Self-Pity

I never saw a wild thing
sorry for itself.
A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough
without ever having felt sorry for itself.

- D. H. Lawrence

Is your mind as corrupt as mine?

Research has shown that young children cannot identify the intimate couple because they do not have prior memory associated with such scenario.

What they will see are the nine dolphins.

Additional note: This is a test to determine if you already have a corrupted mind. If it's hard for you to find the dolphins within 3 seconds, your mind is indeed corrupted.

Women in Uniform

What is it that is attractive about people in uniform?

I was thinking that maybe it is the sleek look or presumption of honesty.

We should all know by now what attracts me to it.

This is definitely something to ponder for the moment.

The Trash Can

This morning the trash can was full by 0900 and then by lunch time the trash did not increase nor did anyone take any out.
By logical standards, the trash can should have been overflowing or with trash set next to it by lunch but it wasn't.
So, therefore, when the can is empty people use more trash than when it is full.

Or

No one wanted to take the trash out so they were watching there trash use more carefully so that someone would not tell them to take it out.

Jury Duty

It is one those things that all men are required to do when they turn 18. Then sometime after, the jury selection comes. My first selection for jury duty came when I was about to go to boot camp. Would you believe it they want me to do it again?

The cool part is they pay you. It says here in the letter that I will be paid $17.50 for each half day, plus mileage round trip. The mileage is 38.5 cents a mile.

Well, I called them last night and told them I would be happy to do jury duty. I am 5266 miles from the Manitowoc County Courthouse in Wisconsin. So, if you do the math, if I stand jury duty for one half day I should be compensated $4072.32.

I think it's a good deal.

They told me I will probably be disqualified.

I hope not.

Qualification

Can you all believe it?
Qualified on the range and I wasn't worried at all.

Here's the background:
In 11 years, I have shot 5 times. Of those 5, four of them I "UNQ" or was unqualified and had to requalify the next day and take the minimum score. The last time was in spring of 2003.

I think maybe this may have been for several possible reasons:
1) I am old
2) I am wise
3) It was on astro-turf
4) It was overcast
5) I shot in the 2nd relay
6) The scoring system changed
7) I had at least one beer the day prior
8) I had less than 5 hours of sleep prior
9) Maybe the coach actually coached me
10) Luck

Whatever the reason, my confidence is back.

The Only Exit Strategy (A letter worth reading)

September 11, 2004

Dear America,

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand
ready to do violence on their behalf." - George Orwell

The Marine Corps is tired. I guess I should not say that, as I have no authority or responsibility to speak for the Marine Corps as a whole, and my opinions are mine alone. I will rephrase: this Marine is tired.

I write this piece from the sands of Iraq, west of Baghdad, at three a.m., but I am
not tired of the sand. I am neither tired of long days, nor of flying and fighting. I am not tired of the food, though it does not taste quite right. I am not tired of the heat; I am not tried of the mortars that occasionally fall on my base.

I am not tired of Marines dying, though all Marines, past and present, mourn the loss of every brother and sister that is killed; death is a part of combat and every warrior knows that going into battle. One dead Marine is too many, but we give more than we take, and unlike our enemies, we fight with honor. I am not tired of the missions or the people; I have only been here a month, after all.

I am, however, tired of the hypocrisy and shortsightedness that seems to have gripped so many of my countrymen and the news media. I am tired of political rhetoric that misses the point, and mostly I am tired of people "not getting it."

Three years ago, I was sitting in a classroom at Quantico, Virginia, while attending the Marine Corps Basic Officer Course, learning about the finer points of land navigation. Our Commanding Officer interrupted the class to inform us that some planes had crashed in New York and Washington D.C., and that he would return when he knew more. Tears welled in the eyes of the lieutenant on my right while class continued, albeit with an audience that was not very focused; his sister lived in New York and worked at the World Trade Center.

