I took my grandson Connor to dinner at a steak chain in Solon, Ohio. Connor was roughly seven years old. It was a Saturday evening and like many restaurants was packed. This resulted in patrons needing to wait for their tables and they are given the little coaster alarm that buzzes when their table is…
Category: Marine Corps
Time in grade
I am a United States Marine. I earned the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor in 1981 in the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion at Parris Island, South Carolina. OPEN DISCLOSURE: My service was unremarkable and I stand in awe of my brothers and sisters who have defended us in the years since but, I did get some…
Graduation from Marine Corps Boot Camp and kindness
In the summer of 1981, I joined the Marine Corps and was sent to Marine Corps boot camp, Parris Island, South Carolina where they turn young people into Marines. The way the Corps worked it at that time, before you graduated, your family was allowed to visit on the day before graduation. It was the…
Denmark is a great place to learn
Marines are known for their toughness. Down through the years the battlefields on which they have served have become legendary examples of America’s greatest warriors. The reality is that those battlefields, while fostering a legendary status, also cost untold lives on all sides. Nevertheless, when I enlisted I knew those destinations were a possibility. So…
Impromptu Rifle Range and lessons learned!
I enlisted in the United States Marine Corp in 1981 and did my boot at the legendary Parris Island Recruit Depot in South Carolina, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, Platoon 3033. Over the course of eleven weeks, I learned what it means to be a United States Marine. We worked out physically and mastered the basics…