Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Semper Fi -- Bravo Zulu

Cassy has posted an article regarding Marines receiving the Navy Cross. I do appreciate her support of the Marines; yes, I know, her guy is a Marine.

As I read her post, I was reminded of the eleven general orders every Marine ingests, and makes an integral part of their being. For those who are not aware, I have them below.

1. To take charge of this post and all government property in view.

2. To walk my post in a military manner, keeping always on the alert, and observing everything that takes place within sight or hearing.

3. To report all violations of orders I am instructed to enforce.

4. To repeat all calls from posts more distant from the guardhouse than my own.

5. To quit my post only when properly relieved.

6. To recieve, obey, and pass on to the sentry who relieves me, all orders from the Commanding Oficer, Officer Of the Day, and officers, and noncomissioned officers of the guard only.

7. To talk to no one except in the line of duty.

8. To give the alarm in case of fire or disorder.

9. To call the corporal of the guard in any case not covered by instructions.

10. To salute all officers, and all colors and standards not cased.

11. To be especially watchful at night and, during the time for challenging, to challenge all persons on or near my post, and to allow no one to pass without proper authority.

After being in the Corps for a while, and having walked guard duty, other than recruit fire watch, I, for one, came to embrace the unwritten second general order:

To walk my post from flank to flank and take no shit from any rank.

There really is no ranking over the Marine sentry, that is, until you have been allowed to demonstrate you have authority to be there.

As an aside, when on the carrier, I had the responsibility of the repair locker forward third deck. After setting dog zebra, the rule was no one could enter or exit through the water tight doors without permission from damage control central.

Well, third deck is crew living quarters, and inevitably there would be watch standers from CIC breaking dog zebra to go to their racks after their watch.

Hello!?!

Last time I checked, we were at general quarters, we got people laying in the rack? OK, yes, my Marine training is kicking in. Can you believe my fellow chief's took umbrage at my not allowing troops to break dog zebra, nor go to their racks?

Sheese!!

Bravo Zulu to Yale and Haerter, two Marines who demonstrated what it means to be a Marine, on guard duty, and chose not to endanger their fellow Marines.

They are now standing guard duty within the gates of heaven...you didn't know God was a fan of the Marine Corps?

Shame on you.

When I reach the gates of heaven, to St. Peter I will tell,
another Marine reporting, Sir, I've served my time in hell.

Semper Fi!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

OK, it is the last Sunday of the year 2008.

More and more, I am realizing the old adage is quite true: "Too soon old, too late smart!"

Thus, life really is too short...so always eat dessert first; cuz you may not have time after eating the meal.

I commented to a cashier one time that life is kinda like a roll of toilet paper, the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes. She informed me that she thought that was a gross idea; and didn't appreciate me telling it to her.

I haven't been posting the past number of days, cuz, I kinda been on the road. Spent Christmas day, and the day after with my two children in Kansas. Had a wonderful time.

Today, I am holed up in the transient quarters at the Air Force base outside of Omaha. Really not in any hurry to get back up north...

So, historically {or perhaps hysterically} we generally take the end of the year, and the beginning of the new year to reflect on how we did; and where we want to be this time next year. Some do new year's resolutions...hoping they will be able to change something about their life they either don't like, or have found out others don't like. And usually, within the first month of the new year, they have forgotten about the resolutions; and their list is laid aside until next year.

Methinks it was Dr. Glasser who said something to the effect, that a person will continue to do destructive things in their life, until the pain becomes greater than the pleasure.

While in the Marine Corps, I was provided the opportunity to attend a drug counselor's training session at UCLA. It was considered to be cutting edge training. The course was two weeks long, and we were taken out on some field trips. One field trip I attended was down to Venice Beach. There were a number of people there who were, or had been pretty hard core drug addicts. One woman, I had the privilege of talking with, was 30 years, and had been a heroin addict for ten years. She related that she woke up one morning, and said to herself, that she was sick of doing heroin, and what it was doing to her, and she decided she had had enough.

In the movie, "The Bucket List" we find the two stars' lives brutally interrupted by cancer. The bucket list is merely a list of things they have always wanted to do, but never had the time to do them.

And, I guess it is true, that when you are facing eternity, you do reflect on your life, and where you are going.

There is not one person living on God's green earth, that has a written guarantee they will live to be a certain age. I am not talking about life after this life. Some even go so far as to say, that when we are born, we begin the dying process.

And methinks, this brings us right back to the idea of new year's resolutions. To my military mind, it seems more appropriate to act on a desire to change your life, rather than making a list.

You know: making a list, and checking it twice, trying to find out what's naughty or nice.

So, with that piece of information, I extend to one and all, a heartfelt wish for a great, healthful, prosperous year; and that you will be all you truly wish to be.