Ryan's story: The American tragedy

It was cold and raining on an early fall day. Leaves were
twirling in the wind as Ryan started to head home from school. When he arrived home he was greeted by his mother who told him to clean up and get ready for supper. They dined over some home cooked food. It was dad’s favorite dish, baked chicken, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. They laughed and discussed their daily events. Ryan went on and on about his upcoming football game that coming Saturday, which was the first game of the season.  His mother and father never missed a game and his father always helped him practice. He reenacted all the plays his dad showed him as he sat at the dinner table. He went on about the different plays that he would be running on the playing field. They laughed in delight and reminisced about previous games. 

One game in particular that doesn’t get spoken about often at home was last season’s championship game. Ryan was the star quarterback, and had the best arm in the entire school district. His team was undefeated for the entire season but during the final game, in the second half his team was down by 7 points. All Ryan had to do was fake a pass and run right down to the end zone and score a touchdown for the win. The clock was ticking, the crowd cheering, and his family’s eyes glued to his every movement. Ryan faked a pass to one of the runners which had the opposing team running in the wrong direction,


and then Ryan ran across the turf, sliding in and out of the way of the other teammates as he inched closer and closer to the touch down line. When he approached the end of the field he leaped into the air grasping the football as tight as he could and landed victoriously scoring the winning touchdown. 

The crowd roared with glee, confetti filled the field, his teammates jumped for joy and Ryan gracefully fell to his knees. He kissed his hand, sent it into the air and said “Dad this one is for you!”

Ryan’s dad, a United States Marine, who's served two tours and won a purple heart, died one week earlier in Afghanistan. This was his father's third tour and he was expected to be home in time for his son's championship game. Unfortunately while he tried to escort some civilians to a safe house one of the civilians, actually an insurgent, strapped his daughter's chest with explosives and upon entering the building the bomb went off. It exploded and killed a total of 38 people, 5 of which were United States Marines.

Ryan still holds dreams that one day when he is practicing on the field his father would be on the other side to catch the ball. 

Giving you a little background

I wanted to use this post to express the meaning of being a Marine and what it means to me. I want to share some of my experiences with you. The reason I decided to focus on the military for my blog is because that is what I feel has influence my life in the most excellent way. Before joining I just graduated high school and couldn’t decide what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I stumble across an old friend who was an Army reserve. He explained his duties and the respect he has gained for himself after joining. After listening to his words and seeing how passionate he was about the decision he made I decided to look up some information myself. I made an appointment with a recruiter and weighed out all the pros and cons. I didn’t even consult my family when I decided to go forth with joining. I didn’t want to join just any part of the military but instead The United States Marines. I wanted to be on the forefront serving my country and make a man out of myself. It was time to let go of my childhood and embrace being an adult.

After joining and upon entering boot camp, I was hit with the harsh certainty of what molding a Marine consisting of. Numerous training's, obstacle courses, and far away enough from the civilian life a reality dawned on me. 

At first I was scared but never showed it on my face. The first week by far was the worst for me. Eventually I realized in order for me to be the man I wanted to be I have to grab the bull by the horns and ride on. I completed every training giving nothing but my all. I was the best sharp shooter in my platoon, and became to go to person for other members of my platoon who found themselves struggling. I lost 40 lbs during my time in boot camp and gained much stamina.

Upon graduating, I felt accomplished and ready to create new challenges for myself. I had the privilege of being stationed in many different countries and shaking hands with many influential people.

 Being a Marine comes with much respect and creates a lot of opportunities. Nothing comes in comparison to when I served my first deployment in Iraq. I tend to believe everyone has the same preconceived notion when it comes to battle in Iraq. Yes, it isn’t all rainbows and butterflies, but the whole purpose of a Marine training in boot camp is for this exact reason. I was anxious to get this tour out of the way and see what it had in store for me. There are many events that occurred that made me humbly appreciate my life and the path I have 

chosen for myself.

I won't divulge into much detail because my main reason of this post is to have my audience see who I am and maybe give them a better understanding of the purpose for this blog. 

The passion I have for military members in every branch is insurmountable. Risking your well-being to help spread across a better cause for our country is truly the purpose of enlisting and fighting those who try to go against us. I hope my little snippet may influence someone and understand although there are many causalities of war these soldiers are never forgotten. As as we say Hoorah!

