USMC birthday today

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USMC birthday today

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Say what?

Say what?

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ah

ah

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digitalbeachbum
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I used to be really big on

I used to be really big on the whole gung ho stuff. I was 110% USMC. I would have killed an enemy of our country by biting their neck and ripping out their throat. I guess that is why they want kids fresh out of high school. Naive. Innocent. Looking for adventure and excitement. Young bodies which are able to put up with the rigors of the extreme training and fighting. If I knew then what I knew now I would have never joined.

I joined right out of high school. A best friend and I were walking around the mall when a Marine recruiter nabbed us. My friend was totally nuts and wanted to do the ultimate extreme. He went grunt then went Recon later. He had a lot of stories to tell me but he often gets quiet if he remembers too much. He is tormented by nightmares and phsyical pain so he pumps himself with pain relievers, which he got addicted to, then went on to harder more dangerous drugs. He is currently in rehab and under a watchful eye because he has tried to kill himself several times. He's 1/100th the man he used to be and I suspect will die homeless, penniless and forgotten by all but his closest friends and family.

I know of other Marines who served with me and I still keep in touch with through the years; I used to carry a little black book filled with all their addresses, phone # and emails. I've seen the glory and the excitement wain from their eyes and voices too. Several of them worse off than I am and with nothing to show for the efforts and sacrifices they made for this country. Several I've lost contact with after their parents told me they disappeared. I look at myself as extremely lucky. I missed out on three wars/events which could have ended completely different for me. I count my blessings and move on.

I get sick to my stomach every time I look at a politician who makes money from their position in society. They sacrifice nothing and get much more in return. While not billionares, they do make six or seven figure salaries which aren't worthy of their status. They retire to a comfortable life with money in the bank, a multiple roofs over their head and nothing more then tennis elbow to deal with in their old age. All the other suits who live a life of freedom and luxury I classify the same. CEO's of major corporations, hedge fund/investment bankers, insurance related industry big wigs. They all should pay homage to those who have lived or died to give them freedom.

However the further away from those days of boot camp I got, the less I liked what I had joined. There are hundreds of thousands of service people I pay my respects to but I can't seem to muster a ooh rah any more. I'm tired of the bullshit that the fighting truly represents. And in a few days I have to go to my kids school and when they start to play the Marine's Hymn I have to stand and sing it also. I will remember those less fortunate than me.

 


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With me

It's the brotherhood and the guys I was with. Da hell with the war and killing.


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Old Seer wrote: It's the

Old Seer wrote:

It's the brotherhood and the guys I was with. Da hell with the war and killing.

Yeah. I agree. The comradery was amazing. It was the only thing I missed other than the structure to every thing I did each day.


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if only our government could

if only our government could pour back into those men what they took out with so little hesitation...

"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson


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 Semper fi.

 Semper fi.


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What makes it come home

digitalbeachbum wrote:

Old Seer wrote:

It's the brotherhood and the guys I was with. Da hell with the war and killing.

Yeah. I agree. The comradery was amazing. It was the only thing I missed other than the structure to every thing I did each day.

for me is Samuel L Reed who stood beside me in boot camp. He's on the wall. I got to looking how many from our platoon went to VN. I didn't get past him---I found I really didn't want to know.

 Marines oft times don't get along, but let an outsider get in the mix and we'll all team up to throw him out.

 

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Yup

iwbiek wrote:
if only our government could pour back into those men what they took out with so little hesitation...

You've heard of the 1000 yd stare no doubt. In my day on duty it was with ww2 and Korean vets. It was noticable. it seems they got to a point when they couldn't do anything else but stay on duty. Some of the time they seemed to be lost.

The only possible thing the world needs saving from are those running it.

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Old Seer wrote:iwbiek

Old Seer wrote:

iwbiek wrote:
if only our government could pour back into those men what they took out with so little hesitation...

You've heard of the 1000 yd stare no doubt. In my day on duty it was with ww2 and Korean vets. It was noticable. it seems they got to a point when they couldn't do anything else but stay on duty. Some of the time they seemed to be lost.




seen it. a couple of dad's friends did some real bad tours in vietnam, mostly conscripts. dad himself managed to escape the draft, first because the county kept meeting their quota through volunteers, then because his number wasn't called up but they kept trying to take him anyway, and later because of a perforated eardrum. he was lucky too, because the lady in charge of the local draft board was a real cunt who was hell-bent on shipping my father off because she felt slighted by him for some reason. dad was also underweight (he's still like a stick), until the examiner told him to put his shoes back on and get back on the scales. everybody knew if you had $500 or so to spare, you could fail your physical. then you didn't even have to go all the way to morehead, ky, for your physical: a doctor saw you right upstairs at the draft board. of course, dad didn't have $500.


i'll never forget when i was about 12, camping with dad and his buddies. they all had more than their fill that night, of course, and i'll never forget the hairs on my arm standing up when one of the guys that had gone (a conscript) stared straight into the campfire and said, "that woman's gonna burn in hell for what she did to us kids. and that's all we was, was kids."

"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson


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Old Seer

Old Seer wrote:

digitalbeachbum wrote:

Old Seer wrote:

It's the brotherhood and the guys I was with. Da hell with the war and killing.

