Ladies and Gentlemen, this story was written after Mr. Z spent about a week among the Marines here in Ramadi. Despite my railings against the media in general, I found Gregg's article to be well written and very acurate. After he left us, he emailed several of his sources (myself included) to verify facts and ask follow-up questions. The end result is, I think, a good picture of what the warriors of this battalion have been going through for the last couple of years. Being the leading edge of the tip of the spear is taxing on everyone involved... even (and maybe especially) the family members we leave behind.
My wife has been feeling the strain lately as trying to fill the role of two parents at once has been draining her reserves as well. If you have a minute, please jump over to her blog and post some encouraging words. I know she'd appreciate it and so would I.
Saturday, July 30
Tuesday, July 26
the $10,000 phone call
My wife forwarded me this true story...
A man decided to write a book about famous churches around the military.
He bought a plane ticket to Fort Jackson, SC thinking he would start by working his way across the USA.
On his first day he was inside the Base Chapel taking photographs when he noticed a golden telephone mounted on the wall above a sign that read "$10,000 per call."
The man, being intrigued, asked a soldier who was strolling by what the telephone was used for.
The solider replied that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 you could talk to God.
The man thanked him and went on his way.
Next, he stopped at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, DC. There, at a very large Chapel, he saw the same golden telephone with the same sign under it. He asked a nearby Airman what this phone's purpose was. She told him that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 he could talk to God. "O.K., thank you," said the man, and left.
He then traveled to Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, Wright Patterson AFB, OH, Colorado Springs, CO, and North Island Naval Air Station, in San Diego, CA. In every chapel he saw the same golden telephone with the same "$10,000 per call" sign under it.
Upon leaving North Island, he decided to travel to a Marine base to see if he would find the same phone. He arrived onboard MCB Camp Pendleton, CA and while waiting to visit the base chapel, he was invited into the Enlisted Club. There was the same golden telephone. This time, however, the sign under it read "40 cents per call." The man was surprised.
Just then, a salty old Gunnery Sergeant walked in and he asked about the sign.
"Gunny, I've traveled all over America and I've seen this same golden telephone in many chapels on many different military installations. I'm told that it is a direct line to Heaven, but in the the Army, the Air Force, and even the Navy, the price was $10,000 per call. Why is it so cheap here?"
The Gunny smiled and answered, "You're on a Marine Base now son, it's a local call."
Okay, so maybe it's not a TRUE story, but it could be. :-)
A man decided to write a book about famous churches around the military.
He bought a plane ticket to Fort Jackson, SC thinking he would start by working his way across the USA.
On his first day he was inside the Base Chapel taking photographs when he noticed a golden telephone mounted on the wall above a sign that read "$10,000 per call."
The man, being intrigued, asked a soldier who was strolling by what the telephone was used for.
The solider replied that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 you could talk to God.
The man thanked him and went on his way.
Next, he stopped at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, DC. There, at a very large Chapel, he saw the same golden telephone with the same sign under it. He asked a nearby Airman what this phone's purpose was. She told him that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 he could talk to God. "O.K., thank you," said the man, and left.
He then traveled to Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, Wright Patterson AFB, OH, Colorado Springs, CO, and North Island Naval Air Station, in San Diego, CA. In every chapel he saw the same golden telephone with the same "$10,000 per call" sign under it.
Upon leaving North Island, he decided to travel to a Marine base to see if he would find the same phone. He arrived onboard MCB Camp Pendleton, CA and while waiting to visit the base chapel, he was invited into the Enlisted Club. There was the same golden telephone. This time, however, the sign under it read "40 cents per call." The man was surprised.
Just then, a salty old Gunnery Sergeant walked in and he asked about the sign.
"Gunny, I've traveled all over America and I've seen this same golden telephone in many chapels on many different military installations. I'm told that it is a direct line to Heaven, but in the the Army, the Air Force, and even the Navy, the price was $10,000 per call. Why is it so cheap here?"
The Gunny smiled and answered, "You're on a Marine Base now son, it's a local call."
Okay, so maybe it's not a TRUE story, but it could be. :-)
Saturday, July 23
Everybody's working for the weekend
Happy Saturday!
My lovely wife is off on a retreat with some of her friends for a MOPS planning session. That means several moms who are gathered together to talk about their kids without having to actually deal with them for a whole weekend. Jen needs the break and conversation that's not constantly peppered with phrases like, "Trey! No!" and, "Leah, get down from there!" This leaves me free to type a few things on my blog here for general consumption.
