War Stories

I missed this when it aired, but the Behind the Scenes video is good, and hopefully it will air again. Watch the video here. You'll have to scroll down to where it says "Related: video". I couldn't figure out how to link directly to the video itself.

Season SEVEN begins on "War Stories"

Sunday, February 11 at 10 p.m. ET

Hosted by Oliver North

On our 8th trip to the frontline of the War on Terror, FOX News’ "War Stories" team embedded with 1st Battalion, 6th Marines in Ramadi, the capital city of Iraq's bloody al Anbar Province. To document how the families of these deployed Marines have been affected by the war, "War Stories" also traveled to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Satellite, cell phone and internet technologies have dramatically changed how troops on the frontlines stay connected to their families on the homefront. But juggling stresses at home and supporting their loved ones in harm's way still requires remarkable perseverance and a delicate balance. All of this is made evident when you see how these families react to the Commander-in-Chief's orders extending the Marines' tour of duty.

In an exclusive interview with a powerful Sunni Sheikh, "War Stories" reveals how a little-known alliance among Sunni, Shia and U.S. forces is taking the fight to foreign terrorists in Al Anbar province. Our cameras are there to document how Sheikh Abdul Sattar Baziya and his American advisors are recruiting, training and deploying thousands of Sunni police officers to fight side by side with Shia soldiers in the battle against Al Qaeda.

With unprecedented access to American and Iraqi troops on the frontlines — and their families on the homefront — this episode of "War Stories" destroys the myth that sectarian rivalries can't be overcome — while showing the extraordinary commitment of our troops — and their families — to winning the war.

The next “War Stories” special, “Red Tails:The Saga of the Tuskegee Airmen” airs Sunday, February 25 at 3am ET

Read "The Colonel's Corner" here.

Magnet

Make your custom magnet at SupportOurRibbons.com


So what do you think? Should we order magnets? The rest of the parents are going to choke me if I don't quit coming up with crazy ideas.

*Update:
We DID go ahead and order magnets. We ordered 50 of them and they are $8 each. They look great! Anyone who wants one, just leave a comment or email me and I will get one to you ASAP.

Thank You!

Thank you so much to all who have contributed recipes so far! The last time I checked, we had almost 60 recipes. That's a great start. We even had some contributed in honor of Brian Keith, who as you may know, is on our list of famous Marines. I think that is really sweet. I'll have to look into his time in the Marines and see what I can find out about it. Maybe one of you ladies who contributed the recipes knows all that? Please share if you do!

We are hoping for over 200 recipes, so please keep 'em coming. The more recipes, the better the cookbook will be. We're hoping to raise enough money to pay for shipping the upcoming year's carepacks. We spent well over $2,000 shipping this past Christmas mail out and over $500 on the Valentine's mail out. We also use the money to buy things that were not donated. For example, we didn't have enough socks for every care pack for Valentine's Day, so we bought about 60 pair. We don't want any of our Marines getting blisters! Also, I'm hoping we can send out some Girl Scout cookies for Easter and we'll have to buy those. If the cookbook (along with our bracelet sales coming up for the 4th of July) raises enough then we won't have to be begging you all for money all year! :)

I've had a good time going through all of my recipes to see which ones I want to put in. I've been cooking up a storm this week. I've found some recipes that I haven't thought of in years. Some are handwritten on the funniest things too; one on the back of an old gas bill, and one scribbled on the back of a receipt. There are even a couple on nice stationary and some on notebook paper...whatever was handy at the time I guess. I even found my bananas foster recipe. Maybe I should try that one out again. It's been a long time since I set dessert on fire! I have my mother and mother-in-law searching their files too. Yum!! This is going to be the best cookbook ever!

Guest Book

In our sidebar to the right, you will see our Guest Book. We would love for everyone to "sign" it by adding a picture. De'on at Gunz Up was our first guest! It's just fun to see everyone. The picture of us doesn't include everyone, so I'll update it when I get another picture.

PBS Documentary

Did everyone watch the PBS documentary "The Marine" last night? If you missed it, it comes on again this Sunday, February 25th at 8:00 p.m. central time. I taped it(yes, I know...how old-fashioned is that?). My boys might want to watch it the next time they get home. I wonder what they will think of it? I thought it was excellent. It was heart wrenching to watch the new recruits getting off the bus at Parris Island. They all looked scared to death. It reminded me of those first pitiful letters that my sons sent home. It's truly amazing how far they come in those 13 weeks.

Here's the article about it from the Department of Defense website.

PBS Documentary 'The Marines' Captures Corps' Values
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, Feb. 20, 2007 – "The Marines," a PBS documentary highlighting the history and heart of the smallest branch of the U.S. armed services, airs tomorrow on PBS stations nationwide at 9 p.m. Eastern Time.
Filmmakers given access to Marine Corps training facilities in Parris Island, S.C.; Quantico, Va.; and Twentynine Palms, Calif., aimed to capture how a warrior culture and ethos is instilled at the Marine Corps the moment a recruit arrives at boot camp.

"How the warrior culture is engrained and how it sets the Marines apart from other armed services branches are critical aspects of Marine development and understanding, " John Grant, producer of the WNED documentary, said.

At Twentynine Palms, the country's largest Marine base, filmmakers got a close-up look at a battalion training in mock Iraqi villages as it prepared for deployment. For roughly one-third of the Marines in the featured battalion, it would be their first combat deployment.

"We interviewed a Marine sergeant who had been to Iraq twice," Grant said. "It was interesting that the people who had been to Iraq were most concerned about sharing their knowledge with people who were going over there for the first time to give them a better chance of surviving the experience."

