First, I want to thank the men who served, like my father in the war in Vietnam. Every time someone thanks me for my service, however artificially, I accept it on his and his fellow vets behalf. Second, I want to flip the script. I want to thank the Marine Corps and my fellow Marines for everything theyve done for me. I really received a lot. In no particular order, and by no means an exhaustive list: I learned who I really am, beyond the egos masking operation and the noise of everyday life. This fulfilled (although its an ongoing journey) the ancient philosophers injunction to know thyself and lead an examined life. If you think about it, an examination is not solely an intellectual endeavor, but often involves poking, prodding and testing. Ill stop here. I got to serve in a genuine, active duty Fighter squadron that was once commanded by Pappy Boyington and Joe Foss. This provided a sense of being connected to history that no number of books achieved. Also had the opportunity to load live ordnance and perform minor maintenance tasks on those same aircraft. I not only traveled to destinations of incredible historic value, e.g., Wake Island, Guam, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, the town in Thailand where the Bridge over the River Kwai was built, and whats left of it, crossed the border into Cambodia, tasted the cold of Korea in early spring, and experienced the hospitality of the Philipine air force at the Former Clark Air Field; but I traveled there with a purpose, not just as a tourist wandering around checking boxes on a check list. I was able to see Japan which was a dream from adolescence. I learned to shoot and maintain rifles, pistols and shotguns; I learned far more about bureaucratic infighting than I ever wanted to. I was taught the principles of logistics planning and organization, communicating to large groups and was given a frame of reference for interpreting the interplay between concrete self-interest and the intangibles of moral principle and faith. I experienced first hand the harm that people experience when forced to operate under poor leadership, and how vulnerable one is when locked into relying on a system when that system fails. A negative lesson in the importance of Liberty. I dont want to over emphasize this; I had put myself on the path before enlisting but the Marine Corps certainly helped me fully eradicate the one form of contempt, bigotry and hatred that is still allowed and encouraged in the area in which I was raised. Through shared experience any vestiges of the belief that rural, southern, especially caucasian Americans were somehow less than the rest of us disappeared. Finally, and harking back to where I started, I met several individuals, not all of whom were or are outstanding in any objective, quantifiable way, who by their behavior compelled my respect. I am grateful that so many apparently see something in me worth staying in touch with. So, thank you Marine Corps, and thank you VMFA-122.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 02:03:48 +0000
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