Veterans' Day

Please remember your past and present veterans, especially today.

Here is a link to the VA Veterans Day page.

A link to the history of Veterans' Day.

November 10th, 2007

Some of you have asked how I will spend my day, the answer is simple, with my Marines.

I will give you some of my favorite quotes:

"Where do you find men like this? They come from families like yours. From farms and villages, towns and cities across the nation...Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines."
- President Ronald Reagan, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina 1983

"Come on, you sons of bitches-do you want to live forever?"
-Attributed to Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Daly, USMC, Belleau Wood, June 1918.

"They (Women Marines) don't have a nickname, and they don't need one. They get their basic training in a Marine atmosphere, at a Marine Post. They inherit the traditions of the Marines. They are Marines."
Lieutenant General Thomas Holcomb, USMC 1943

"The U.S. Marine is a professional who stands ready to fight anytime, anywhere, any enemy that the President and Congress may designate and to do so coolly, capably, and in the spirit of professional detachment. He is not trained to hate, nor is he whipped up emotionally for battle or for any duty the Corps may be called on to perform. Patriotism and professionalism are his only two 'isms.'"
- Colonel Robert D. Heinl Jr. USMC 1970

"I still need Marines who can shoot and salute. But I need Marines who can fix jet engines and man sophisticated radar sets, as well."
- General Robert E. Cushman, Jr., USMC, 17 May 1974

Happy 232nd Marines! Where ever you may be!

RevGals: Friday 5- Extravagant unbusyness....

Sally, from RevGals, is writing in my official capacity of grump!!! No seriously, with the shops and stores around us filling with Christmas gifts and decorations, the holiday season moving up on us quickly for many the time from Thanksgiving onwards will be spent in a headlong rush towards Christmas with hardly a time to breathe.... I am looking at the possibility of finding little gaps in the day or the week to spend in extravagant unbusyness ( a wonderful phrase coined by fellow Revgal Michelle)...So given those little gaps, name 5 things you would do to;

(In the Marine Corps spirit, my list is slightly askewed)

1.to care for your body

100 crunches in two minutes, 20 dead hang pull-ups, and a 20 minute three mile run.

~

2. to care for your spirit

Praying for baby Jesus on his birthday, Christmas, and remembering God was a Marine as well.
~

3. to care for your mind

Engaging in the illustrustrious history of our fine Corps and teaching the up and comming generations in the pride and honor to be a Marine.

~

4. to bring a sparkle to your eye

November 10th, need I say more, I think not.

~

5. to place a spring in your step

Singing cadence while going about your daily business.

~

.... and then for a bonus which one on the list are you determined to put into action?

Every one as my fellow brothers and sisters in arms have done before me.

______________ ______________

The Marines' Hymn

MARINES' HYMN

From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli,

We fight our country's battles in the air, on land and sea.

First to fight for right and freedom, and to keep our honor clean;

We are proud to claim the title of United States Marine.

~

Our Flag's unfurled to every breeze from dawn to setting sun.

We have fought in every clime and place, where we could take a gun.

In the snow of far off northern lands and in sunny tropic scenes,

You will find us always on the job, the United States Marines.

~

Here's health to you and to our Corps, which we are proud to serve.

In many a strife we've fought for life and never lost our nerve.

If the Army and the Navy ever look on heaven's scenes,

they will find the streets are guarded by United States Marines.

Do Feel It?

Do you feel it coming?

The emails and conversations have been leaning hard toward our birthday. For those of us that are Marines or former Marines our birthday is November tenth.

On the 10th of November in 1775, the Continental Congress passed a resolution, which said in part:

"...Resolved, that two battalions of Marines be raised, consisting of one colonel, two lieutenant colonels, two majors, and other officers as usual in other regiments; and that they consist of an equal number of privates with other battalions;

that particular care betaken, that no persons be appointed to office, or enlisted into said battalions, but such as are good seamen, or so acquainted with maritime affairs as to be able to serve to advantage by sea when required;

that they be enlisted and commissioned to serve for and during the present war between Great Britain and the Colonies, unless dismissed by order of Congress; that they be distinguished by the names of the first and second battalions of American Marines..."

On November 10, 1775, Robert Mullan, the proprietor of the (Tun) Tavern and son of Peggy Mullan, was commissioned by an act of Congress to raise the first two battalions of Marines, under the leadership of Samuel Nicholas, the first appointed Commandant of(the Continental) Marines.

Litttle Things that I Hate in the Blog World

I hate it when I visit a blog (or website) and they have a "Cost of the War" ticker.
I hate it when I visit a blog and they have a " Iraqi deaths due to US invasion" ticker.