Other segments of the program focus on the Wounded Warrior Barracks in Camp Lejeune, N.C.; the new Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Va.; and women's role in the Marines.

During interviews, more than 30 present and former Marines of all ranks, plus authors and military correspondents describe the rich history, tradition and continuing importance of the Marine Corps.

Retired Marine Col. Thomas Shreeve, who is not featured in the film, said the Corps offered him a unique challenge.

"I learned the value of self-discipline, and I learned that I was capable of a great deal more than I thought I had been, in terms of meeting and overcoming physical adversity," he said. "I wanted from the Marine Corps a challenge that was outside (academic institutions) , and I got it."

Part of the education he learned in the Corps is the "warrior ethos," Shreeve said. "It refers to the ethics that pervades an elite structure like the Marine Corps," he said. "It is self-discipline and self-sacrifice while working together to overcome an objective under extremely stressful and adverse circumstances. "

For people who aren't familiar with the Marines, the program provides real insights into the Corps, Grant said.

"I think ("The Marines") is important because it exposes young people to the idea that there is a body of men and women who embrace values to which one can aspire," Shreeve said.

One Marine who embodied such values in Iraq is Cpl. Jason L. Dunham. Dunham was killed in action when he used his helmet to cover a grenade, then covered it with his body to shield his fellow Marines.

The 22-year-old Marine was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry in action, and the PBS documentary has been dedicated to his memory.

"The documentary offers an in-depth look at the rigorous physical and psychological training that create this tenaciously loyal, highly skilled breed of combatant ready to defend country and comrade at any cost," Grant said. "It focuses both on how one becomes a Marine and also what it means to be a Marine."

Enlisted Rank Structure

The enlisted rank structure is something our Marines memorize very quickly at bootcamp if they haven't already during their time in the delayed entry program. Some of us parents, however, need a little help in this area. I'm including myself in that. I remember when my oldest son was first talking to the recruiters and mentioned a Gunny so and so. I thought it was some sort of nickname. I had no idea it was a rank, well actually a nickname for a rank I guess. Marines are very forgiving when parents call them by the wrong rank, but we don't want to do that if we can help it, right?

Here are pictures of the insignia for the first 5 ranks. E-1 Private (Pvt) has no insignia, E-2 Private First Class (PFC) has one stripe up, E-3 Lance Corporal (LCpl) has one stripe up with crossed rifles (see Fred, I changed it), E-4 Corporal (Cpl) has two stripes up with crossed rifles underneath, and E-5 Sergeant (Sgt) has 3 stripes up with crossed rifles underneath.

Enlisted Marines with pay grades of E-4 and E-5 are considered Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs) while those at E-6 and higher are considered Staff Noncommissioned Officers (SNCOs). The E-8 and E-9 levels each have two ranks per pay grade, each with different responsibilities. Gunnery Sergeants (E-7) indicate on their annual evaluations, called "fitness reports", or "fitreps" for short, their preferred promotional track: Master Sergeant or First Sergeant. The First Sergeant and Sergeant Major ranks are command-oriented, with Marines of these ranks serving as the senior enlisted Marines in a unit, charged to assist the commanding officer in matter of discipline, administration and the morale and welfare of the unit. Master Sergeants and Master Gunnery Sergeants provide technical leadership as occupational specialists in their specific MOS. First Sergeants typically serve as the senior enlisted Marine in a company, battery or other unit at similar echelon, while Sergeants Major serve the same role in battalions, squadrons or larger units. The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps is a rank conferred on the senior enlisted Marine of the entire Marine Corps, personally selected by the Commandant of the Marine Corps.


Unlike other branches of the military, it is incorrect to refer to enlisted Marines above the rank of Sergeant as "Sergeant". For instance; even informally, a Marine Staff Sergeant will be called "Staff Sergeant Jones" rather than "Sergeant Jones". Similarly, Lance Corporal is never shortened to "Corporal" when addressing a Marine of this rank, nor is a Private First Class properly addressed as Private as he or she would be in the Army, instead "PFC" will be used. However, familiar terms such as "Gunny" (for Gunnery Sergeant), "Top" (for Master Sergeant; 1stSgt's are not referred to as "Top") and "Master Guns" (for Master Gunnery Sergeant) are often substituted. These nicknames are improper for formal situations and can be taken as disrespectful if the Marine using them is not familiar with the Marine being addressed. The term "Sarge" is universally disrespectful among Marines.

Emphasis mine. Find the rest of the rank insignia and more info at Wikipedia.

Injured Vet Signs With San Diego Padres

A Marine Corporal who was injured in Iraq is the ABC News person of the week. This is such a great story! It's so nice to read something positive for a change.

Feb. 16, 2007 — Cooper Brannan is trading one uniform for another. The 22-year-old Marine corporal signed a Minor League contract this week to pitch for the San Diego Padres, despite an injury he suffered while in Iraq.

"They say Marines don't cry, right? This is one of the biggest dreams of my whole life," Brannan said. "It's every little kid's dream, you know, and now that I'm older and I'm able to fulfill this dream … I'm going to work hard at it and I am going to strive to be the best that I can be."

His Major League pitching opportunity came during a chance encounter with the CEO of the Padres, whom he met at a radio show appearance, after Brannan returned home from two tours of duty in Iraq.
Read the rest of the story here.

Would you volunteer to go to Iraq?

I always enjoy going to the website for MCAS Iwakuni, where my oldest son is stationed. Every week, they ask people questions about some topic of the day. I think the last one was about Valentine's Day. Sometimes they are silly, sometimes serious. I don't think I have ever seen one where everyone had the same opinion. This week they all did. Click here to take a look.

This Week's Question
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Edmund Burke
While every Marine has his or her personal reasons for joining the Corps, whether it be for college money, travel or just to earn the title Marine, the reason America has a Marine Corps is to fight and win wars. Not every Marine sees combat action, but with the commandant’s new “Every Marine into the fight,” it’s likely more will. So we were wondering …

Would you volunteer to go to Iraq?

*photo from the MCAS Iwakuni website.

My Favorite Quotes

I've been building a collection of quotes about and by Marines and our military for a while. Lots of us Marine moms like to have quotes in our signature lines on the message boards. That's where I got many of these. I'll start with the most popular quote (at least among the moms).

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem."
- Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, 1985

"Marines are about the most peculiar breed of human beings I have ever witnessed. They treat their service as if it were some kind of cult, plastering their emblems on almost everything they own, making themselves up to look like insane fanatics with haircuts to ungentlemanly lengths, worshipping their Commandant almost as if he were a god, and making weird animal noises like a bunch of savages. They'll fight like rabid dogs at the drop of a hat just for the sake of a little action, and are the cockiest sons of bit**es I have ever known. Most have the foulest mouths and drink well beyond man's normal limits, but their high spirits and sense of brotherhood set them apart and, generally speaking, the United States Marines I've come in contact with are the most professional soldiers and the finest men I have ever had the pleasure to meet."
- an anonymous Canadian citizen

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

"You have earned the title "Marine" upon graduation from recruit training. It wasn't willed to you; it isn't a gift. It is not a government subsidy. Few can claim the title; no one may take it away. It is forever yours."
-Tom Bartlett, Leatherneck Magazine

"The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank GOD for the United States Marine Corps."
- Eleanor Roosevelt, 1945

"I have only two men out of my company and 20 out of some other company. We need support, but it is almost suicide to try to get it here as we are swept by machine gun fire and a constant barrage is on us. I have no one on my left and only a few on my right. I will hold."
- 1st Lt. Clifton B. Cates in Belleau Wood, 19 July 1918

"Freedom is not free, but the U.S. Marine Corps will pay most of your share."
- Ned Dolan

"I am convinced that there is no smarter, handier, or more adaptable body of troops in the world."
- Prime Minister of Britain, Sir Winston Churchill

"Being ready is not what matters. What matters is winning after you get there."
- LtGen Victor H. Krulak, USMC April 1965

You cannot exaggerate about the Marines. They are convinced to the point of arrogance, that they are the most ferocious fighters on earth- and the amusing thing about it is that they are.
- Father Kevin Keaney
1st Marine Division Chaplain, Korean War

"We steal the Eagle from the Air Force, the Anchor from the Navy, the rope from the Army, and on the Seventh Day when God rested, we overran his perimeter and stole the Globe, and have been protecting our shores ever since."
-USMC

"It is physically and morally impossible to support the troops but not the war. That is a coward's way of saying he/she hopes we lose. Either support our forces in their efforts to win or support our enemies. One cannot choose between the two."
-Steve Clayton

"As Marines, our message to our foes has always been essentially the same...'We own this side of the street! Threaten my Country or our allies and we will come over to your side of the street, burn your hut down, whisper in your ear 'Can you hear me now?' ...and then secure your heartbeat.'"
-Colonel James M. Lowe

Famous Marines: R through Z

The final installment of Famous Marines.
There are some more surprises on this list as well, or at least they surprised me.


R
Lawrence G. Rawl — CEO of Exxon (1988-1993)
Ben Reed — writer
Donald Regan — U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Chief of Staff (Reagan administration)
Robert Remus — "Sgt. Slaughter" in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF)
Hari Rhodes — actor
Buddy Rich — musician
Bryan Rigg — author of Hitler's Jewish Soldiers (2002)
Scott Ritter — former United Nations arms inspector, intelligence officer, outspoken opponent of the Bush administration's foreign policy.
Charles S. "Chuck" Robb — Governor of Virginia, U.S. Senator, married to Linda Bird Johnson (daughter of President Lyndon Johnson)
Pat Robertson — evangelist
Rick Romley — attorney general
James Roosevelt — son of FDR, former Marine Raider
Barney Ross — world champion boxer, Boxing Hall of Famer

S
George Schultz — economist, U.S. Secretary of State, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of the Treasury
George C. Scott — actor
Tom Seaver — baseball Hall of Famer
Gerald L. Shaffer — created Leatherneck.com
Shaggy — musician (rapper)
Bernard Shaw — CNN news anchor
Mark Shields — journalist
John L. Simon — US swimming coach
Oliver Sipple — Saved President Gerald Ford's life during an assassination attempt.
Frederick W. Smith — businessman, founder of Fed Ex
W. Thomas Smith, Jr. — author, journalist
John Philip Sousa — composer, conductor/orchestra leader
Johnny Micheal Spann — CIA officer, first American killed in combat in the war on terror
Leon Spinks — world boxing champion
Richard Steele — boxing referee
Eugene Stoner — designer of the AR-15 rifle — adopted by the US military as the M-16.
William Styron — Pulitzer Prize winning author.
Arthur Ochs Sulzberger — publisher of The New York Times
Charles R. (Chuck) Swindoll — evangelical Christian pastor, radio preacher
Anthony Swofford — author of the book Jarhead

T
Steven W. Taylor, Oklahoma Supreme Court justice
Jerald terHorst — press secretary (1974) for President Gerald Ford
Craig Thomas — U.S. Senator from Wyoming
Bernard Trainor — foreign policy analyst and author
Lee Trevino — PGA golfer and member of the Hall of Fame
Gene Tunney — world boxing champion, Boxing Hall of Famer