Speaking of my wife, she sent me a link to this site that will tell you what your name is if you are a wizard. Just for the record, you may refer to me as Oliver Flint. Don't ask me how they came up with that, but there it is.
Now that I'm on the downhill slide toward home, I've been thinking about what I'm most likely to do when I get there. Aside from the obvious wish list of greeting my kids and spending some time with my wife, I'm thinking of trying to get to a ball game and see the Padres host the Dodgers for the last series of the season. I haven't been to a game in over two years and I have not yet been to our relatively new ballpark downtown, either. This would be a chance to kill two proverbial birds with one preverbial stone.
Hope you have a great weekend and thank you for your continued support for those of us who are over here serving in a cause that we believe in and defending a country that we love.
My lovely wife is off on a retreat with some of her friends for a MOPS planning session. That means several moms who are gathered together to talk about their kids without having to actually deal with them for a whole weekend. Jen needs the break and conversation that's not constantly peppered with phrases like, "Trey! No!" and, "Leah, get down from there!" This leaves me free to type a few things on my blog here for general consumption.
Speaking of my wife, she sent me a link to this site that will tell you what your name is if you are a wizard. Just for the record, you may refer to me as Oliver Flint. Don't ask me how they came up with that, but there it is.
Now that I'm on the downhill slide toward home, I've been thinking about what I'm most likely to do when I get there. Aside from the obvious wish list of greeting my kids and spending some time with my wife, I'm thinking of trying to get to a ball game and see the Padres host the Dodgers for the last series of the season. I haven't been to a game in over two years and I have not yet been to our relatively new ballpark downtown, either. This would be a chance to kill two proverbial birds with one preverbial stone.
Hope you have a great weekend and thank you for your continued support for those of us who are over here serving in a cause that we believe in and defending a country that we love.
Monday, July 18
My, look at the time!
I didn't realize that it's been almost a week since my last update. Sorry about that. I don't have any excuse, good or bad, so I won't try to make one up right now. So, what's been going on? Simply put, not much. That's a good thing though so I'll take it. When there's not much going on out here that means I don't have to update our memorial wall or help inventory the gear of a Marine who's been injured and sent back to the States (or killed), so not having much going on is a very good thing.
But that doesn't mean the world has stopped does it?
Lance Armstrong is still in the overall lead in his quest for an unprecedented 7th consectutive Tour de France victory. Yeah! Leave to an American to show Europe how to ride a bicycle in the "rolling countryside" of France.
The All-Star game has come and gone. I was worried that the Padres wouldn't be able to pick up where they'd left off, but they split the series with Arizona, so we're okay. The Reds? Um, yeah... Moving on...
My wife has told me that I'll probably be moving again within six months of getting home. If memory serves, we moved into our current house about three months after I got home from Iraq two years ago. If the pattern holds then that means I'll be trying to load a U-Haul instead of hanging my Christmas lights. You'll pardon me if that idea doesn't get me too excited.
My parents celebrated their 37th anniversary last week. How? They got tickets to the NASCAR race in Ky! I'm glad they had a good time. My mom says she's now hooked on this "Non-Athletic-Sport-Centered-Around-Rednecks" (I heard someone say that once and I thought it was funny although way wrong.
The media and the Democrats have teamed up to beat President Bush over the head with this whole Karl Rove thing. Whatever... 'nuf said.
Finally, Hurricane Dennis ran through and now we're waiting on Hurricane Emily. My thoughts and prayers go out to those of you who were/are in the path of nature's fury. Oh! That's what it was! I was planning to write about the shuttle mission, but since it got scrubbed I kinda lost my motivation. Eh, all's well that ends well, right?
Hope you have a great week and I'll try to be a little more timely with my updates.
But that doesn't mean the world has stopped does it?
Lance Armstrong is still in the overall lead in his quest for an unprecedented 7th consectutive Tour de France victory. Yeah! Leave to an American to show Europe how to ride a bicycle in the "rolling countryside" of France.
The All-Star game has come and gone. I was worried that the Padres wouldn't be able to pick up where they'd left off, but they split the series with Arizona, so we're okay. The Reds? Um, yeah... Moving on...
