My neighbor, a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, shipped out to Afghanistan yesterday morning. He will be gone for seven months. We knew the day was coming, and he and I had talked about his coming tour of duty many times, as well as the fact that this is his third time to the Middle East.
The evening before he shipped out he came to me as I was standing on a ladder, fixing the bent pole of my American Flag that had been damaged by the high winds of the weekend. We shook hands, talked about the military for a while, then he says, "I need to ask a favor."
I asked what the favor was, and he told me about how he had a new baby dresser coming, and the delivery was late, so it wouldn't come in until after he is gone. His wife is pregnant, and he hoped I would carry the dresser into the house for her when it came in, and help put it together.
"No problem," I said. "We are family."
Family.
I say "family" because of our military connection. Active duty personnel, veterans like myself, and retired military are brothers in arms. His wife is a member of the family, and he knows my wife and I will help her any way we can while he's gone.
Don't get me wrong, we'd look out for her anyway - but the military connection makes it even more important. Military looks out for military.
My daughter's boyfriend is active duty Air Force, and has been to Iraq once, and Afghanistan twice. It drives my daughter nuts when he and I get to talking. We start talking about the weapons we've fired, the tear gas chambers we've experienced, boot camp memories, battle situations we've experienced, the places we've visited, and so forth. Talking to him is like talking to another member of the fraternity.
Family.
Regardless of which branch of service, military folks tease each other, appreciate each other, and encourage each other. We swap stories, discuss the importance of leadership and character, compare ribbons, and praise the training we experienced.
In the case of my neighbor, since I was Navy, and he is a Marine, we give each other a little ribbing. I remind him that Marine stands for "My Ass Rides In Navy Equipment," and he quips back that in his opinion, all the Squids are good for is a ride. Of course we have major respect for each other's service, but the jokes come anyway.
One thing is for sure, I appreciate what he is doing, and what all of our military members are doing. It is not an easy task to engage the enemy, or leave home for months at a time. Military dependents have a tough job too, and it is a hard life when one's loved one is out there, and you are home worrying. My wife can relate, and when I got out of the military, no one was happier than my wife.
So as he said his final goodbye, and we shook hands, I winked and said, "Thanks for what you do - and don't get dead."
He laughed, "thanks, and you know me, I make sure I stay out of the enemy's cross hairs."
My prayers go out to him, and my thanks goes out to each and every one of the brave souls serving on active duty.
Thank you.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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