U
Leon Uris — author

V
Bill Veeck — baseball team owner, baseball Hall of Famer

W
Robert Wagner — actor
John Warner — U.S. Senator (R - VA)
Mike Weaver — world boxing champion
James Webb — U.S. Senator (D - VA), former U.S. Secretary of the Navy, author.
Chuck Wepner — boxer; often pointed as the inspiration for the Rocky movie series
Bing West — author and former Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Reagan Administration.
Jo Jo White — former NBA basketball player with the Boston Celtics
Charles Whitman — University of Texas at Austin Tower sniper (1966)
James Whitmore — actor
Buzz Williams — author of Spare Parts: From Campus to Combat
Montel Williams — television show host
Ted Williams — baseball Hall of Famer
Jonathan Winters — actor, comedian
Pete Wilson — former Governor of California
Ed Wood, Jr. — film director

Z
Anthony Zinni — foreign policy analyst and television commentator.

Famous Marines: I through P

Our third installment of famous Marines. There are a few on this list who apparently left the "honor, courage, and commitment" behind when they were discharged. I won't name any names ::cough:: Murtha, but most of them went on to great things. :)


I
Mike Ilitch — founder of Little Caesars Pizza.
John Donald "Don" Imus — talk radio host

J
Keith Jackson — broadcaster
Brian Gerard James — TNA/WWE professional wrestler
Bill Janklow — Governor of South Dakota
George Jones — country music star

K
Bob Keeshan — "Captain Kangaroo"
Harvey Keitel — actor
Brian Keith — actor
Greg Kelly — news reporter
Raymond W. Kelly — police commissioner of the City of New York
Skip Kenney — Men's Olympic Swim Coach, Head Swim Coach at Stanford University
Robert Kiyosaki — author of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Ron Kovic — author Born on the Fourth of July
Ted Kulongoski — Governor, State of Oregon

L
Mills Lane — boxing referee and TV's People's Court judge
Jim Lehrer — journalist, host of the PBS' NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
Alfred Lerner — financier, Chairman of MBNA Corporation
Scott Levy — professional wrestler
Joe Lisi — actor
Clayton J. Lonetree — spied for Russia in the mid-1980s
Tommy Loughran — world boxing champion
Jack Robert Lousma — NASA Astronaut
Robert A. Lutz — Chairman of the Board of Chrysler

M
John Freeman Mackie — First Marine Medal of Honor winner.
William Manchester — author and historian
Mike Mansfield — U.S. Representative and Senator, Senate Majority Leader, U.S. Ambassador to Japan; co-author of the Douglas-Mansfield Bill (1951) supporting the Marine Corps
Lee Marvin — actor
Bob Mathias Two-time Olympic champion in the decathlon — U.S. congressman
Ed McMahon — television personality
Sid McMath — Governor of Arkansas
Robert C. McFarlane — National Security Advisor to Pres. Reagan, infamous for his role in the Iran-Contra Scandal.
Steve McQueen — actor
Ray Mercer — world boxing champion
Zell Miller — Governor of Georgia, U.S. Senator
Billy Mills — Olympic gold medalist (1964), 10,000m
Tom Monaghan — founder of Domino's Pizza
Mike Montler — professional NFL football player, Buffalo Bills
Jim Mora — NFL head football coach
Robert S. Mueller III — director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Jimmy Murray — former GM of Philadelphia Eagles and co-founder of Ronald McDonald House charities.
John Murtha — U.S. Representative (D - PA)

N
Samuel Nicholas — First Commandant of the Marine Corps.
Carlos I. Noriega — NASA astronaut
Oliver North — known for his role in the Iran-Contra scandal, Host of "War Stories" on Fox.
Ken Norton — world champion boxer, Boxing Hall of Famer

O
Kenneth O'Keefe — anti-war activist
Lee Harvey Oswald — assassin of John F. Kennedy
Randy Orton — professional wrestler

P
Ilario Pantano — author of Warlord
Sam Peckinpah — director
George Peppard — actor
Bum Phillips — NFL Head coach
Lewis Burwell Puller Jr. — author, Pulitzer Prize winner
Tyrone Power — actor

Welcome Home!

Just about every morning for the past year, Bert Brady has been getting up, having a cup of coffee and heading over to the Dallas Fort Worth Airport. But this ritual has nothing to do with travel. He's at the terminal to welcome home American troops as they return from Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I went 300 days last year," Brady said. "They are glad to see us, and we are tickled to death to see them because they are our heroes."
Brady, a 69-year-old veteran, is a member of the Welcome Home a Hero program at his local airport. He makes sure every soldier that comes through Dallas gets a special homecoming.
And he has reached out to almost anyone who will join him.
"We have people who only come on weekends. We have people who come during the week," Brady said. "We have a lot of support from the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts."
Veterans Stick Together
Brady shows up each day with the goal of making soldiers feel appreciated and proud of their service. He's often joined by veterans of the Vietnam and Korean wars who did not get a warm reception when they returned from battle.
"We are not going to forget them like a lot of Vietnam soldiers have been forgotten," Brady said. "We are not going to forget the soldiers of today."
One Korean War vet working with Brady added, "We owe it to them. They're doing a good job for us. When I came home in 1954, there was nobody, no nothing."
And for Brady, it's simply "rewarding" to greet the soldiers.
"You can't make 200 people happy and not feel that. Ninety-five percent of them are smiling, and you never can tell if one of their buddies has just died in their arms yesterday," he said. "So you get all kinds of emotion coming through."
And the soldiers appreciate the efforts. "It's great. … They took the time out of their day to be here," one soldier said.
"It's incredible to see the support," said one soldier's wife, who was in tears. "Everybody cheering him on … it's a little embarrassing, but we appreciate it."