Yeah. I agree. The comradery was amazing. It was the only thing I missed other than the structure to every thing I did each day.

for me is Samuel L Reed who stood beside me in boot camp. He's on the wall. I got to looking how many from our platoon went to VN. I didn't get past him---I found I really didn't want to know.

Marines oft times don't get along, but let an outsider get in the mix and we'll all team up to throw him out.

I experienced that myself often when we went in to town to party. There were a number of times Navy, Army and Marines got it mixed up. It was funny to see local police show up and not do any thing. When the MPs showed up every one scattered.


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Beyond Saving wrote:

Beyond Saving wrote:

 Semper fi.

I sat in the second row today when the school did their little show. When it came time to stand I stood and shook the hands of two Marines in front of me, telling them both "Semper Fi".

One was in his 70s and the other 30s. When I got done I went back and shook the older Marine's hand telling him Happy 240th. He smiled and cracked a joke about another 240 years.

If there is one thing I never forget is the words "Semper Fi". It is words which every Marine understands. It's like, "I understand who you are". It is an instant connection.


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iwbiek wrote:if only our

iwbiek wrote:
if only our government could pour back into those men what they took out with so little hesitation...

The government can't ever give enough back and they will always use words, symbols and dogma to cover their lack of commitment and responsibility to those who served.


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Exactly

digitalbeachbum wrote:

Old Seer wrote:

digitalbeachbum wrote:

Old Seer wrote:

It's the brotherhood and the guys I was with. Da hell with the war and killing.

Yeah. I agree. The comradery was amazing. It was the only thing I missed other than the structure to every thing I did each day.

for me is Samuel L Reed who stood beside me in boot camp. He's on the wall. I got to looking how many from our platoon went to VN. I didn't get past him---I found I really didn't want to know.

Marines oft times don't get along, but let an outsider get in the mix and we'll all team up to throw him out.

I experienced that myself often when we went in to town to party. There were a number of times Navy, Army and Marines got it mixed up. It was funny to see local police show up and not do any thing. When the MPs showed up every one scattered.

When stationed at Camp Pendleton T R Archer from NY and I were heading down the street to the USO at Oceanside CA. On the way we spotted a number of Police running into the building. We went inside to encouter a hell of a brawl in progress. We stood there for a while along side the Cops who were doing nothing--TR asked, doyou mind if we get in on this. The Cop said--you'd better hurry becasue the MP's are on the way. I went back to base with a slightly dislocated jaw. A Korean Marine said--I can fix that, open you mouth a bit. he reached in behind my bottom teeth and gave a yank. Wow, did that feel good---. I didn't have to go to sick bay monday morning.

 

The only possible thing the world needs saving from are those running it.

https://sites.google.com/site/oldseers

Knowledge trumps faith and I'm not a Theist

Lies are nothing more then falsehoods searching for the truth


digitalbeachbum
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Old Seer

Old Seer wrote:

digitalbeachbum wrote:

Old Seer wrote:

digitalbeachbum wrote:

Old Seer wrote:

It's the brotherhood and the guys I was with. Da hell with the war and killing.

Yeah. I agree. The comradery was amazing. It was the only thing I missed other than the structure to every thing I did each day.

for me is Samuel L Reed who stood beside me in boot camp. He's on the wall. I got to looking how many from our platoon went to VN. I didn't get past him---I found I really didn't want to know.

Marines oft times don't get along, but let an outsider get in the mix and we'll all team up to throw him out.

I experienced that myself often when we went in to town to party. There were a number of times Navy, Army and Marines got it mixed up. It was funny to see local police show up and not do any thing. When the MPs showed up every one scattered.

When stationed at Camp Pendleton T R Archer from NY and I were heading down the street to the USO at Oceanside CA. On the way we spotted a number of Police running into the building. We went inside to encouter a hell of a brawl in progress. We stood there for a while along side the Cops who were doing nothing--TR asked, doyou mind if we get in on this. The Cop said--you'd better hurry becasue the MP's are on the way. I went back to base with a slightly dislocated jaw. A Korean Marine said--I can fix that, open you mouth a bit. he reached in behind my bottom teeth and gave a yank. Wow, did that feel good---. I didn't have to go to sick bay monday morning.

Yeah the cops were told never to get involved in fights involving the troops. The MPs were the worst and I would rather be taken by a cop. They would beat the living snot out of you and not fear being punished for excessive force or brutality. 

I remember one fight a Marine who thought he was Bruce Lee took down an MP with a round house kick. The dozen other MPs which were cuffing and beating other troops to bring them under control all stopped what they were doing and converged on the one stupid idiot and beat him to a pulp.

I later learned that that Marine was in 4th platoon in our Company. He never came back and I heard he got dumped in to CCP (Correctional Custody Platoon) which was a nightmare place to be; then strippped of rank and thrown in the brig for six months.

All the stories I heard about CCP were stuff of legends. I kept myself straight and narrow.


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my uncle david was an MP in

my uncle david was an MP in korea, back in the late '60s/early '70s. i'll have to ask him about some of this stuff next time i'm home. he's very tight-lipped in general, so i've never heard any stories. he can be prickly, but overall he's good-natured. i can't see him whaling on a guy unnecessarily.

"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson