I’ve gotten this poem in my inbox in one form or another since my first Christmas as a Marine. This version is my favorite. Thanks go to Zanelle who sent it my way this year because she still remembers what it means to me.
Merry Christmas folks.
T’was the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,
In a [...]
Dale got a new scanner. So what does he do? He scans his class picture from first grade and sends it to me without so much as a hi or how are ya. What gives? How has our friendship been reduced to such informality? I believe he’s using the scanner as a show of his [...]
Published: December 5th, 2003Contributed by Nick Sparacino
D. Chief of Police Oak Forest Il.
Former Sgt. 2/9 Viet Nam 1966
Ask a Marine what’s so special about the Marines and the answer would be “esprit de corps”, an unhelpful French phrase that means exactly what it looks like - the spirit of the Corps, but what is that spirit, and where [...]
Until I hit junior high I was convinced that Thanksgiving was invented to keep kids’ minds off presents for another month. Outside of the classroom, everything was essentially Christmas. When the witches and ghosts came off the shelves on 1 November, the Santas and reindeer went right up. Somewhere along the line poor old Thanksgiving [...]
Published: November 26th, 2003There’s something about the city of Brasilia, I can’t quite put my finger on, that I really enjoy. In spite of a rather miserable week back from Rio with a horrible head cold and plenty of accompanying green phlegm, I feel good today.
I chew quietly on my French Toast and sip freshly squeezed orange juice [...]
I’m actually here.
Yeah, sure, I’ll be standing duty for 12 of the 80 hours I’ll be here, but it’s a small price to pay for a free ride. Today is Saturday and I just began my 12 hour shift. I’ve got grand visions of getting a lot of homework done during this time but the [...]
Yesterday belonged to the Corps. It was the 228th birthday of the United States Marine Corps, and it belonged to Marines past and present, family of Marines, and friends of Marines. It was our day.
Today is different. Today is Veterans’ Day, and if you woke up this morning and drank a cup of coffee, or [...]
Happy birthday Marines… and Semper Fi!!!
The USMC is over 227 years of romping, stomping, hell, death and destruction. The finest fighting machine the world has ever seen. We were born in a bomb crater, our mother was an M-16 and our father was the devil. Each moment that I live is an additional threat upon [...]
Published: November 10th, 2003Once your consciousness is raised it can never be lowered.
A bit of wisdom from Aunt Shirley. Thanks.
You would think that after having men on the moon for over thirty years, human ingenuity could keep a stinking reliable internet connection in my room. What kind of primitive, miserable life am I really leading out here? As [...]
What do they say about a rose by any other name is still a rose? Does the same hold true for speedos? I finally broke down today and decided to buy a pair, if not a generic pair, from one of the local malls. For the equivalent of a whopping $3.00, I now actually rate [...]
Published: November 6th, 2003