When asked why he is so dedicated to this effort, Brady pointed to a moment he shared with one soldier.
"He said, 'Mister, I will never forget you,' and my heart was almost pounding like it was going to burst out of my chest," Brady said. "He said, 'It's the greatest thing that ever happened to me.'"

Here is a link to watch the video, very moving! Tissue Alert!

http://media.abcnews.com/WNT/PersonOfWeek/story?id=2845247&page=2

Spotlight on Chris

Chris is the son of Lubbock Marine Parents member Marlise. Here is what she has to say about her son:


Chris just turned 23 in January and has been in the Marine Corps since Oct of 2005.
He is with 3/1 Lima Co. 3rd Plt. at Camp Pendleton, and is scheduled for his 1st deployment soon.
Chris is a 2002 graduate of New Deal High School.
His dad, Kenny & I are extremely proud of Chris, as are his 2 older brothers, Trey & Dustin

Famous Marines: D - H

We are continuing our list of famous Marines from Wikipedia. Again, some are obvious (such as R. Lee Ermey) and some not so much...

D
Brian Dennehy — actor
Lou Diamond — "Mr. Leatherneck," namesake of actor Lou Diamond Phillips
David Dinkins — Mayor of New York City
Art Donovan — football Hall of Famer
Terry Downes — world boxing champion
Buster Drayton — world boxing champion
Andre Dubus — author
David Douglas Duncan — photographer
William L. Durkin — earned fame for rescuing billionaire Howard Hughes from an aircraft accident
Dale Dye — actor, Hollywood military advisor.

E
David Eigenberg — actor, Sex and the City
R. Lee Ermey — actor, TV show host
Don Everly — musician member of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Phil Everly — musician member of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
John A. Eastman - NFL football player, actor, writer, motivational speaker

F
Hussein Mohamed Farrah — son and successor of Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid
Mike Farrell — American actor
Jesse Ferguson — American heavyweight boxer
Nathaniel Fick — Author of the book One Bullet Away
Bill Fitch — basketball coach
Shelby Foote — author, civil war historian
Glenn Ford — actor
Joe Foss — Former Governor of South Dakota, first Commissioner of the American Football league, former NRA President
James Franciscus — actor
Mark Fuhrman — LAPD detective who became famous during the O.J. Simpson trial
Bob Ferguson — song writer, record producer, and historian
Hayden Fry — Football coach, University of Iowa
Freddie Fender — Tejano music recording artist

G
Nathan Gale — murderer of guitarist Dimebag Darrell and several others
Bill Gallo — cartoonist, journalist
Christopher George — actor
Wayne Gilchrest — Republican U.S. Representative from Maryland
John Glenn — astronaut, first American to orbit Earth, oldest man in space, U.S. Senator
Scott Glenn — actor
Josh Gracin — singer
Clu Gulager — actor

H
Gene Hackman — actor
Fred Haise — NASA astronaut (Apollo 13 & Space Shuttle Enterprise)
Nathaniel Dawayne Hale — rapper
Ahmard Hall — NFL football player
Hugh W. Hardy — pioneer of the 3D seismic method
Gustav Hasford — author of The Short-Timers, the Vietnam novel on which the movie Full Metal Jacket (1987) was based.
Sterling Hayden — actor
Louis Hayward —
George Roy Hill — Oscar-nominated director for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as well as winning an Oscar for directing The Sting.
Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch — football Hall of Famer
Gil Hodges — baseball player

"The Marines" on PBS

Director John Grant's documentary examines the culture of being a marine. Included: recruit training during boot at Parris Island, S.C.; a tour of the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Va. Also: comments from retired general Michael Hagee.

It will air here on February 21st at 8:00 p.m.

Find your station here.

I'm looking forward to seeing this. You can sign up for an email reminder on the website. I did, so hopefully I will remember to watch.

Famous Marines

I found a list of famous Marines at Wikipedia. Here is A through C. I'll post the rest later. I found it very interesting. Many of these people I already knew were Marines, but some surprised me.

A
Joseph M. Acaba — first Puerto Rican astronaut
Don Adams — actor, "Get Smart"
Mike Anderson — NFL football player
Walter Anderson — author; PARADE Magazine editor; Parade Publications CEO; GED spokesperson
Paul Arizin — basketball player
Bea Arthur — actor

B
F. Lee Bailey — lawyer
James Baker — former U.S. Secretary of State, elder statesman, advisor and friend of the Bush family
Leslie M. "Bud" Baker, Jr. — Chairman of the Board of Wachovia Bank.
Nick Barone — boxer (1950s)
James Lee Barrett — author, screenplay writer.
Monte Barrett — heavyweight boxer
Carmen Basilio — world champion boxer, Boxing Hall of Famer
Hank Bauer — baseball player
Bob Bell — Bozo the Clown (TV)
Patty Berg — LPGA golfer
Rod Bernard — musician
John Wayne Bobbitt — Famous for his dismembered member.
Charles F. Bolden, Jr. — space shuttle commander
Carol Bongiovi — model, mother of Jon Bon Jovi
John Bongiovi — hairdresser, father of Jon Bon Jovi
Robert Bork — retired federal judge, law professor, and Supreme court nominee.
Blackbear Bosin — artist
Hugh Brannum — "Mr. Green Jeans" on Captain Kangaroo
Daniel B. Brewster — U.S. Senator from Maryland
Patrick Brown - Captain Ladder 3 New York City Fire Department, Killed on 9/11/01 attacks
Art Buchwald — humor columnist
Dale Bumpers — U.S. Senator from Arkansas
Gregory Burgess — Silver Medal, Swimming, Men's 200 m Individual Medley, 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain
Conrad Burns — U.S. Senator from Montana
Smedley Darlington Butler — became an outspoken critic of war profiteers and testified in congress regarding a plot to overthrow the government. Also served as the Police Commissioner for the city of Philadelphia. One of only two Marines to be awarded two Medals of Honor for separate actions.

