On New Years Eve, close to midnight when people were partying in celebration of a change in a calendar date, a Marine died.

Another holiday season away from family. They try to make things easier in little ways - giving us things and feeding us well for a few days. Doesn't do much good. For one it either doesn't matter much that the holidays are spent away (my case), or some kid is homesick and broken up and no amount of candy and rubiks cubes in stockings will help. I ( Read more... )

Its a girl (check icon). Meet Lida Rose Turczan. Ill start building my gun collection when I get back stateside.

Imagine blowing up a school. Then, a few years later building walls around it. Some time after that you occupy the area, and use the bricks from the rubble of the school to build yourself a porch in front of your tent. The act is about as human of an act as I can imagine. Because, I believe, we have an innate sense that we aren't playing a zero sum ( Read more... )

Well, Im pimping out everyone I can to send me what they can. Books and all other -reading material are at a premium here. Letters are always welcome too. Chances are I won't be using the internet again for a long while. Address is

Sgt Daniel Turczan
3/8 L. Co
Unit 73265
FPO AE 09510-3265

Goddamn. 3/8 moshpit. Its all I need to say. Three bodies from my unit, my platoon commander, Porter and myself. No one got in that circle. God forbid someone fucked with my LT. They were done. First time for Porter and me. Inspired the rest of my unit. Got caught with elbows in my face a number of times. For some reason security was ok with me no ( Read more... )

I don't know how to continue. Yet again, Im about to go to the last place on the planet that any sane, rational person would want to go to. Yet again they're sending my battalion in. Screw the army, and most of the Marine Corp, sent to places that have KFCs (KFCs!!!) and coffee shops (oh the humanity) in them. Its time to go to a place with beds ( Read more... )

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So I come back from 29 palms. Like most of my unit Im expecting to spend the night in varying stages of intoxication, starting with buzzing, followed by burning shit down, followed by waking up in a pool of vomit. Then I get the text. A buddy of mine, someone I was in country with, had his wife take his kid and leave him the night before. And he, ( Read more... )

Im not the same person I was a few years ago. I don't understand myself. Having everything around me either die or leave makes me almost expect it when it happens again. Hearing about Sarah just makes me feel old. I don't understand why, I just know things are different now. I wish I could be there for the living, but I can't be. Somehow that is, ( Read more... )