Happy 234th Birthday, USMC!!!

1, 2, 3, 4, United States Marine Corps

OORAH! OORAH!

(I wish I could remember the rest, but I was always bad when it came to cadences. I knew a couple and stuck with those.)

Just want to give a shout out to all our Marines at home and abroad. Thank you for your service!!!

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

Freedom is never free, so keep up the good fight!

On a blogging hiatus

For those of you who keep up with my blog on a regular (or semi-regular) basis, you know that I have been training for sometime now for Marine Corps Officer Candidate School. Despite a number of setbacks, including illness, a sinus infection, a pulled muscle, an injured joint, tattoo and age waivers, and several mix-ups, my PFT eventually reached a passing score, the waivers were approved, the administrative stuff sorted itself out, and I was given the green light. I report to OCS on Thursday and embark on what will probably be the toughest 10 week journey of my life! While I do not know exactly what to expect, I do know I will not have the ability (or probably even the inclination) to blog for the next several weeks, at least. Lord willing, I will complete all 10 weeks successfully, in which case, I will graduate and commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the USMC on Saturday, August 8th. At that point, I have no doubt that there will be plenty of stories to fill numerous blogs! Until then, it is farewell. I hope that the next time I write here it will be as one of the few and proud. =)

Tippy-toes and tipping scales

It's a fear that keeps me wide awake
In the middle of the night
When the expectations are too great
And the bar gets raised too high
So I do the best with what I've got
And hope that no one knows
That I strain to see how high I can
Try to stand on these toes
Until I'm measured, but You know better

~ Nicole Nordeman

These lyrics have been running through my head for weeks now as I train for a new career and the fear of failure is ever-present, literally waking me in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. The lyrics have taken on new meaning since I found out that I shrunk a half inch. That may not seem like a big deal (and wouldn't have under normal circumstances), but the USMC weight charts are based on height, which means I now have to lose weight to be comfortably within weight standards. Oh the joys of trying to join the few and proud...  =) 

On ropes, logs, and self-doubt

So I went to the USMC obstacle course (or the O-course as the Marines like to call it) this morning. I have never felt so old and out of shape as I did this morning! It was SO discouraging, I cannot even tell you!  I kept playing it over in mind as I drove home... each obstacle - what it looked like, what the technique was for it and what it felt like as I tried to get through it.  It always came back to the same thing: will I really be able to make it through OCS? I had no doubt until today.  Depressed, I got home and baked a loaf of banana bread - now there is something I am good at. Put me in a kitchen and I can create just about anything you could want to eat!  Actually, I have a lot of things I am good at, so, why am torturing myself with all this USMC stuff? I asked myself that question as I mashed bananas and folded in flour.  Well, in fact, there are a lot of reasons, but the seeming impossibility of the course, which initiated the questions is the very thing  that drew me to the Marine Corps in the first place. There is nothing quite like completing the impossible!  I love the challenge.  That is what my current job has lacked for so long.  So, it is time to get my head back in the game and learn to love logs, bars, and ropes.  =)  One day soon I will look back on this with a feeling of foolishness for ever having doubted my ability. I can't wait for that day!

OCS anyone?

Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem. ~ President Ronald Reagan

I'm thinking it might just be time to join "The few. The proud. The Marines."

And America rejoices... or should anyway

Our military gets a break for once! In the case of Jose Nazario, a civilian jury acquitted the former-Marine of manslaughter after only 6 hours of deliberations.

In the first civilian trial in modern times of a former member of the U.S.military for alleged combat crimes, a Riverside jury Thursday acquitted a one-time Marine sergeant in the killings of four unarmed Iraqi prisoners in Fallujah. (click here for full article)

I have to say, I am shocked. I did not expect it turn out this way, especially in CA of all places!

Justice was finally served today. I want the same justice for every Marine, sailor, and soldier serving in harm's way. ~ Nazario, after his acquittal

On PFTs and Pride

Since I have been working with a bunch of Marines, I have done my best to assimilate and become part of the group. I don't chew, smoke, or swear, so I am at somewhat of a disadvantage. However, I do like physical activity and Marines are all about physical activity! =) They run just about every day (I join them about every other). They train in martial arts at 0530 on weekdays (I am there faithfully, kicking, punching, and ground-fighting with the best of them). And they have PFTs. Now, I have never had to do a PFT (physical fitness test) for anything in my life, but I figured I would give it a go (I mean, how bad could 100 crunches, a 70 second arm hang, and a 3 mile run be?!). The arm hang was first... I was down after 15 seconds (pitiful!). The crunches came next... 100, no problemo! Then the run... I have never come so close to throwing up after a run in all my life! It was all I could do to keep the pizza, salad, and stir-fry from lunch down (ok, so a HUGE lunch right before a PFT is not a brilliant idea... now I know. =P). After all of that, my total score was a 170 out of a possible 300. Now THAT is a major blow to the ego! =( I was only shooting for a 225... maybe that was my problem. I should have aimed higher. In any case, I will conquer that arm hang by the time I leave here! =P In the meantime, a dose of humility every once in a while can be a good thing.