C
Enrique Camarena — murdered Mexican-American DEA agent
Philip Caputo — author, journalist
Rod Carew — baseball Hall of Famer
Drew Carey — comedian
James Carville — political strategist and manager
Roberto Clemente — baseball Hall of Famer
Jerry Coleman — baseball player, announcer
Eddie Collins — baseball Hall of Famer
Charles Colson — White House special counsel, convicted in Watergate, evangelist
Mike Connors — actor
Donald "The Great Santini" Conroy — Black Sheep Squadron member and father of author Pat Conroy, who based his novel The Great Santini on him.
John Corzine — Governor of New Jersey.
Bill Cowan — hostage rescue expert, television news commentator
Louis Cukela — recipient of both Navy and Army Medal of Honor
Walter Cunningham — Apollo 7 astronaut

Another Funny

You know Marines love to make fun of the other branches of service. All in the name of friendly competition of course. What you may not know, is that they also love to make fun of themselves. This joke was actually sent to some moms by a former Marine.

51 Days

A bartender is sitting behind the bar on a typical day, when the door bursts open and in come four exuberant Marines. They come to the bar and order five bottles of beer and ten glasses. They take their order over and sit down at a large table. The caps are popped, the glasses are filled and they begin toasting and chanting, "51 days, 51 days, 51 days!" Soon three more Marines arrive, take up their drinks and the chanting grows, "51 days, 51 days, 51 days!" Two more Marines show up and soon their voices are are joined in raising the roof, "51 days, 51 days, 51 days!" Finally the tenth Marine comes in with a picture under his arm, he walks over to the table, and sets the picture in the middle and the table erupts.

Up jump the others, they begin dancing around the table, exchanging high-fives, all the while chanting, "51 days, 51 days, 51 days!" The bartender can't contain his curiosity any longer, so he walks over to the table. There in the center is a beautifully framed child's puzzle of the cookie monster. When the frenzy dies down a little bit the bartender asks one of the Marines, "Whats all the chanting and celebration about?"

The Marine who brought in the picture pipes in, "Everyone thinks that Marines are dumb and they make fun of us. So, we decided to set the record straight. Ten of us got together, bought this puzzle and put it together. The side of the box said 2-4 years, but we put it together in 51 days."

USS Montana

Here's another funny video. I have heard this joke before, but it's better with the visual. Don't, however pay attention to the comment you see on the player. It's not a stupid American thing...it's a commercial! Duh! ;)

February Meeting

This will be at the top for a few days, so scroll down for new posts. Our February meeting will be Thursday, February 15th at 8:00pm at Daybreak Coffee on 19th and Quaker. It's already time to start planning for the 4th on Broadway, our Easter care package mail out and homecoming for the Lubbock Reserve Unit. Look forward to seeing you there!

The final count on our Valentine care packs was 71!

In Loving Memory

Rhonda, one of our Lubbock Marine moms lost her son Lcpl Corey Lyn Kelton Friday, February 2nd after a car accident on Saturday, January 27th. Corey was born October 20th, 1985 in Brownfield, Texas. He was a 2004 graduate of Sundown High School and was part of the Lubbock reserve unit.

Our deepest sympathies are with Rhonda and she has a special place in our hearts. We pray that God will bring her and the rest of her family strength and comfort as they mourn the loss of their precious son and brother.


Lubbock Online story

Ordnanceman's Creed

As you know, my younger Marine son's MOS is aviation ordnance. He's currently in his "C" school at Camp Pendleton. This is the t-shirt he gave me for Christmas. I was wearing it in the picture of our packing party Saturday. AO seems to be FULL of gung-ho Marines who are very proud of what they do, but aren't always appreciated by others. The following is the Ordnanceman's Creed as told to me by my son.

In God and Ordnance we adore
In times of crisis not before.

When all wrongs have been righted
And all schedules met,
God is forgotten
And Ordnance slighted.

Quantico Marine Band

The Quantico Marine Band is playing during the pre-game show today! Hope you are all watching it. The band, not the game... ;) I hear they don't actually get to stay to watch the game though. They'll have to watch from their hotel rooms. I don't know why, but I always thought those who performed where able to stay and watch.

*UPDATE: OK, I'm a little bit of a mad Marine Mama tonight. Cirque du whatever got total coverage and there was only a tiny glimpse of the Marine band while the broadcasters were running their mouths. Who would the viewers rather see?? Come on!!

All Packed Up!

Our packing party was a success today! We packed up almost 60 carepacks and each one includes a Valentine and some Valentine candy along with lots of other goodies. We also had some wonderful DVDs, books and letters from the local Republican Women to include. Thanks so much to each of you who donated! We appreciate it so much!



We always have so much fun when we get together! We even called in to
My Point Radio. Be sure to give it a listen. TXMarinemom1987 did the talking for us. ;)

*EDIT: By the way, the four of us in the picture were not the only ones at the packing party. The others just decided to scoot out the door before we whipped out the cameras.

Citizens Report on Iraq

I found another great link this morning at Military Families Voice of Victory. They have such a great blog! It is a citizens report on Iraq written by citizens who have been to Iraq and interviewed our troops.

