Why i am here

sorry for the spelling i dont have word on this computer :(


Many of you may not know the sercomstances sutounding me joining the Marine Corps. To me it is the greatist work of God in my life, next to being saved.
Joining had always been on my mined since i was a little kid, yes all little boys play G.I. joe and war in there back yards, but i always thought of it as training... but i never realy thought i would ever joine.
my oldest sister dated 2 marines and ended up marrieng the last one. i always looked up to brian he was the big brother i never had ( chris too but in a difrant way) but i still never saw myself as a Marine.
i wanted to direct film, i thought if i joined i would loose that opportunity so i whent to collage insted.
that only lasted 3 semesters it was obveously not for me, i failed math 2 times and was fed up with trying. i when home one weakend and whent to brian and anitas house to talk to them. i told them that i was realy struggling and i didnt know what to do witth my life.
anita sugjested joining the marines, i said that i didint think i could, that i wass too week. brian then told me that he was just like me befor he joined.
we talked for a few hours about it and i decided to go talk to the recruter with brian the next day. when i arrived at my house i told my mom what i had decidded to do, she looked at me and said "your not going to belevethis but i was talking to your grandmother about you the other night, we startted talking about you joining the military. and i just got off the phone with your sister and i asked her if brian would talk to you about the marines, she told me you had just left and had something to tell me"... my heart sunk as i realise what had just happened... if that was not a work of God than what was it?
it dosent stop there eather! while at bootcamp during the crucible i was axausted, food and sleep deprived for three days and the closest to my breaking point i had ever been. we had to low crall while pushig a 30 lb ammo can through a obsticle course, i looked down and saw a shimmer i sweped away the dirt and it was a metal cross, i thought "hey i can keep going, God will help me through this"
i put it on my dog tag chaine the rest of the time and throught MCT. when i got back to the squad bay after the crucible, i wrote my mom a letter telling her about the cross and how it helped me keep going. i never got a response to that letter but on family day she said that she almost cryed after reading my letter, becaus on the same day i found the cross she prayed that God would show himself to me some how and help me get through the rest of boot camp. again if thats not a work of God... what is?


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OORAH!! Simper-Fi

So i wrote this on the Marine Corps Birth Day November 10th 2008 i thought you might be interested in reading it



Today marks the 233rd birthday of the United States Marine Corps. It is on this day that many who have clamed the title Marine reflect on there vast and rich history. On 10 November 1775 in Tun Tavern PL the marines where born. We are known by many names such as: The First to Fight, Jar Heads, Leather Necks and the best of all Devil Dogs. We clime these names for many reasons, we are Jar Heads because of the hair cut, Leather Necks for the leather collar that used to be worn for sword battles, the First to Fight points out that we have been in the fore front of every American war since our founding and last but not least Devil Dogs the most coveted of the marines names. In 1918 in the battle of Belleau Wood France, as the Marines moved forward the retreating French soldiers encouraged them to fall back, that the advancement was impossible. In classic Marine fashion Capt. Lloyd Williams answerd, "Retreat? Hell, we just got here"the German soldiers feared the Marines calling them "Teufelhunden" or "Devil Dogs"We are a mistresses fighting force to our enemies even today, they think to become a Marine you must kill and sever the head of your mother. Every branch of the military has a price on there heads, the Marines is the highest.What dose all this mean? It means that no matter how weak, how small no matter what cooler or sex, it means Marines will always be there to fight together. There is no way we would have been named Devil Dogs if we had fell back like the French. There is no way we would have survived Iwo Jima where we lost 26,000 Marines. I am not saying these Men where fearless... but together as Marines they could over come that fear.A lot of people have asked me why I joined the Marines in a time of war, maybe this will help you see why, and maybe it will give you an insight into my mined. Yes I picked one of the most dangers branches to serve in, but also the best trained. I can now shoot a point target from 500 yards away with out a scope, I can now push myself farther for longer... I can run 3 miles in under 25 minutes... not the best time, but for a kid whose whole life revolved around micro wave pop crone and halo I would say its pretty good. Try walking 10 miles with a 100 lb pack on your back with maybe 4 hours of sleep in 3 days and only 3 meals for 3 days.Any way happy birthday to all Marines toughs serving in Iraq and toughs still in school like me and most of all toughs who have died for there country.




