18-year-old Monroe graduates from Marine Boot Camp with broken bones

MONROE, Michigan — Karine Hoppe was in the middle of basic training for the Marine Corps when she fractured both her hip and pelvis.

For some, that would be the end of the road. But the 18-year-old from Monroe, Michigan hasn’t given up on getting her uniform.

She didn’t even know how badly injured she was until a few days before her graduation. She felt pain, but she was able to ignore her pain even during the toughest part of basic training.

It was to achieve the goal of serving the country, a dream he had had since graduating from high school.

“I wanted to make myself better. I know it sounds cheesy, but I wanted to do something to make my community and the world I live in better.

She felt the Marine Corps was the perfect place to do that.

However, it took a certain amount of persuasion to get her mother to participate.

“She thought it was a joke,” said Karine’s mother Stephanie Hoppe.

However, Stephanie changed her mind after having a helpful conversation with a recruiter. Kaylin soon finds herself getting off the bus at a recruiting station in Parris Island, South Carolina, doing her best to hide her dizziness.

“I know most people would be scared or nervous, but I tried not to laugh.

In the first few weeks she got used to a life of running, push-ups and long hikes.

“This is my box of letters,” said Stephanie. “I didn’t get a letter every day, but I got a letter in an envelope every day, so I get a letter every day, even if it’s just a little bit,” Stephanie said.

One thing Kaline didn’t mention in those letters was an accident that happened while hiking from the firing range.

“I don’t really remember feeling that, I just remember the pain that followed,” Kaline said.

Not only does she not remember the immediate pain, she also doesn’t know how she broke the bone. But with her graduation fast approaching, she decided to work through her pain with medical help.

With three fractures that made the basic act of walking so painful, she faced the final challenge of boot camp. Crucible, combat scenarios, limited food and sleep, and her 54-hour test that includes a 9-mile hike.

Kaline said her broken bones screamed in the last few miles of her hike, but the sense of accomplishment she felt upon graduation more than made up for it.

“I wasn’t able to walk the deck of the parade, but I was able to sit and watch my sisters graduate. It’s one of the best feelings I’ve ever had,” she said.

And it was at graduation that Stephanie finally found out about Kaelene’s injury. At first she was horrified when she learned that her daughter had been injured. But when she found out what Kaline had overcome to get to that parade her deck, she realized just how strong she was.

“She’s my hero,” said Stephanie. She is a role model and the strongest person I know. “

Kaline is currently working on physical therapy before starting her next workout. Again if she can run 3 miles in 30 minutes or less she will be cleared soon. She then heads to Florida to specialize in aviation.

And she looks forward to starting a long and successful career in the Marine Corps.