Here's a quote from the introduction:

The American people are woefully uninformed about the situation in Iraq and the political dynamics working in America and abroad to bring about our defeat. It is not the fault of the American people that they are uninformed; the fault lies clearly with the media, politicians and the government in failing to do their jobs of keeping the public adequately informed.

This report is an attempt to bring before the American people facts and observations that have gone unreported, underreported, lied about or not fully explained.

Click here to read the entire report.

More Jokes

We all love to laugh, so I thought we needed a few more jokes.

Which Branch of the Service Do Your Prefer?

An Army grunt stands in the rain with a 35 pound pack on his back, 15 pound. weapon in hand, after having marched 12 miles, and says, "This is s**t!"

An Army Airborne Ranger stands in the rain with a 45 pound pack on his back, 15 pound weapon in hand, after having jumped from an airplane and marched 18 miles, and says with a smile, "This is good s**t!"

A Navy SEAL lies in the mud, 55 pound pack on his back, 15 pound weapon in hand, after having had a 10 mile swim to shore, a five crawl through swamps, and a 25 mile march in jungle, at night, through enemy positions, says with a grin, "This really is great s**t."

A Marine, up to his nose in the stinking, bug-infested mud of a swamp with a 65 pound pack on his back and a 15 pound weapon in each hand, after jumping from an aircraft at high altitude, into the ocean, swimming 12 miles to the shore, killing several alligators to enter the swamp, then crawling 30 miles through the brush to assault an enemy camp, says, "I love this s**t."

An Air Force NCO sits in an easy chair in an air conditioned, carpeted office and says, "My e-mail's out? What kind of s**t is this?"


USMC Rules For Gunfighting
1. Bring a gun. Preferably, bring at least two guns. Bring all of your friends who have guns.
2. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive.
3. Only hits count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss.
4. If your shooting stance is good, you're probably not moving fast enough nor using cover correctly.
5. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.)
6. If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a long gun and a friend with a long gun.
7. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.
8. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading, and running.
9. Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting standards will be more dependent on "pucker factor" than the inherent accuracy of the gun.
9.5 Use a gun that works EVERY TIME. "All skill is in vain when an Angel pisses in the flintlock of your musket."
10. Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.
11. Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.
12. Have a plan.
13. Have a back-up plan, because the first one won't work.
14. Use cover or concealment as much as possible.
15. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.
16. Don't drop your guard.
17. Always tactical load and threat scan 360 degrees.
18. Watch their hands. Hands kill. (In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them).
19. Decide to be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.
20. The faster you finish the fight, the less shot you will get.
21. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
22. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.
23. Your number one Option for Personal Security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.
24. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun, the caliber of which does not start with a "4."

Navy Rules for Gunfighting
1. Go to Sea
2. Send the Marines
3. Drink Coffee


Brain Surgery

This Marine, all messed up from Vietnam, went to the hospital to get checked. Because of the war, his brain was all screwed up, and all he could say were the words to the Marines Hymn.
So the doctor asked his name, he replied, "from the Halls of Montezuma..."
The doctor decided to remove part of the brain, thinking that would cure it. When the doctor did this, the Marine still said, "from the Halls of Montezuma..."
The doctor figured he did not remove enough of the brain. So after removing some more, the Marine still only said those words.
The doctor, now getting frustrated, decided to take the rest of the brain out. Now the Marine, with no brain, stood up and started singing, "Be all that you can be..."

Military WISDOM

I definitly need the stress reliever of a good laugh today!

Most of these jokes are about aviation....hmmm....

"A slipping gear could let your M203 grenade launcher fire when youleast expect it. That would make you quite unpopular in what's left of your unit." - Army's magazine of preventive maintenance.

Instruction printed on US Rocket Launcher "Aim towards the Enemy."

"When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend. - U.S.Marine Corps

"Cluster bombing from B-52s are very, very accurate. The bombs are guaranteed to always hit the ground." - USAF Ammo Troop

"If the enemy is in range, so are you." - Infantry Journal

"It is generally inadvisable to eject.... Directly over the area you just bombed." - U.S. Air Force Manual

"Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons." - General Macarthur.

"Try to look unimportant; they may be low on ammo." - InfantryJournal

"You, you, and you ... Panic. The rest of you, come with me." U.S.Marine Corp Gunnery Sgt.

"Tracers work both ways." - U.S. Army Ordnance

"Five second fuses only last three seconds." - Infantry Journal

"Don't ever be the first, don't ever be the last, and don't ever volunteer to do anything." - U.S. Navy Swabbie

"Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid." - David Hackworth

"If your attack is going too well, you're walking into an ambush." Infantry Journal

"No combat-ready unit has ever passed inspection." - Joe Gay

"Any ship can be a minesweeper. At least once. "

"Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do." - Unknown Marine Recruit -

"Don't draw fire; it irritates the people around you." - Your Buddies

"If you see a bomb technician running, follow him." - USAF Ammo Troop

"Though I Fly Through the Valley of Death, I Shall Fear No Evil. For I am at 80,000 Feet and Climbing." - At the entrance to the old SR-71 operating base Kadena, Japan

"You've never been lost until you've been lost at Mach 3." - Paul F. Crickmore (test pilot)

"The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire."

"Blue water Navy truism: There are more planes in the ocean than submarines in the sky." - From an old carrier sailor

"If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage, it's probably a helicopter -- and therefore, unsafe."

"When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane you always have enough power left to get you to the scene of the crash."

"Without ammunition.... The USAF would be just another expensive flying club."