OORAH!! Simper-Fi

so i got my orders to 2nd Combat engeneer battalion 2nd Marine Devision whitch means i will be doing demolition and stuff like that. i will be sent in with the grunts or even recon if i am lucky! i cant wait to get out there and kill some boddies!


OORAH!! Simper-Fi

Combat

My Gunny keeps this on our minds every time he gives us one of his “moto” speeches. He says they are not meant to be moto but they motivate me. I have been thinking, how will I react the first time I hear a round crack inches from my head? How will I react when my brother standing next to me gets shot? How will I react to killing another human being the first time? How will it affect me mentally and spiritually?
I have been trained to be part of this nation’s most elite fighting force, I have been trained to kill with out a second thought… but how will it affect me?
Part of me can’t wait to experience the rush of combat… but another part of me is terrified, one mistake can cost me my life… or even worse, the lives of my brothers or civilians. Will I have the courage to stand and fight? Or will I cower in the fetal position as I am being shot at?
All I can rely on are my brothers and the training I have received. I have been trained how to take out a point target from five hundred yards, I have been trained how to work as a fire team, I have been trained in hand to hand combat… but is it really enough?
I guess no one knows how they will react. All we can hope is that our instincts take over and we work together like we where trained.

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OORAH!! Simper-Fi

Dumb Ass Roommate!

Ok so at my last command I got NJPed (NJP is non judicial punishment) for doing something stupid, so when I got to my new command I thought I could put that mistake behind me and start over, be a better Marine and actually obey the rules.
Well last weekend my roommate decided to do something even dumber than what I did, I won’t say what he did but me my other roommate and 3 other people where on high risk because of it! We all had to go take I piss test to see if any of us had done drugs. Well we are all on high risk again this weekend until the results come back.
My roommate that screwed up last weak tolled me that he learned his lesson and that he is done doing dumb stuff… that was until he found out that we where on high risk again this weekend. He had made plans to go home this weekend to see his girlfriend. He had bought the plain ticket and reserved the hotel… well he thought going UA (unauthorized absence) was a good idea, he said “I have to see her I miss her so much”… he just saw her 3 freaking weeks ago over Christmas!!! I tolled him if he did this I was not covering his ass and I would tell them where he went, that if he went through with it he would be screwing over the whole platoon… he did not care.
He went UA after we got released for our 72 and I have no clue what is going to happen, at least until Monday, and I am guessing it will be bad.
Hopefully I well get to change rooms because I am done getting in trouble!

OORAH!! Simper-Fi

My First Year

Today marks my first full year in the Marine Corps, it is on this day exactly one year ago January the 14 2008 that I got yelled at to “GET THE FUCK OFF MY BUSS RIGHT GODDAMND NOW!!!” and ran off the buss about to crap myself! We ran over to the infamous yellow foot prints… this was the very beginning of my transformation into becoming a United States Marine. Head shaved and tolled we where lower than shit, all part of the process of ripping away our individuality. For three straight months I went through hell and back, with B Co. PLT 1025. i emerged a Devil Dog after the reaper hike, a ten mile hike with the reaper at the half way point… a very large very steep “hill” as our Senior Drill Instructor tolled us… a freaking HILL… bull shit! After we made the five mile trek down the reaper to the parade deck we dropped our packs and marched out, every one exhausted from the three day training evolution to finish the process of our transformation. Evidence of the exhaustion was seen in the swaying of the formation, it took every ounce of strength we had left not to fall over. When handed my first Eagle, Globe and Anchor by my “kill hat” I started to cry… I still remember his words to this day “Melsoni don’t cry… hold you’re barring no matter what, you are a Marine now, don’t ever show the enemy your weakness, (that was his saying “STOP SHOWING YOUR WEAKNESS!” he would yell at us) welcome to the gun club”… Ya and that was supposed to help me STOP crying!!... I tried but could not hold them back, it was the proudest moment of my life… the first time I ever actually fully accomplished something that I set out to do… the first time I felt I actually made my family proud. Today sadly I am still at MOS school at Camp lejune North Carolina for Combat Engineer School and so far loving it. It dose suck seeing all of my friends from boot and from my last school going out to the FMF and getting deployed already… but in a lot of ways it has helped me grow… both physically and mentally, I was defiantly not ready for the fleet yet… I am a LCPL and I did not know ANY thing about leadership which thanks to SGT. Skie, CPL. Bond and my friend PFC. Spain I now know enough to not look like a complete dumb ass when I get there! I have been through a lot this past year, I have traveled more than ever and by myself which I never thought possible! I have learned how NOT to get NJPed and how to meat new people and not be so shy any more… which I also never thought possible. I give God all the credit for my transformation from a shy kid that only had a few friends to becoming a marine and being able to talk to just about anyone about any thing… except females… but that’s another story, yes my Drill Instructors where the tools He used to shape me into what I am… yes He used bad situations to fine tune my attitude, but He still had a place in every thing that has happened this past year, and I am very thankful for all the prayers my family and friends said for me.