We broke for lunch, though instead of going to the chow hall proceeded to a small pizza and sub joint that had a television. Slices of pizza sat cold in front of us as we watched the same vivid images that you watched on September 11, 2001. I look back on that moment now and realize even then I grasped, at some level, that the events of that day would alter both my military career and my country forever.

Though I did not know that three years later, to the day, I would be flying combat missions in Iraq as an AH-1W Super Cobra pilot, I did understand that a war had just begun, on television for the world to see, and that my classmates and I would fight
that war. After lunch we were told to go to our rooms, clean our weapons and pack our gear for possible deployment to the Pentagon to augment perimeter security. The parting words of the order were to make sure we packed gloves, in case we had to handle bodies.

The first Marine killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom was in my company at The
Basic School, and was sitting in that land navigation class on September 11. He fought bravely, led from the front, and was killed seizing an oil refinery on the opening day of the war.

His heroism made my emergency procedure memorization for the T-34 primary flight school trainer seem quite insignificant. This feeling of frustration was shared by all of the student pilots, but we continued to press on. As one instructor pointed out to us,
"You will fight this war, not me. Make sure that you are prepared when you get there." He was right: my classmates from Pensacola are here beside me, flying every day in support of the Marines on the ground. That instructor has since retired, but I believe he has retired knowing that he made a contribution to the greatest country in the history of the world, the United States of America.

Many of you will read that statement and balk at its apparently presumptuous and arrogant nature, and perhaps be tempted to stop reading right here. I would ask that you keep going, for I did not say that Americans are better than anyone else, for I do not believe that to be the case. I! did not say that our country, its leaders, military or intelligence services are perfect or have never made mistakes, because throughout history they have, and will continue to do so, despite their best efforts.

The nation is more than the sum of its citizens and leaders, more than its history, present, or future; a nation has contemporary values that change as its leaders change, but it also has timeless character, ideals forged with the blood and courage of patriots. To quote the Pledge of Allegiance, our nation was founded "under
God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." As Americans, we have more freedom than we can handle sometimes.

If you are an atheist you might have a problem with that whole "under God" part; if you are against liberating the people of Iraq, Afghanistan, Asia, all of Europe (twice), and the former Soviet bloc, then perhaps the "liberty and justice for all" section might leave you fuming. Our nation, throughout its history, has watered the seeds of democracy on many continents, with blood, even when the country was in disagreement about those decisions.

Disagreement is a wonderful thing. To disagree with your neighbors and your government is at the very heart of freedom. Citizens have disagreed about every important and controversial decision made by their leaders throughout history. Truman had the courage to drop two nuclear weapons in order to end the largest war in history, and then, by his actions, prevented the Soviets from extinguishing the light of democracy in Eastern Europe, Berlin. Lincoln preserved our country through civil war; Reagan knew in his heart that freedom is a more powerful weapon than oppression.

Leaders are paid to make difficult, sometimes controversial decisions. History will judge the success of their actions and the purity of their intent in a way that is impossible at the present moment. In your disagreement and debate about the
current conflict, however, be very careful that you do not jeopardize your nation or those who serve. The best time to use your freedom of speech to debate difficult decisions is before they are made, not when the lives of your countrymen are on the line.

Cherish your civil rights; I know that after having been in Iraq for only one month I have a new appreciation for mine. You have the right to say that you "support the troops" but oppose the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. You have the right to vote for Senator John Kerry because you believe that he has an exit strategy for Iraq, or because you just cannot stand President Bush. You have the right to vote for President George W. Bush if ! you believe that he has done a good job over the last four years.

You might even decide that you do not want to vote at all and would rather avoid the issues as much as possible. That is certainly your option, and doing nothing is the only option for many people in this world.

It is not my place, nor am I allowed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice, to tell you how to vote. But I can explain to you the truth about what is going on around you. We know, and have known from the beginning, that the ultimate success or failure of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the future of those countries, rests solely on the shoulders of the Iraqi and Afghani people. If someone complains that we should not have gone to war with Saddam Hussein, that our intelligence was bad, that President Bush's motives were impure, then take the appropriate action. Exercise your right to vote for Senator Kerry, but please stop complaining about something that happened over a year ago.

