Just Because {the blog}: 236

This video is the best one I've seen....and I've seen my share. This is the 2011 Birthday Message from the Comandant and Sgt. Major of the Marine Corps. It's about 12 minutes long, but SOOOO worth it.

I've never NOT known life in the Marine Corps. It's always been in my life... always. In 25 years, I've been not directly related to an active duty Marine for 11 days. My dad retired November 1, 2005. I got a retired dependants ID card. On November 12, 2005, I married my amazing husband, and (a week or two later) got a spouses ID card.

If I'm going to be ridiculously completely honest, life outside of the Marine scares the crap out of me. Back in Feb, when we were just finding out about Matt's diabetes, and started doing research, it was nearly impossible to find any information that said he could actually stay in the Marine Corps. Praise God for miracles, and for the things that he has allowed us to do. Matt just reenlisted, for another 4 years. We say that we take it one enlistment at a time, but when we talk about the big picture, it includes Matt retiring from the Marine Corps with at least 20 years in... Sometimes our conversations take us to 30 years, and I'm okay with that.

These past 3 years, we've been on recruiting duty. Matt's job was to grow the Marine Corps. Recruit the best of the best. And it's been stressful, to say the least. A feeling of being alone in the middle of nowhere. And I'm not sure how to relate it to civilian terms... I'm not sure what it compares to. I'm sure it does to something, but I just dont' know. When you're a part of the Marine Corps (and probably any other branch, I don't know.. I'm a Marine girl), whether you are the Marine or the dependant, you are apart of the Marine Corps family. And on recruiting duty, you're shoved into a civilian community where you miss your family. We were near our blood family, living just a few blocks from Matt's parents for 18 months of recruiting. But we still longed for our Marine Corps family. The sense of security you get from being a part of the family. It's what we get excited about the most in moving to 29 Palms.

I'm beyond grateful for the Marine Corps. For what it's provided in my life. A sense of security (after living in the civilian world, and watching what the economy is doing to places, and jobs and families, job security is amazing), food on our table each night, a roof over our head, fire in the fireplace, air in the air conditioner, and a family. We have 2 families. We have our family made up of our moms and dad, brothers, sisters, neiceS, and nephews. And then we have our family made up of brothers and sisters in arms, brothers and sisters who love our brothers in arms.

Matt and I went this last weekend to the RS Twin Cities Marine Corps Birthday Ball. The ceremony was beautiful (as always), and then after dinner, we had the privledge of watching 2 Marines retire. I can't imagine a grander stage to retire. To see the commitment, to hear stories of commitment and to see the pride in the faces of their blood families, was incredibly moving. I saw a table, covered in black. With a lone candle, a turned plate and a turned glass. I saw the commitment of every Marine present. We live in a time of war, I know every single Marine in the room had a name, a face, a brother in mind as they passed that table. It's not just a table, it's a reminder of how blessed we truly are, a reminder of why we get to do the things we do.

The Marine Corps means the world to me. Deployments suck, recruiting duty sucks, moving away from family and friends sucks, but they've provided us the opportunity to show our kids so much. To teach them things that they wouldn't get being raised in one house, in one city, in one place. So we move, we teach, we learn, we grow. And we embrace the beauty that the Marine Corps presents us with.

Happy 236th Birthday Marine Corps. It's an honor to be a part of something so beautiful. And I love my 2 Marines and my 1 soon to be Marine so grandly. I am so proud of you guys and the commitment you have made to your country and to your brothers.

And some pictures of my Marines.