My wife has told me that I'll probably be moving again within six months of getting home. If memory serves, we moved into our current house about three months after I got home from Iraq two years ago. If the pattern holds then that means I'll be trying to load a U-Haul instead of hanging my Christmas lights. You'll pardon me if that idea doesn't get me too excited.
My parents celebrated their 37th anniversary last week. How? They got tickets to the NASCAR race in Ky! I'm glad they had a good time. My mom says she's now hooked on this "Non-Athletic-Sport-Centered-Around-Rednecks" (I heard someone say that once and I thought it was funny although way wrong.
The media and the Democrats have teamed up to beat President Bush over the head with this whole Karl Rove thing. Whatever... 'nuf said.
Finally, Hurricane Dennis ran through and now we're waiting on Hurricane Emily. My thoughts and prayers go out to those of you who were/are in the path of nature's fury. Oh! That's what it was! I was planning to write about the shuttle mission, but since it got scrubbed I kinda lost my motivation. Eh, all's well that ends well, right?
Hope you have a great week and I'll try to be a little more timely with my updates.
Tuesday, July 12
Some understanding please
I was reading this story about an Iraqi couple who do not share the same muslim belief system, but are trying to live peacefully for the sake of their son and I thought to myself, "These folks are finally getting a taste of what it means to live in freedom." They must learn to live with and respect each other's differences to have peace in their home. If they can do that on an individual level, why can't that spread to those around them and so on, until the populace of Iraq is actually behaving as a civilized people? Well, maybe that's over simplifying the situation. Still, it's something to think about.
I was also reading this story and commentary, since it mentioned two of our Marines, and I thought, "Now, this guy just doesn't get it." First of all, to use the deaths of two Marines as bookends to an editorial about taxes is just in poor taste. Second...
Let me break down the math for you and see if it makes any more sense to you than it did to me. His claim that 97% of the tax breaks being mentioned would go to only 3% of people who pay taxes. He has a problem with that. I don't. Why not? Last year, we filed our claim and learned that not only were we getting a refund, we were getting more money than what we had deducted from our pay for taxes, thanks to credits for my dependents, Jen's home based business expenses, and other miscellaneous items. So I ask you, how can I be "owed" a break as a working class citizen when I actually make money because of our current tax code? You know what? I don't own a small business with a labor force. I don't make a product that benefits society. I don't even have any employees. Well, we did hire a gardner to help care for the yard while I'm away, but that's not the point. The point is, giving me more money is not going to create any new jobs. Letting the business owner down the street keep more of his hard-earned money so he can hire more people, or make more products, or whatever, actually makes sense. Maybe that's why it's not a popular idea. I learned a long time ago that "pro" and "con" are the opposites of each other. Does that apply to "progress" and "congress"?
I was also reading this story and commentary, since it mentioned two of our Marines, and I thought, "Now, this guy just doesn't get it." First of all, to use the deaths of two Marines as bookends to an editorial about taxes is just in poor taste. Second...
Let me break down the math for you and see if it makes any more sense to you than it did to me. His claim that 97% of the tax breaks being mentioned would go to only 3% of people who pay taxes. He has a problem with that. I don't. Why not? Last year, we filed our claim and learned that not only were we getting a refund, we were getting more money than what we had deducted from our pay for taxes, thanks to credits for my dependents, Jen's home based business expenses, and other miscellaneous items. So I ask you, how can I be "owed" a break as a working class citizen when I actually make money because of our current tax code? You know what? I don't own a small business with a labor force. I don't make a product that benefits society. I don't even have any employees. Well, we did hire a gardner to help care for the yard while I'm away, but that's not the point. The point is, giving me more money is not going to create any new jobs. Letting the business owner down the street keep more of his hard-earned money so he can hire more people, or make more products, or whatever, actually makes sense. Maybe that's why it's not a popular idea. I learned a long time ago that "pro" and "con" are the opposites of each other. Does that apply to "progress" and "congress"?
Sunday, July 10
What's 13%?
I took this quiz and found out I'm only 87% American. I thought I was full American... born in Ohio, joined the Marines at 18, fighting the country's enemies wherever they may be found... what am I missing? I even married a California girl. Can't do much more than that!
| You Are 87% American |
 Tough and independent, you think big. You love everything about the US, wrong or right. And anyone who criticizes your home better not do it in front of you! |
Saturday, July 9
Schemes, dreams, and other nice things
Sometimes I am impressed by the human spirit. Especially the spirit of the Marines with whom I serve. See, we have about 3 months to go before we are scheduled to go back home, but the battalion is already making plans to celebrate the Marine Corps' birthday in November. We have announced the location of this year's ball, and we are even asking that Marines buy their tickets before we load the planes to go home, so there will be time to arrange seating and add any special guests before the hotel begins to make their preparations.