The decision to deploy our military in Iraq and Afghanistan is in the past, and while I believe that it is important to the democratic process for our nation to analyze the decisions of our leadership in order to avoid repeating mistakes, it is far more important to focus on the future. The question of which candidate will "get us out of
Iraq sooner" should not be a consideration in your mind. You should not want us out of Iraq or Afghanistan sooner.
There is only one coherent exit strategy that will make our time here worthwhile and validate the sacrifice of so many of our countrymen. There is only one strategy that has a chance of promoting peace and stabilizing the Middle East. It is the exit strategy of both candidates, though voiced with varying volumes and differing degrees ! of clarity. I will speak of Iraq because that is where I am, though I feel
the underlying principle applies to both Iraq and Afghanistan.

The American military must continue to help train and support the Iraqi Police, National Guard, and Armed Forces. We must continue to give them both responsibility and the authority with which to carry out those responsibilities, so that they eventually can kill or capture the former regime elements and foreign terrorists that are trying to create a radical, oppressive state.

We must continue to repair the infrastructure that we damaged during the conflict, and improve the infrastructure that was insufficient when Saddam was in power. We should welcome and encourage partners in the coalition but recognize that many will choose the path of least resistance and opt out; many of our traditional allies have been doing this for years and it should not surprise us.

We must respect the citizens of Iraq and help them to understand the meaning of basic human rights, for those are something the average Iraqi has never experienced. We must be respectful of our cultural and religious differences. We must help the Iraqis develop national pride, and most importantly, we must leave this country better than we found it, at the right time, with a chance of success
so that its people will have an opportunity to forge their own destiny.
We must do all of these things as quickly and efficiently as possible so that we are not seen as occupiers, but rather liberators and helpers. We must communicate this to the world as clearly and frequently as possible, both with words and actions.

If we leave before these things are done, then Iraq will fall into anarchy and possibly plunge the Middle East into another war. The ability of the United States to con! duct foreign policy will be severely, and perhaps permanently, degraded. Terrorism will increase, both in America and around the world, as America will have demonstrated that it is not interested in building and helping, only destroying. If we run or exit early, we prove to our enemies that terror is more powerful and potent than freedom.

Many nations, like Spain, have already affirmed this in the minds of the terrorists. Our failure, and its consequences, will be squarely on our shoulders as a nation. It will be our fault.

If we stay the course and Iraq or Afghanistan falls into civil war on its own, then our hands are clean. As a citizen of the United States and a U.S. Marine, I will be able
to sleep at night with nothing on my conscience, for I know that I, and my country, have done as much as we could for these people. If we leave early, I will not be able to live with myself, and neither should you. The blood will be on our hands, the failure on our watch.

The bottom line is this: Republican or Democrat, approve or disapprove of the decision to go to war, you need to support our efforts here. You cannot both support the troops and protest their mission.

Every time the parent of a fallen Marine gets on CNN with a photo, accusing President Bush of murdering his son, the enemy wins a strategic victory. I cannot begin to comprehend the grief he feels at the death of his son, but he dishonors the memory of my brave brother who paid the ultimate price. That Marine
volunteered to serve, just like the rest of us. No one here was drafted.
I am proud of my service and that of my peers. I am ashamed of that parent's actions, and I pray to God that if I am killed my parents will stand with pride before the cameras and reaffirm their belief that my life and sacrifice mattered; they loved me dearly and they firmly support the military and its mission in Iraq and Afghanistan.

With that statement, they communicate very clearly to our enemies around the world that America is united, that we cannot be intimidated by kidnappings, decapitations and torture, and that we care enough about the Afghani and Iraqi people to give them a chance at democracy and basic human rights.

