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Tour underway: Pierre, South Dakota
27 Sep 2005 | No Comments | Continue reading »
It’s day twelve in Pierre, South Dakota and I’ve rendezvoused with Dale for the last three days of my tour. We’ve booked rooms at the Governor’s Inn (whirlpool, indoor pool, and kick ass continental breakfast included) and are going over our route through um-teen miles of road construction and a few Indian reservations. The days [...]
Underwear are optional
15 Sep 2005 | No Comments | Continue reading »
The morning of my departure for St Louis, Missouri has dawned colder than expected. Recent days past have begun in the high 30s, warmed up to the low 70s, and cooled right back down again at sunset. I should have expected as much. I’m about thirty minutes from a ride to the airport and less [...]
Missouri bound
6 Sep 2005 | One Comment | Continue reading »
It’s 2157. My bags are packed and loaded, I’m showered, and eagerly anticipating my 0300 departure on post-deployment leave. Colorado Springs, Colorado is my first stop. Residing there are the very same soldiers of the 506th I trained with in Iraq. It’s a reunion that’s sure to produce more than a few laughs. From there [...]
Home on the range
1 Aug 2005 | One Comment | Continue reading »
The Rifleman’s Creed by Major General W. H. Rupertus, USMC THIS IS MY RIFLE. There are many like it but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I master my life. My rifle, without me is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. [...]
Eight year Marine Corps anniversary
28 Jul 2005 | 2 Comments | Continue reading »
There’s a hill behind my apartment that needs climbing. I sit on the left side of my couch, stare through the sliding glass door of the balcony, and imagine myself on that hill, crawling through the juniper, past the shaggy spruce trees, over the bald spot near the crest and to the top. I don’t [...]
Last call
2 Jul 2005 | 10 Comments | Continue reading »
Rated PG Last call Recorded from written text in Ramadi, Iraq. A wrap up, really, of a few things that stood out during my tour and what I did to cope. It’s been seven short months since I put boots on the deck here in Iraq, and I’ll say will no hesitation I’m happy to [...]
Memorial Day – Iraq
31 May 2005 | No Comments | Continue reading »
For most, Memorial Days past have been those of facts and figures and numbers. It is a day most often described by X number of service members who have died in Y wars in Z years. Memorial Days past have been of remembrance, maybe casual or solemn depending on the individual, and reflections of loss [...]
Where credit is due
20 May 2005 | One Comment | Continue reading »
As a farm kid in North Dakota with no exposure to or experience with crime, drugs, and all the bad things that tend to creep into one’s life at ever alarmingly younger ages, life for me was simple until my parent’s divorce when I was eleven. My days were filled with grand expeditions with my [...]
Foot in mouth disease
14 May 2005 | 2 Comments | Continue reading »
Knock knock! Who’s there? The Insensitive Guy. The Insensitive Guy who? The Insensitive guy who cracked a joke about a 15 year old Thai hooker and got his ass chewed by a female Marine Corps Captain. Question: How do all offensive jokes begin? Answer: By looking over your shoulder. It’s official. I’m “rude,” “crude,” “inconsiderate,” [...]
29th Birthday
5 May 2005 | One Comment | Continue reading »
It’s 2:20 AM and I’m on watch. Radio watch, that is. The squawk box barks at me as the American perimeter observations posts religiously call in radio checks on the top and bottom of each hour. It’s a checks and balances system, really. Information dissemination. It’s the “we heard gunshots, did you too?” kind of [...]
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Born in the year of the Dragon, the author grudgingly accepts the fact he has too many interests and not enough time. A cyclist as long as he can remember, an avid yet inconsistent writer since age eleven, and a U.S. Marine since age twenty-one, the author also adds computers, snowboarding, and motorcycles to his list of interests. Incidentally, he is aware of his inability to make a living from any but the Corps. The author accepts this as fact and remains optimistic. Feel free to drop him a line.
