily basis. One minute you have your friend watching your back and you doing the same for him and the next minute you get the news that he has died and will not be coming home. That has to be one of the worst things they face with being a marine, when someone you call your brother dies and there is nothing you can do but go to his hometown and pay respects to him and his grieving family. The picture shows the brotherhood that they have while in the Marines. Lastly the picture of Kyle goofing off at work and planking on the filing cabinet makes the realness of the job and all the things they have to go through not so big of a deal just for that one moment they have to be a regular citizen and have fun with the people they depend on for their lives in many instances. 

All in all these pictures portray the ups and downs of the job of being a marine. Realism, prospective, and symbolism are used to show all the feelings that marines feel on a daily basis. There is the good and the bad to be able to call yourself a marine and that is a honorable title for one to have.   

