3/19/08

My brother, the Marine

"I love the Corps for those intangible possessions that cannot be issued: pride, honor, integrity, and being able to carry on
the traditions for generations of warriors past."
Cpl. Jeff Sornig, USMC; in Navy Times, November 1994
If a picture says a thousand words, this one says a thousand words in only about 500. What I see is honor, courage, loyalty, valor, strength, truth, integrity, determination, history, & commitment.


Some would say, the uniform makes the man. I disagree. Well, that may be true for those who were not much of a man to begin with. In the case of my brother, I'd have to disagree. I respect his uniform and all that it represents, however, if my brother were not wearing it...what would that uniform be? Lifeless.


When my brother wears his uniform, the uniform magnifies all that is with in him. All of the qualities I listed above were in my brother before he ever stepped off the bus in the middle of the night at MCRD San Diego. The process of becoming a Marine refined the raw material, the God given talents and character; they refined the young man and made him a Marine. Making a boy a Marine is a process much like honing a blade, if you will. As the blade is sharpened, some of its metal wears away, and what’s left is a sharper than sharp edge. That is my brother, the Marine.


He, and other fine men like him, have given life to uniforms and carried on the tradition and mission of the Marine Corps. Something we all should take pride in. You see, they are ours. They stand for all that the best of America was, is, and will be. That is my brother, the Marine.

Semper Fidelis


The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.
Psalm 37:23

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