I type this after spending the last 2 hours reading over my past ( Read more... )

Its a lose/lose situation.

I dont think it worked though. Sure I bow my head before dinner, an. d tell Cassidy to say her prayers before bed. But i see no evidence of anyone listening ( Read more... )

Ive always been a good swimmer... but Im drowning.

This morning I woke gently with the sun on my face. It was early, but I felt rested and refreshed. It was one of the first times since this deployment started that I didnt feel groggy and miserable in the morning. I mosey'd around the room a bit, straightening up a few things, showered, and got dressed... all while playing "The Sandlot" as ( Read more... )

I cant believe Im days away from deploying again. I was well aware that in my Marine Corps career, I would exceed 4 deployments... I didnt know I would experience them in such a short amount of time. I feel like Ive grown alot since 2006, and I think Im a much better Marine then I was in 2006... but that doesnt make this deployment any easier.

( Read more... )

When I first began this blog, I promised an open door to my life. And true to my claim, as I started writing, I spilt about my fears, my joys, and even my embarrassing moments. But over time, I began to censor myself... worried about what my loved ones would think, or what my employer would do if they saw what I was writing. I promised myself to  ( Read more... )

Just a few days ago, the last men of the Army's 4th Inf (Stryker) Bridage returned home from Iraq... they were the last combat element in Iraq. A small number of troops, no more then 50,000 remain behind in order to train future Iraq service men. A number much smaller then I had anticipated. Since the withdrawal, there have been 43 incidents that ( Read more... )

As I write this, my parents are currently bedded down in an Intensive Care Unit at Fish Memorial Hospital. My father's esophagus has severe erosion, that resulted in internal bleeding. After managing to stabilize this, it was discovered that his liver and kidneys were failing him. My mother, upon hearing this news (and arguably, a result of her ( Read more... )

I think, only now, I must know what it felt like for baseball fans the day Joe DiMaggio retired. Today Ken Griffery Jr officially called his 21 year adventure in Major League Baseball a career... and today, I witnessed the first of my many sports heros hang of his cleats. It makes me realize that in the coming years, many of the players I grew up ( Read more... )