New Marine Recruit..

[Guest TinkerBell]

I just wanted to let everyone know how proud i am of Recruit Blasdel aka Halfpint. Hell be goin next week to make it all official but he went to the recruiter's office yesterday. He's goin reserves. Prolly wont go to bootcamp til sometime next spring- early summer. Nice thing is hell b apart of my brother's reserve unit which will b nice. 2 ppl i love doing amazing things in life and defending this great country of ours. Just thot id share the good news with everyone.

Edited October 24, 2008 by TinkerBell

[Daniel]

grats to him.

[TGO David]

Very cool. And very cool that he's got someone (you) supporting him on this decision.

[Paletiger13]

hoo-rah

Edited October 24, 2008 by Paletiger13
typeo

[Guest Halfpint]

Well, somebody beat me to the computer this morning!

Nah, she's got it right. I spent yesterday morning at the recruiter's office getting things ironed out. MEPS and the ASVAB test are this Monday and Tuesday, but I'm not worried... I got a 94 on the pre-test and I'm in pretty good shape since I've been getting ready for almost a year now.

I enrolled at the University of Parris Island, and classes start next spring--I'll set an exact ship date after the physical, Tuesday. I've wanted to enlist for years; basically I've been kicking myself ever since I told my parents that I'd finish college before I did so--and I've been chomping at the bit to get it over with literally from the day after I said that.

I went with the reserves over active duty for now, because of two awesome offers that I got this past summer--if I want it, I have an all-expenses-paid trip to law school, and I have a full-time job at the shop, as manager, as soon as I get back.

(Hey, a bright shiny name plate and cards for what I already do! )

I'm guaranteed 0311--Marine Rifleman--in my contract, which would transfer over from the reserves if I decided to augment and go active duty later on. Because I have, or will have, prior to leaving for boot camp, a college degree, I'm a contract PFC . . . which still ain't much.

A bit of history . . . the reserve unit that I'll be joining after boot camp and SOI--Kilo Company, Third Battalion, 23rd Marines--is one of the reserve battalions that helped take Iwo Jima.

Edited October 24, 2008 by Halfpint
Punctuation . . . doh!

[Guest Revelator]

Man, I should have gotten somebody to pay for my law school.

Hang on to that offer, it'll be worth alot.

[Guest TinkerBell]

I know you wanted to announce this 1st and im sorry i beat u to it but i really am proud of u.. ive been preparing myself for this moment (the day u finally enlist) for a while now.. i def took the news ALOT better than i ever thot i would.. Ur gonna do amazing things in the future i just know it... love u sooo much...

[Guest db99wj]

Cool, congrats!

[NuTcAsE]

[Guest GUTTERbOY]

THAT NAME SOUNDS LIKE ROYALTY, ARE YOU ROYALTY?!?!?!?!?!?!

Sorry, couldn't resist. Congrats and thanks!

[ShaunM]

Congrats and thank you

[Guest canynracer]

Congrats man, and THANK YOU!!!

[Guest gunslinger707]

Congrat's and THANK YOU !!

[Fallguy]

You will do well!!

[R1100R]

Congrats to you. Watch out for those sand fleas.

[Guest SUNTZU]

Who Are The Heroes?

A high school senior in Ohio, Adrienne, got an English class assignment. She had to research and write a thesis. And, she could pick her topic.

Adrienne dipped back into our Nation's history. She reached back to a time before she was born, back to a time of national turmoil, back to the time of the war in Vietnam. Today, that long-ago conflict is a mere footnote in her history books. Who fought? Why? Who survived? Who died? Who were the heroes?

From her Nation's long struggle during the war in Vietnam, Adrienne picked her topic: WHO ARE THE HEROES?

An exhaustive search began. As part of her research, young Adrienne posted a notice on the web-site of the USMC Vietnam Helicopter Association. For the Marine Corps helicopter crews who flew and fought in Vietnam, she asked: "Who are the heroes?"

The many responses included an e-mail reply from Marion Sturkey, a Marine Corps helicopter pilot in Vietnam. He wrote not of glory and valor. He never mentioned anything he did, or tried to do. Instead, he wrote of basic human virtues: commitment, loyalty, brotherly love, and a cause greater than self. His reply to a young American schoolgirl is quoted below, verbatim:

http://www.usmcpress.com/heritage/who_heroes.htm

Thank you.

[Guest Hornet Handler]

I hope your ready. :evil:

What is your IST scores?

All I can say is run, squat, pull-ups, crunches. Then do more.

[BimmerFreak]

Congrats Marine.

[Guest eyebedam]

Congrats.

[Guest superdrew4000]

One of the few things that really brings a tear to my eyes is the Marine Corp Hymn.

I know you'll do this country proud. God bless you Marine!

[Guest jackdog]

Who would want to be a grunt Marine? Just kidding congrats to the young man

[Guest Watauga]

"""I'm a contract PFC . . . which still ain't much. :lol:"""

----------------------------------------------------------

Take it from an old vet: PFC is much better than Pvt. When the s**t details are past out, the PFC will get the lesser of the evils! At least that way it was in my time.

Congratulations and best of luck in boot camp.

[Guest Halfpint]

I hope your ready. :evil:

What is your IST scores?

All I can say is run, squat, pull-ups, crunches. Then do more.

I'm at 13 pullups now, 80 crunches in 2 minutes, but my run time is what's killing me . . . never was much of a runner so I won't even bother posting it right now, but I'm working on it.

To everybody, thanks for the replies, and more importantly the support. That's hard to come by on the home front at the moment.

Now I'm just ready to ship--I'm looking forward more to having a set ship-date and then getting to it than I am to graduating from U of M!

[wjh2657]

You are about to join the most elite brotherhood of warriors in the world. Anything you do after this will only pale by comparison.

" Chaplain, you go to heaven and you get a harp. I go to heaven and I go on the guard roster!"

MGySgt of Marines 1961-1991 (all Active Duty)

[Fivestring63]

WTG, yes, PFC will reap it's rewards. 13 pull ups?? You're over halfway there. 20 was the max for 100 points, at least I'm guessing it's still the same. If you can get 13 now, they'll squeeze those other 7 out of you before you leave. Learn the swinging method.

I remember the bus ride in, the guard at the main gate had the biggest grin on his face.

Semper Fi