So normally on the Marine Corps birthday I like to say a little ditty about how as Marines we have a job to to and how we need to look to the past to succeed in the future, blah blah blah. This year Im going to do a little something different and give a little insight into the PEOPLE I served with what they brought to my experience in life and the Marine Corps. Where I think I flourished in the Marine Corps was my ability to make friends with just about anyone. If you want to talk about a diverse group of people thrown into a weird at least and dangerous at most situation our MEU platoons were it. We had our little squabbles and such but all and all we were a pretty locked on group. To this day the majority of my FB contacts are people from my floats, and honestly I probably interact with everyone at least weekly. I learned a lot from the people I deployed with, wether it was learning how to fish from Schumacher, how to raise Pit Bulls from Chris Theysupposedtohate Rice, more about radios from Otis Allen and Thomas Himes, or how to run a pseudo mafia family from Don Beano himself Isaac Luevanos, and his consigliere Patrick Ditty. Dont even get me started on the debauchery that I got into with Michael Zitney, Neil Bennett and John Cochran, or the countless beers I drank with Jon Rybkiewicz. If I forgot to mention you specifically in the above its not because I forgot about you or that I dont care I just need more material for later years LOL. I would like to single out two of the Shock Troops that had probably the biggest effects on me personally and professionally. Personality wise these two people couldnt be any more on the opposite side of the spectrum, but that just goes to show you how everyone effects you in positive ways. Those two people are Nathan Wilson, and Brad Foster. Brad and his family opened their home to me one Thanksgiving, and while that may not sound like very much for me at the time it WAS. I spent that entire 96 with the Fosters and honestly had one of the funnest weekends in memory. Brad is getting married soon and god willing will make eons of happy memories of his own. Nate Wilson, hes my Ace. When I was in and was struggling with some of the things that a lot of Marines take for granted him and Sgt. Himes were there to kick my ass when it needed kicking. Nate and Ditty pinned me on Corporal which is still one of the top 5 moments of my life. After we EASd Nate was always the 1st one I would get a call from on NOV 10th and on Christmas. Then one day I got a call from Nate asking if I knew where Selfridge Air National Guard base was, and when I said yeah 5 mins from my house his reply was good cuz guess what dickhead we are going to be neighbors. Nate helped me get into my current job with the US Border Patrol and for that I am eternally in his debt. He and Shannon have always treated me like family and even though they have moved on to bigger things I just want them to know that Ill always be here if the need arises. Devils now that I have rambled and carried o aimlessly I just want to say Happy 239th and thank you all for being the savages that you are. Semper Fidelis.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 19:38:17 +0000
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