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OORAH!! Simper-Fi

The Corporal Chevrons.

One of the best Christmas presents I received this year where my Brother in-law’s Corporal Chevrons, even though they may not have been meant as a Christmas present I still thought of them as one. I have looked up to my Brother in-law ever since he started dating Anita… even though I may not have let him know it. He is a former Sergeant in the United Stats Marine Corps, and he was one of the main reasons why I am a Marine today. He had to dig through all his old Marine Corps junk to find them (Who knows how long that took!) when he Placed toughs Chevrons in my hand I felt there weight, not the physical weight but the weight of there responsibility and the weight of a legacy being passed to another generation of Marine. It made me realize that I need to step it up and work on my PFT and my respect for the rules and regulations of the Marine Corps… I got NJPed witch never happened to him, when it happened I was more upset in letting him down than getting punished! I may not get promoted as soon as he did because of a dumb ass mistake!... but when he handed me the chevrons it showed that he still had faith in me, that I could make it even with a dumb mistake on my record, and that is the best feeling in the world, knowing that your hero has faith in you. Even now reflecting on that moment is extremely motivating! And I can’t wait to get out to the fleet and prove to him, the rest of my family and friends that there faith and prayers are not in vain!

Thanks SGT Hartzle for your love and support.

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OORAH!! Simper-Fi

True Love or Family?

Ok so recently I have been feeling like crap… and pretty depressed… I suck with women! Most of you know that one of my long term goals is to get married and start a family. Well it would help if I could get a girl friend first. But again I suck with women… they just want to be friends… or my so-called friend at my last command, sleeping with a girl that I liked and telling me to keep trying!! So basically I have been thinking that I don’t have any thing to live for… (Not that I am going to comet suicide or any crap like that) I have been feeling that I might die on my first deployment like I am not supposed to come home. So maybe I am not meant to get married, or ever feel true love. But while I was home I realized I have every thing to live for… I have a great family 3 awesome nieces and 3 kick ass nephews!! 2 sisters that I can talk to about any thing a mom that will love me even when I screw up so bad every one else can’t look at me and a dad that I have learned so much from! And that is not even including my brothers’ in-law or grand parents! And not to mention my friends back home! Even though we don’t always get along they are closer to me than any one outside of my family! They are always there for me when I need to talk when I need to destroy something ;D I am glad I got to come home and realize that I have every thing in the world to live for and I can’t wait to come back from my first deployment and see all of them again... Alive!! And living life to to fullest every day!


OORAH!! Simper-Fi

Ok... SO...

Ok so this is really like the first time I have ever blogged… my grammar will suck and I a sure my spelling will be atrocious! So here I go. Throughout this blogg I will be informing you about my life as a U.S. Marine, one of the Few, the Proud… ya I know it’s a cliché but I like it because it’s totally true. I will say again… I AM A MARINE!!! So obviously I don’t always think before I speak so if I ever offend you I am very VERY sorry, I will do my best not to but is will not hold back the way I think for someone feelings… but if I do offend you let me know nicely and I will try to edit is… a little…