"What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots?If a pilot screws up, the pilot dies; If ATC screws up, .... The pilot dies."

"Never trade luck for skill."

The three most common expressions (or famous last words) in aviationare: "Why is it doing that?", "Where are we?" And "Oh S...!"

"Weather forecasts are horoscopes with numbers."

"Progress in airline aviation: Now a flight attendant can get a pilot pregnant".

"Airspeed, altitude and brains. Two are always needed to successfully complete the flight."

"A smooth landing is mostly luck; Two in a row is all luck; Three in a row is prevarication."

"I remember when sex was safe and flying was dangerous."

"Mankind has a perfect record in aviation; We never left one upthere!"

"Flashlights are tubular metal containers kept in a flight bag for the purpose of storing dead batteries."

"Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about it."

"The Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world... It can just barely kill you." - Attributed to Max Stanley (Northrop test pilot)

"A pilot who doesn't have any fear probably isn't... flying his plane to its maximum." - Jon McBride, astronaut

"If you're faced with a forced landing, fly the thing as far into the crash as possible." - Bob Hoover (renowned aerobatic and test pilot)

"Never fly in the same cockpit with someone braver than you."

"There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime." - Sign over squadron ops desk at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, 1970

"If something hasn't broken on your helicopter, it's about to."

Basic Flying Rules: "Try to stay in the middle of the air. Do notgo near the edges of it. The edges of the air can be recognized by....the appearance of ground, buildings, sea, trees and interstellar space. It is much more difficult to fly there."

"You know that your landing gear is up and locked ... when it takes full power to taxi to the terminal."

As the test pilot climbs out of the experimental aircraft, having torn off the wings and tail in the crash landing, the crash truck arrives, the rescuer sees a bloodied pilot and asks "What happened?".The pilot's reply: "I don't know, I just got here myself!" - Attributed to Ray Crandell (Lockheed test pilot)

Gunz Up

Believe it or not we've had another contribution from yet another great blogger!! De'on from Gunz Up has sent us a donation! Thank you so much De'on! You know we've voted you a part of our group don't you? We just consider you our Marine Mom sister in New Mexico.

Be sure and read her posts from Marine Moms Online about "Why Does My Son Want To Be a Marine?". Here is some of part one. She has two up so far.

Why Does My Son Want to be A Marine?

The reasons why some young Americans have chosen to become
United States Marines


As told by their mothers, fathers, wives, and other loved ones


INTRODUCTION

Before our son was to leave for Marine Corps boot camp, I needed to learn why, Why, WHY was he choosing this at this most dangerous time, and of all the branches, why the Marine Corps? He cited a few reasons as “I need more discipline; my life needs to be put into perspective, I will be doing a lot of things I’ve always wanted to do,” none of which I was willing to accept as trade for the risks that I knew lie before him.

Discussions were held with our son for three years about his desire to join, but high school graduation arrived and so did his date for Marine Corps boot camp. We lost the battle. On August 21, 2006, off he went. Feeling lost and defeated, I turned to my ever-reliable confidants, the moms and friends of the support group, Marine Moms Online. Did I ever expect to get such an outpour of responses? Without a doubt, I knew they would come through for me. You see, I am speaking of son #2 who is following in his former Marine brother’s footsteps, so I was well aware and ready to reacquaint myself with the power of this group and the people who comprise it.

I would like to share a summary of stories and the reasons their sons and daughters shared with me, when I asked the group “Why?”

I compiled their replies as a keepsake for myself, but the words are so inspirational that they must be shared. As I read the close to 100 replies, I found myself sitting taller and taller in my computer chair, so tall I might as well have stood -- to salute each and every one of their Marines, and these parents as well, for raising children of such caliber. Ours are an elite breed of kids. They are young men and women who do not stand behind their flag, they stand in front of it, risking their lives, putting their parents’ emotions in peril along side of them, as they fight for what they believe in and are steadfast to protect the freedoms of not only their nation, but that of people in far away lands.

The following are excerpts, slightly modified, to fit into the context of this reporting. Names are removed, but the meanings run deep and clearly depict why a young American chooses to become A United States Marine. In reply to my posting stated as such:

Can anyone tell me why my son wants to be a Marine? I know about Honor, Courage, and Commitment. I know what the Recruiter promised. My son had other options, but said that first, He Must Become A Marine. He didn't share a lot about the whys, just that he had to do it, and is now in his 2nd week of boot camp. I would love to know why some kids chose to serve, and others wouldn't do it if their life depended on it. Can anyone share why they feel their son/daughter chose to become a United States Marine? Is it a "calling?” When does the pride overshadow the fears I have?

A Proud Plaque

Take a look at this website. They are offering a plaque for military families to be displayed outside their home. The plaques are personalized with pictures, branch of service and gender and they look gorgeous! Ten percent of the purchase price will be donated to one of the listed military support organizations, and we are now one of those on the list!! There is also a multiple plaque discount which is good for someone like me with 2 sons serving, or for those who want to buy extras for grandparents, in-laws, or other family members

Here's a quote from the website:

A Proud Plaque


This plaque is intended to be displayed outside of the home of the family of a United States Military service man or woman.

The idea stems from a simple but bold placard that the mother of Senator John Warner from Virginia had placed on their door as her son served in World War II. This was noted in a recent New York Times article on Senator Warner and his distinguished military career.

An excerpt from the September 17, 2006 article reads;

Mr. Warner's convictions ……. stem largely from his personal experience, beginning with his Navy service in World War II. Hanging with the photographs on his office wall is a worn, small placard that his mother displayed on the door of their Washington home from 1944 to 1946:

''There's a Man from this family in the Navy.''