As I get older, of course I look back at my life and try to see what I am most proud of. Of course family and friends, but one thing I don't spend a lot of time talking about is my time in the service. I'm not the kind who wears my Marine Corps shirt or hat everywhere I go, but I am none the less very proud of my service. I served proudly but quietly, because my service entailed what is to me minimal sacrifice compared to others of even my generation. It is those who have given so much to whom we all owe a great debt of gratitude, and that is who I speak of when I say I'm a Proud Marine. Tomorrow is the 240th Birthday of the Marine Corps, making them the oldest military organization in this country. That alone is pretty note-worthy. But it isn't the LENGTH of time the Marine Corps has served this country, but the manner in which it has served. No other military organization has history, the pride, the traditions of the Marine Corps. Our uniforms are exactly that: UNIFORM - meaning all the same, and every Marine knows why the uniform looks the way it does and understands the sacrifice of those who came before who wore basically exactly the same one. We don't have fancy braids that make a Private right out of Boot Camp look like a war hero. We don't have a different color hat for each Division, because we are all the same - WE ARE MARINES and there is NOTHING better than that. Everyone who has ever earned the name MARINE is a brother, and it doesn't matter when or where they served, what their job was or who they were before they joined up. I'm proud to have worn the same uniform as Chesty Puller, John LaJuene, Smedley Butler and Dan Daly. I don't want to look different from them; I rejoice in the fact that I can call these men my Brothers and they would call me such if they were still alive. So over the next day or so, I'll probably put up a few more posts about this topic. Call it middle aged nostalgia, but for some reason this is important to me this year. Ignore them if you want, un-friend me if you don't like them. Or just quietly read them, understand the feelings behind them, and thank God that the United States Marine Corps has been here protecting our country for 240 years and counting. God, Country, Corps. Semper Fi, Happy Birthday Marines.

A new Facebook post via South Texas Armory As I get older, of course I look back at my life and try to see what I am most proud of. Of course family and friends, but one thing I don't spend a lot of time talking about is my time in the service. I'm not the kind who wears my Marine Corps shirt or hat everywhere I go, but I am none the less very proud of my service. I served proudly but quietly, because my service entailed what is to me minimal sacrifice compared to others of even my generation. It is those who have given so much to whom we all owe a great debt of gratitude, and that is who I speak of when I say I'm a Proud Marine. Tomorrow is the 240th Birthday of the Marine Corps, making them the oldest military organization in this country. That alone is pretty note-worthy. But it isn't the LENGTH of time the Marine Corps has served this country, but the manner in which it has served. No other military organization has history, the pride, the traditions of the Marine Corps. Our uniforms are exactly that: UNIFORM - meaning all the same, and every Marine knows why the uniform looks the way it does and understands the sacrifice of those who came before who wore basically exactly the same one. We don't have fancy braids that make a Private right out of Boot Camp look like a war hero. We don't have a different color hat for each Division, because we are all the same - WE ARE MARINES and there is NOTHING better than that. Everyone who has ever earned the name MARINE is a brother, and it doesn't matter when or where they served, what their job was or who they were before they joined up. I'm proud to have worn the same uniform as Chesty Puller, John LaJuene, Smedley Butler and Dan Daly. I don't want to look different from them; I rejoice in the fact that I can call these men my Brothers and they would call me such if they were still alive. So over the next day or so, I'll probably put up a few more posts about this topic. Call it middle aged nostalgia, but for some reason this is important to me this year. Ignore them if you want, un-friend me if you don't like them. Or just quietly read them, understand the feelings behind them, and thank God that the United States Marine Corps has been here protecting our country for 240 years and counting. God, Country, Corps. Semper Fi, Happy Birthday Marines.