ABCs OF BEING MARINE

ABCs OF BEING MARINE
by Andy Weddington
Thursday, 21 May 2015

"Who sows virtue reaps honor." Leonardo da Vinci

 

'Decorations'
16 x 24 in. acrylic on canvas (by the author)

 

 

 

For this Memorial Day weekend, that for many begins tomorrow, the ABCs of being Marine.

Impossible is explaining being Marine.

Marines know - it's not abstract.

Those close to a Marine sort of know - they have a clue but abstract there is.

And those who do not enjoy opportunity to be close to a Marine have no clue - it's all abstract.

So, in fifty-two words - for Marines, the clued in, and the clueless - what being Marine means to me.

The ABCs...

A - attitude / aggressiveness
B - bearing / boldness
C - character / courage
D - discipline / determination
E - excellence / empathy
F - fortitude / faithful
G - guts / glory
H - honor / humility
I - integrity / initiative
J - justice / jest
K - knowledge / kneeling
L - leadership / love
M - morals / muscle
N - noncommissioned / Navy
O - optimism / objective
P - pride / principle
Q - quality / quiet
R - rigor / resourcefulness
S - safety / sailor
T - teamwork / temperament
U - uniform / uniqueness
V - virtue / value
W - war / win
X - xo / xerothermic
Y - yesteryear / yeoman
Z - zeal / zest

Fifty-two words.

And more words still there are aplenty to describe being Marine.

Marines understand.

Those close to a Marine somewhat understand.

And those deprived of opportunity to be close to a Marine now have basis from which to begin to understand.

In closing...

Many a Marine, spanning yesteryear to today, died in training and combat while in selfless and faithful service to Corps and Country. Remember them this weekend. Say a prayer for them (and their families) Monday. But enjoy your holiday for those Marines would not have it any other way; their sacrifice a gift to their countrymen.

With certainty, as goes the defense of freedom, more Marines will die; in training, in combat.  

Duty (add to the ABCs).

Ask a U. S. Marine!

Semper Fidelis.

Post Script

Just before sitting to write and post this comment I read about the death of a Marine yesterday - the second Marine to die from injuries in an Osprey "hard landing" during a training mission in Hawaii. Training or combat, a dangerous line of work is being a Marine.