Monday, November 28, 2011

A First Visit With the Press

So, it was a busy week besides the whole Thanksgiving thing. For those that don't have access to my Facebook page, I got interviewed by a USMC Public Affairs Officer a few weeks ago and that video made it onto Armed Forces Network, Youtube, etc. And last Monday night I had an interview with the hometown paper of my parents. I'll include all the links in this post.

This first one is the initial raw video:


The next is the final product:


That led to this interview in the paper:
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/16540107/article-Thanksgiving-in-Afghanistan-?instance=main_article

So, for those of you who have seen or read the above, I apologize but this is the first time I've been interviewed like this and am taking full advantage of showing off.

And for all the 1/9 families, the guys are really starting to get excited about coming home in the near future. They spend more time smiling than not right now as their excitement and happiness are rising exponentially.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Happy Birthday USMC

As I write this, the birthday has passed but it is still November 10th back home. I have to say that it was an honor to spend a birthday with the USMC in Afghanistan (You can find it on Youtube). No other service puts so much into celebrating who and what they are. The video message produced by the Marine Corps was motivational and, while each of the three cake cutting ceremonies varied slightly each was special and full of motivation and meaning. Most people don't really care about their individual birthdays. I had one out here and let it pass unnoticed. Even most of the sister services don't really mark the day as special when they reach another year in the books. Marines show why Marines are special each day out here, but on November 10th every year regardless of where they are, they remember why they are America's elite service and force in readiness for the President.

I had a great time getting out to see most of the battalion today to wish them a happy birthday and was impressed with the ceremonies. For the families of 1/9 there is a new album on the Facebook page full of photos from today. And for all the veterans out there, Thank You for the proud legacy you have left for those of us who follow you and stand on your shoulders.