See, for those of you who may not know, the United States Marine Corps is very big on tradition and ceremony, and when we have a ceremony that is also a tradition? Whoa! Just be careful. The Marine Corps birthday ball is like your senior prom, grad night, class reunion, and a toga party... all rolled into one. Great times.
Yessir, looking forward to these last 82 days going by, but I know that the closer we get to going home, the further away it will seem, and then eventually... BAM! It'll be over and we'll be home.
See, for those of you who may not know, the United States Marine Corps is very big on tradition and ceremony, and when we have a ceremony that is also a tradition? Whoa! Just be careful. The Marine Corps birthday ball is like your senior prom, grad night, class reunion, and a toga party... all rolled into one. Great times.
Yessir, looking forward to these last 82 days going by, but I know that the closer we get to going home, the further away it will seem, and then eventually... BAM! It'll be over and we'll be home.
Monday, July 4
Independence Day
In every life there comes a time of decision. At some point, we all must decide what is important enough to us to fight to defend. I made my decision a long time ago. Ever since I can remember, I've wanted to be in the military. I had one of the original (12 inches tall) GI Joe action figures (not a "doll") and when Hasbro started producing the 4 inch tall version to compliment/compete with the Star Wars figures, which I also had, I had a vast collection of good guys and terrorists. I never would've guessed back then that I'd some day be fighting a slightly different version of the Cobra orginization. A world-wide terrorist group determined to rule the world? Granted, the mad-men we fight today aren't as well equipped and don't have a battlefield commander like Cobra Commander, but they're just as evil and even elusive. Nevertheless, we will win. Why do I say that? How can I be so sure?
Because today is Independence Day and we are Americans.
Our country was born from the creed that "all men are created equal and are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights." Add that to the fact that as the world's only real superpower it is our responsibility to watch out for the little guy, to make sure that those who are unable to defend themselves are protected from the playground bullies of the world. Is there a cost? Unfortunately, yes. We have paid for the freedom of others and we will continue to do so. We have paid for the freedom to say what we want by spilling our own blood. We have paid for our right to bear arms by taking up arms in the defense of the ideal. We have upheld our freedom of religion by the Grace of the One who has freed us by the shedding of His own blood on a cross over 2000 years ago.
There comes a time in every life when one must decide what is worth fighting for, because if you are not willing to stand for something you are vulnerable to falling for anything. As cliche' as it may sound, I have chosen to live for Jesus, who made me in His own image, and saved me through no action of my own, and I have chosen to fight for the principles that make America... well, America: "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Along my journey I have been joined by a wonderful woman and I have been blessed with riches beyond measure.
Is it worth living for? You bet. Is it worth fighting for? Absolutely. Is it worth dying for? If that is the sacrifice required of me to ensure that my children can enjoy the same freedom I have known... yes.
Happy 4th of July, everyone.
Because today is Independence Day and we are Americans.
Our country was born from the creed that "all men are created equal and are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights." Add that to the fact that as the world's only real superpower it is our responsibility to watch out for the little guy, to make sure that those who are unable to defend themselves are protected from the playground bullies of the world. Is there a cost? Unfortunately, yes. We have paid for the freedom of others and we will continue to do so. We have paid for the freedom to say what we want by spilling our own blood. We have paid for our right to bear arms by taking up arms in the defense of the ideal. We have upheld our freedom of religion by the Grace of the One who has freed us by the shedding of His own blood on a cross over 2000 years ago.
There comes a time in every life when one must decide what is worth fighting for, because if you are not willing to stand for something you are vulnerable to falling for anything. As cliche' as it may sound, I have chosen to live for Jesus, who made me in His own image, and saved me through no action of my own, and I have chosen to fight for the principles that make America... well, America: "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Along my journey I have been joined by a wonderful woman and I have been blessed with riches beyond measure.
Is it worth living for? You bet. Is it worth fighting for? Absolutely. Is it worth dying for? If that is the sacrifice required of me to ensure that my children can enjoy the same freedom I have known... yes.
Happy 4th of July, everyone.
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