Do not support those that seek failure for us, or seek to trivialize the sacrifices made here. Do not make the deaths of your countrymen be in vain. Communicate to your
media and elected officials that you are behind us and our mission. Send letters and encouragement to those who are deployed. When you meet a person that serves you, whether in the armed forces, police, or fire department, show them respect. Thank the spouses around you every day, raising children alone, whose loved ones are deployed.

Remember not only those that have paid the ultimate price, but the veterans that bear the physical and emotional scars of defending your freedom. At the very least, follow your mother's advice: "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at
all." Do not give the enemy a foothold in our nation's public opinion. He rejoices at Fahrenheit 9/11 and applauds every time an American slams our efforts. The military can succeed here so long as American citizens support us wholeheartedly.

Sleep well on this third anniversary of 9/11, America. Rough men are standing ready to do violence on your behalf. Many of your sons and daughters volunteered to stand watch for you. Not just rough men -the infantry, the Marine grunts, the Special Operations Forces - but lots of eighteen- and nineteen-year-old kids, teenagers, who are far a! way from home, serving as drivers, supply clerks, analysts and mechanics. They all have stories, families, and dreams. They miss you, love you, and are putting
their lives on the line for you.
Do not make their time here, their sacrifice, a waste. Support them, and their mission.

-
Lt. Kevin Brown, a 2001 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy serving in Iraq, sent this letter to his family on the third anniversary of 9/11.

St Patrick's Day

I am currently drunk.
It is Saint Patty's day and I am about to be sloppy drunk in a hour or two.
It is not a question here whether to drink, the question is how much?
Hope yours is as good as mine has been.

Asshole in Me

I am 56% Asshole/Bitch.

I am abrasive, some people really hate me, but there may be a group of other tight knit assholes and bitches that I can hang out with and get me. Everybody else? Fuck ‘em.

Take the
Asshole/Bitch Test
@ FualiDotCom

The DMP

It is truly amazing what can happen with any situation with the addition of "beer." With a off the wall comment to do something different in the barracks, a true and probably demented course of action has transpired and will continue to flourish. This strange behavior has been grouped into "The DMP."

These actions and events grace the hierarchy of "Animal House" and may be be viewed with the best of "Scarface."

"After-Action" reports to follow.

Ring of Fire

I think of friends who have helped me when I needed help.
There is none.
Once maybe, I had one.
He is gone.
Do I feel this way because of blame?
I don't think so, I think I have blamed myself, and no one can help me through it.
I am a man.
All I have is my word.

Something Else

Well, I was thinking maybe I will be changing the "T minus" posts for something else. I am not really sure.

I have been doing my taxes the last week or so, and it's a bitch. This year seems to be harder than some the previous years for some reason or another.

I have been informed that I have a menacing look, and people view me as a potential "asshole." I think this is rather amusing, since I have been told some variation of this for the past 6 years or so. The nifty part is that the person or people telling me this, say I am really a nice guy. Go figure.

Here is another surprise since I have been back, the "newbies or TFNG(s)" have been calling me funny names such as 'dad and grandpa' which may be due to my music choices from the '80s or my shnazy lingo, I am not sure.

Actually, the best fun I have been having lately, is Cribbage. I taught a few people and have been playing quite regularly. Good thing I have a board or two.

The List

We graduated!
Here is a list of those who received a "diploma." ( all are Sergeants)

1st Platoon

Joshua Allen ------------- Corey Bramer -------- Eduardo Hernandez
Robert Settle------------Courtney Donald-------- Martin Hernandez
Brandon Richard ------------Jason Day ----------------Allen Chua
Andrew Leslie ------------ Jared Kiesow------------ Sheila Moore
Carl Fletcher -------- Nathan Warnock-------- Andrew Willis
Ronald John---------------- Justin Taylor

2nd Platoon

Timothy Tye------------Troy Weidling------------ Marcus Jones
Bo Irving ------------Rashun Rivera------------ Matthew Bing
Adrian Cardenas ---------Herman Crawford--------Takeisha Dedner
Jonathon Duncan---------- Michael Foley------------ Gerado Hernandez
Marcus Jones ------------ Michael Knight ------------ Matthew Love
Michael Parker---------------- Joe Stone