I think it is "fucking" stupid. Of all the people it shouldn't piss off is me, according to most of those I have spoken to about their tickers.

I really can't write what I want to say. I have rewritten this post about two dozen times, not because I am trying to be politically correct. I have rewritten it because I am bound by the contract I signed under my own feel will and I am not allowed to say or write certain conclusions or hypothesis about my country men and women.

Oh, I understand, open your eyes ...various people that working against the system. Those people are not reading this, those people do not vote, those are the people who complain all the time and do not do anything about it.

The great thing here is not that you agree, you don't have to, "we" live in a free country.

Sandstorms and Post Cards

Today, there is another sand storm going through, it not the first I have seen, not the second, it probably is the thirtieth or more. I could take a picture but it wouldn't turn out because the sun is down. Sandstorms are bitch to prepare for, because they just kind of pop out of nowhere. So I keep a whole bunch of stuff for sandstorms with me all the time. It just sucks.

I did receive a post card from Fran I Am today. It is a picture of water fountain in Barcelona. (Just to let everyone know, I would reply if I had an address.) I am actually one of those crazy people who keep most, if not all, of the mail sent to me. I even have a wacky filing system. So lets say you wrote me a letter when I was floating around the ocean in 1996, odds are I have it somewhere.

So today's verdict is: it sucks there is a sandstorm but I am happy because I received a post card from Fran I Am .

Post From Jan

"Cascading 268 feet into a deep pool, Snoqualmie Falls is one of Washington's most popular scenic attractions."
Very Cool.

Something Everyone Can Understand

I saw this on Jan's blog, apparently anyone can enjoy my ramblings and only college level humans can enjoy hers.

The Truck

I have in my website several pictures of my '96 Ford Ranger in which I have painted several times. The thing that prompted this painting was this:




After this event, I attempted to fix it, but after another fender bender on Amarillo, Texas I said screw it.

The first original paint job was gold with chevrons on the fenders, but it didn't last very long.

This was followed shortly there after with a " 5-ton" color. I never understood why they look pale all the time until it finally rained. I had added some air-wing type terms with the type of humor I have. I have it displayed here.

Some time after that rain storm I took a little more time and used Marine Corps colors to paint my truck. This is the point when you may say I am a little proud. You can make your own assumptions. I had this paint job the longest.

The one thing you have to keep in mind is I didn't use high quality paint, so when the entire hood decide to chip up it was time to repaint. This was the last yellow paint job I had. (In the picture is a Chevy, it is not mine, it is my ex-wife's)

After that, I was experimenting with a digital patten to match our cammies and did various pattens. I did take a few pictures but I do not have access to them at the moment. Like I have mentioned before, I believe the last and current paint scheme is light blue with scarlet highlights. Something that should resemble the gremlin in the first Wayne's World.

Reading and Writing

Normally by now I would have read my usual 15 blogs and have read the headlines of around 10 news agencies. Instead I read my comments that were posted while sleeping and wrapped a hot towel around my neck.

I feel I am betraying myself somehow.

I should be writing letters back to the gracious people who have written me. I am going to put that off until tomorrow.

(Funny thing, I gave my sergeant time off again today, what the fuck was I thinking?)

I Have Been Tagged

Tagged = someone challenges you come up with 10 random things about yourself, then you have to tag 5 other bloggers.

10 random things about The Wyldth1ng:

1) When I was knee high to a grasshopper I would camp out in my toy box shaped as a football.

2) My junior year in high school I applied for the Air Force Academy.

3) I have been fascinated with breasts for as long as I can remember and I just can't seem to get enough of them.

4) The words nifty, shnazy, and silly should be included in everyone's everyday conversations.

5) My MCMAP instructor says I look like "Foamy" the Squirrel.

6) I have a glow in the dark pillow case with the solar system.

7) I love being the devil's advocate, all the time.

8) I have painted my '96 Ford Ranger 17 times, never once with auto paint.

9) I have bought the movie LA Story seven times in VHS and four times in DVD.

10) I went to Nationals while in VICA for extemporaneous speaking and finished thirteenth.

I am tagging:
MoreCows
Diane
(Deleted)
Magdalene
Jan

How it is.

I am not asking for sympathy.

I am hoping that this sore/pain lessens in the next few days or I do know if I can keep going in this course. I know that parts of my body that I don't use regularly are supposed to be sore. I have some bruises in places that there should not be bruises. I do not bruise easily.

The last few days I have been sleeping longer, my water consumption is up, and typing is royal pain in the ass(not literally, pain is in wrists and forearms). I normally don't lay still while sleeping, but everytime I do move I awake with searing pain in my ribs.