One Marines View: Semper Fidelis

I wanted to introduce a great blog that I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to come across; it is called One Marine’s View: Semper Fidelis. One Marine’s view is a tell it like is kind of blog. It depicts the view of a former Marine, Maj Pain, which comments on today’s current events that surround the military. Maj Pain is a former veteran; he was once an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corp and went off to become an officer. Through his many deployments and multiple combat tours he has gain a respect and admiration for former Marines.  Each of his posts displays his high regard for the Marines. He gives us his in-depth view and unfiltered commentary on the political and social events concerning our members of The Armed Forces. 

I particularly took interest in his post titled “36 Marine Heroesof the Pacific WWII Theater Found 71 Years After Death.” This post encompasses the sometimes horrible truth about the dangers of war. During WWII Marines fought long and hard in a violent Battle of the Tarawa in November 1943. Do to some unfortunate events many Marines died in the battle, 36 of whom were never brought back home until this year. The post goes on, in detail, describing one of the Marines, the intricate role he played in the war. I decided I wanted to add my own commentary to this post because as a former Marine I know the importance of returning home whether it is safely or not. Under no circumstances do we leave any Marines behind. It is heart wrenching to know that there is a grave stone with these gentlemen’s names on them that blatantly lie, stating it as their final resting ground. I am pleased to hear that after proper identification of these bodies, they will return home and to be placed to rest as they should have been many, many years ago. I go on to write: 

I enjoyed reading this post and admire the importance of bringing our Marines home under any circumstances. It is very unfortunate these brave men have been so far from home through all these years. They died defending our country and deserve to rest in peace in their own home. I am comforted to hear the tale of 1^st Lt. Alexander Bonnyman and gleam with joy that he is finally going to make it home. He has earned the great Medal of Honor amongst other praises, with doing so he has also earned the respect of a final resting place. The dignity I have for all my fellow Marines holds true even up to their very last breath, and it is great to know the same holds true for others as well. I hope my blog; Welcomehomemarine.blogspot.com can be as empowering as yours. Semper Fidelis!

Although  each comment is accepted at the discretion of the author on whether it will be posted, I hope when I check back in I see my comment, it lies right under this wonderful post about these heroic Marines. I surely recommend others in viewing this blog and getting an eagle eyes view of a truly exemplary blog. This blog has went on to win many awards including the Patriotic Website Award, which I can only dream of doing so myself one day.

My rifle is my bestfriend

During military training you are introduced and trained to use many different weapons. As a Marine you enter into a weapons training course where you find out all about the M-16A2 rifle. You're even required to memorize your particular rifle's serial number. You spend a considerable amount of time taking your rifle apart, cleaning it, and putting it back together. You're also required to memorize the four rules of Marine Corps rifle safety:

• Treat every weapon as if it were loaded.
• Never point your weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot.
• Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you intend to fire.
• Keep your weapon's safety on until you intend to fire.

You will also learn another weapons safety rule when you get out of basic training: Be absolutely sure of your target and what is behind it.

During Marine Corps basic training, you must never refer to your M-16 as a gun. Doing so will result in a massive tirade from your drill instructor. Marine Corps M-16s are always called your weapon or your rifle. You’ll also receive several hours of classroom instruction on proper marksmanship techniques and you get a chance to fire on the actual qualification course. If you don't pass you will be forced to stay back as your platoon graduates with out you.

Once you've passed this course, you are given your own rifle.  You are responsible for memorizing a special chant. It reads as follows:

This creed becomes ingrained in your head. You learn to live by it's meaning. This creed serves to remind soldiers the power of one's rifle as well as it's importance. Never take your rifle for granted because it can save your life. You have to understand that a rifle is just as important as the person who is holding it. You have a means to bear arms and protect yourself, that is truly the purpose of the rifle.

Welcome home soldier!

Three simple words which are ingrained with pride, integrity, sacrifice and long awaited patience to be reunited with your family. These were the words that kept my hope alive as I was deployed overseas various times in various countries but all for the same purpose. Not every military member is lucky enough to return back to their long awaited loved ones and even if they do they don't always come back the same.

 I was a former Marine and served in the military and know firsthand how it can alter one's life in many aspects. This blog is dedicated to those individuals who have served in the armed forces and the purpose of my blog is to depict the obstacles, and sacrifices that come along with being a soldier whether actively serving or not.