Michael Yon Made Me, major dad and Skyler

…cry like little girls today, we were SO proud.

…The U.S. Marines are flooding in, and you might think that every Marine helicopter in our arsenal is here. I’ll not give numbers and types other than to say the line of aircraft is long and formidable.

The U.S. Marines are a spectacle for the U.S. Army and also the British Army. The Marines will come in and live like pure animals, and build a base around themselves, whereas the British and American Armies will tend to build at least part of the base before coming in. One Marine commander told me that during the early part of this war, his men didn’t even shower for three months. We talked for a couple of hours and he was proud that his Marines didn’t need a shower for three months, and that his Marines killed a lot of Taliban and managed to lose only one good man. That’s the Marines. They’ll show up in force with no warning, and their reputation with U.S. Army and Brits who have fought alongside them is stellar. A NPR photographer who just spent more than three weeks with the Marines could not praise them enough, saying he’d been with them in Iraq, too, and that when Marines take casualties, their reaction is to continue to attack. They try to stay in contact until they finish the enemy, no matter how long it takes. Truly they are animals when it comes to the fight. Other than that, great guys. Tonight at dinner, a young Marine Lance Corporal sat in front of me at the crowded dining facility. “Good evening, Sir,” he said. I asked, “Are you living like animals out there?” “Livin’ the dream, Sir!” They are fantastic.

Oh, man…there I go again.

Damn.

6 Responses to “Michael Yon Made Me, major dad and Skyler”

1. Skyler says:

   July 20, 2009 at 7:28 pm

   Um, I didn’t cry, and I wouldn’t ever act like a little girl. But I am proud of my beloved Corps.

2. ricki says:

   July 20, 2009 at 10:07 pm

   There is absolutely no shame in crying with pride over the Marines.

   I’m sure I would have been, had I been there.

3. Mr. Bingley says:

   July 21, 2009 at 6:39 am

   I bet you floss with barbed wire, too, you stud 😉

4. major dad says:

   July 21, 2009 at 9:04 am

   Cry? There’s no crying…

5. Skyler says:

   July 21, 2009 at 9:52 am

   You’re not supposed to use barbed wire. Concertina wire works better. 🙂

6. Mr. Bingley says:

   July 21, 2009 at 9:57 am

   Skyler, STOP IT.

   That almost counts as humor!