3rd Platoon

Brian Dyer------------Theodore Wade ------------ Matthew Blackwell
Elda Castrellon------------ Michael Danner------------Jaramy Dodge
Brian Griffin ------------ Pablo Hernandez ------------Kevin Jackson
Brendan Keeter------------Ester Lawson ------------ Christina Martinez
Jorge Pereira ------------William Ross------------ Alberto Suarez
Robert Wilcoxen

Our Instructors were:
GySgt Pham
GySgt English
SSgt Eady
SSgt Lillie

The Family

The family consists of small and large idiosyncrasies that the various people took hold.

The Brain- one who know it all but would not help anyone
Alkie- self proclaimed, but was more of a binge(r)
Bob- name changed so often this ended up being easier
Loud Mouth- louder than a pack of ravished dogs
The Grunt - he wasn't one, but knew enough to help us all
Motivator- didn't get the award, but helped the spirits
Brother(s) - when calling one of there names, you never knew who you were going to get
The Indian - self explanatory
The Closet Alcoholic - drunk enough for the whole class
The Philanderer - nothing concrete just rumors
Pat- he or she
The Tramp - Same as above
Gung Ho - didn't get the award, but came close
The Cook- said he was one, hard to tell though
BA - it doesn't mean what you think
Silk- so smooth that he slipped by
AFN - could be a Dan Rather or Walter Croncrite in the Future
The Bitch - love and hate, if you know what I mean
Comic Relief - could make a room disappear or reappear at random
That Winger Guy - came down to 1 in 5 of us at any given time
The Cowboy - you didn't want to go in a dark alley without this one


~- there were several others that missed out on being seen and known, but since the family was there nothing would be amiss-~

Whew!

Just found out I will be graduating on the 17th.
Barring I do anything stupid in the last four days.

Mess Night is tomorrow.

That will be interesting.

Life Force

I feel the life force of my body has completely drained from me.

We, the Sergeant's Course were in the field for 2 days and practiced a "fake" war. We did some patrolling( actually a lot), ambushes, defensive perimeters, rear area security, envelopes, frontal attacks, and room clearing in an urban environment. Which all of that took place in about a 26 hour period, I myself, snuck in about 2 10 minute naps somewhere.

At the end, we hiked(humped) 8.75 miles with 85 pounds packs( I weighed mine), full gear(war gear), and weapons( I got lucky with only a M-16). Of course we didn't "walk" at nice comfortable pace, it was more a 6 to 7 miles per hour pace.

I slept from noon till now and I am fixin' to go back to bed soon.

Passing

I just got over the big hurdle, for me that is.
Drill.
I personally believe that the grading scale is flawed. But the main point is I passed. Not with flying colors, more like a flying mouse that was tied dyed.

We are also finished with about three quarters of the written tests and about half way done with the practical exams.

The real kicker in the rear is going to be the eight mile hump (hike at a set rate of speed, with a full pack and one or more weapons). That will be next week, we shall see how it goes.

Pictures of Guidons

I found some pictures of guidons.
There are pictures of toys but I think you all will get the idea.
http://www.tedtoy.com/United%20States%20Marine%20Corps.htm

or

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/

The 1st Tests are Next Week

Yep, you've guessed it, I will be studying this weekend. A lot.
The subjects are:

Warfighting
Nutrition
Leading Physical Readiness Training
Guidon Manual
Sword Manual
Training Management
Personnel Administration
Search and Seizures

Plus the topper is we have practical exams on Guidon & Sword Manual. The sword I am not too worried, its the guidon that bothers me the most. That is what the weekend is for, right?

1st Week Sergeant's Course

Well, I got through it, the 1st week. Mostly it consisted of admin stuff and an initial PFT. Needless to say, we all got a glimpse of what we are going receive from this training. I won't spoil it for others and tell all, but this is a make or break atmosphere for sure.
Lots of homework and lots of study.