I volunteered for this. Does that make me a sadist or masochist?

Two weeks to go.

RevGals Friday Five: Interviews

Mother Laura writes:
Songbird just had an interview for a "vague and interesting" possibility, and More Cows than People is doing campus visits for doctoral programs. There always seem to be a few RevGals applying for new positions, and I just got my first call for this year's preliminary interviews for college teaching jobs at the American Academy of Religion meeting in San Diego coming up in a few weeks. It's for my dream job among this year's offerings, and I am flipflopping between excitement and nervousness. So please keep your fingers crossed and say a little prayer for everyone facing such conversations, and share your thoughts on the wonderful world of interviews:

1. What was the most memorable interview you ever had?

2005 Enlisted to Warrant Officer board at the Wing level. This was the first year in which I had put in a package and the Wing wanted to conduct interviews on the potential candidates. Previous years that I had applied I only interviewed at the Squadron level. Everything I did was wrong, my ribbons were upside-down, I rattled off the wrong job description in which I was applying, I couldn't screw it up any more that I did. (By the way, the list for this year is out, I did not make it, again.)

2. Have you ever been the interviewer rather than the interviewee? If so, are you a tiger, a creampuff, or somewhere in between?

I would have to say 'not applicable.'

3. Do phone interviews make you more or less nervous than in-person ones?

Never have I done one. I would think less nervous.

4. What was the best advice you ever got to prepare for an interview? How about the worst?

The best was reread the statement of purpose(reason why interview is taking place) ten to twenty minutes prior. The worst was act naturally.

5. Do you have any pre-interview rituals that give you confidence?

I hum the Marines' Hymn. Everytime.

(I don't know why my first link didn't work, but this goes to my site.)

With All of Your Help

My comments have increased five times with all of your help. Then again, with this support I also wrote fifty posts. That alone is almost more than all of last year.

Thank you.

Time Consumption with Pain

If you "see" less of me on the internet or do not here from me much I have a good reason.
Green Belt

I am attempting to increase my Marine Corps Martial Arts (Program) belt from a gray to a green. It is not a big step, but it is a step none the less.

So more or less I will be getting my ass kicked for about three weeks by a bunch of young bucks. I found out tonight that I am one of the heaviest of the group. That is wacky. I don't think that has ever happened before.

All I have to remember is, if I am injured I have to stop; if I am hurt I keep on going.

Happy Halloween

Jan had at a link for Halloween Hangman. Here was my result.

The Night Sky

This is my representation of the night sky out here. Let me explain the picture. The word "NORTH" is not in the sky, but inserted in the picture for orientation sake. The big white dot is the brightest spot in the sky. The red dot is clearly the only red dot in the sky. And the five smaller dots are my representation of Orion. The "giant" pale yellow circle is the moon.

I know this isn't to scale but my cheap camera just doesn't cut it when taking night time pictures. I hope clarifies previous posts on the subject.

Letters - The Answer Expanded

I just sent out about a dozen letters. Dropped them off in the blue box in the hallway of the "head shed" right next to the Squadron Duty Officer.

I have been putting off letter writing for a little while hoping for some news to share, but there really isn't a whole lot to share. (I am not going to spoil what I did write about though.)

Some of those who wrote me or sent a care package included email addresses or I have them, but I didn't write an email back. My thinking is, this person or people took the time to send me a package or letter so I will return the favor and write back.

Now, know this, my handwriting is awful. So I do not "write" a whole lot. I type out a letter and then "write" a sentence or two specifically to that person or people. To me the hardest part is getting the address to look neat enough so the post office won't have problems delivering the letter.

No Idea, Part II

Do you like paper letters and/or email?

I like to receive paper mail even post cards while deployed, but when I am in the states I prefer emails. Here is the reasoning, while away in some foreign land, communications as the average American indulges on is usually not a possibility. I have been fortunate in this last deployment to be able access the Internet as often as I do(, but my job is partial to blame for that).

What did you have for breakfast??

I wake up in the late afternoon, since I work at night time. I initially start off with about six or seven cans of Dr.Pepper if available or about a pot of coffee. Then I may eat some dried fruit (about 4 or 5 cups) if available then won't eat until Midrats(midnight meal). Today was just that, Dr. Pepper and some dried fruit.

What were your favorite books as a kid?

One of my all time favorites is from childhood, The Monster at the End of this Book. (Which the person asking this knew that.) It is all about presentation.
I also enjoyed The Dark Crystal, Snow White, and Gremlins. Now knowing that, you all should understand my brain better.

Describe yourself using 4 adjectives?
Egotistical
Opinionated
Proud
Unpretentious