MONROE, Mich. — Kaline Hoppe was midway through Marine basic training when she fractured both of her hips and pelvis.
For some, that would be the end of the road. But the 18-year-old from Monroe, Michigan, didn't let it stop her from earning the uniform.
She didn't even know how badly she was injured until a couple of days before graduation. She felt sore, but she was able to ignore the pain through even the toughest portion of basic training.
It was all to achieve her goal of serving her country, a dream she's had since right after graduating high school.
"I wanted to do something to better myself, and as cheesy as it sounds, I wanted to do something to better my community and the world that I live in," Kaline said.
She felt the Marine Corps would be the perfect place to do that.
However, it took some convincing to get her mom on board.
"I thought she was kidding," Kaline's mother Stephanie Hoppe said.
But Stephanie changed her mind after an informative conversation with a recruiter and Kaline soon found herself getting off the bus at the Parris Island recruit depot in South Carolina, trying her best to hide her giddiness.
"I know most people would be scared or nervous, but I was trying not to laugh," Kaline said.
For the first few weeks, she grew accustomed to a life of running, push-ups and long hikes. She made sure to set aside time to write letters home, too.
"This is my box of letters," Stephanie said. "I didn't get a letter every day but I did get a letter every day in an envelope. So I have a letter from every day, even if it was just a little bit," said Stephanie.
One thing Kaline didn't mention in those letters was an accident that happened during one of their hikes back from the range.
"I don't really remember feeling it, I just remember the pain afterward," Kaline said.
Not only does she not remember the immediate pain, but she also doesn't know how she broke the bones either. But graduation was just on the horizon, so she decided to push through the pain despite the medical assistance available to her.
With three broken bones that made the basic act of walking immensely painful, she faced boot camp's final challenge: the crucible, a 54-hour test that includes combat scenarios, limited food and sleep and a 9-mile hike.
While Kaline said her broken bones were screaming at her in the final miles of the hike, the sense of accomplishment she felt at graduation made up for it.
"I wasn't able to walk on the parade deck, but I got to sit and watch my sisters graduate and it was one of the best feelings ever," she said.
And it was at graduation that Stephanie finally learned about Kaline's injuries. She was terrified at first to learn her daughter had been hurt. But when she learned what Kaline overcame to get to that parade deck, she saw how strong she really was.
"She's my hero," Stephanie said. She is a role model and she is the strongest person I know."
Now, Kaline is working through physical therapy before she starts her next portion of training. She'll be cleared as soon as she can run three miles in under 30 minutes again. After that, she'll head down to Florida to specialize in aviation.
And she's excited to start a long and fruitful career with the Marine Corps.