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This is a pic of me and my former commanding officer Colonel Willy Buhl a few years back. It was August of 2004 and we hadn’t seen each other in a few years. I was serving as an infantry squad leader with the Army Guard in Baghdad; he was the CO of the Thundering Third Herd in Fallujah.

The Marine Corps is a small, tight-knit brother / sisterhood of warriors. I hadn’t seen Col. Buhl in years - we’d served together back in the early 90s - but here we were at a chance meeting in an Army Forward Operating Base in a combat zone talking like the old friends we are.

That brotherhood, that cameraderie, is one of the defining elements that sets the Marine apart from his peers and today, as is the case every November 10th for the last 233 years, that cameraderie shines the brightest as today is our birthday.

So before I publish the order of the day, I want to extend a hearty happy birthday to every Teufelhund out there in the community. Thank you for your service and Semper Fi.

MARINE CORPS ORDERS
No. 47 (Series 1921)
HEADQUARTERS U.S. MARINE CORPS
Washington, November 1, 1921

759. The following will be read to the command on the 10th of November, 1921, and hereafter on the 10th of November of every year. Should the order not be received by the 10th of November, 1921, it will be read upon receipt.

(1) On November 10, 1775, a Corps of Marines was created by a resolution of Continental Congress. Since that date many thousand men have borne the name “Marine”. In memory of them it is fitting that we who are Marines should commemorate the birthday of our corps by calling to mind the glories of its long and illustrious history.

(2) The record of our corps is one which will bear comparison with that of the most famous military organizations in the world’s history. During 90 of the 146 years of its existence the Marine Corps has been in action against the Nation’s foes. From the Battle of Trenton to the Argonne, Marines have won foremost honors in war, and in the long eras of tranquility at home, generation after generation of Marines have grown gray in war in both hemispheres and in every corner of the seven seas, that our country and its citizens might enjoy peace and security.

(3) In every battle and skirmish since the birth of our corps, Marines have acquitted themselves with the greatest distinction, winning new honors on each occasion until the term “Marine” has come to signify all that is highest in military efficiency and soldierly virtue.

(4) This high name of distinction and soldierly repute we who are Marines today have received from those who preceded us in the corps. With it we have also received from them the eternal spirit which has animated our corps from generation to generation and has been the distinguishing mark of the Marines in every age. So long as that spirit continues to flourish Marines will be found equal to every emergency in the future as they have been in the past, and the men of our Nation will regard us as worthy successors to the long line of illustrious men who have served as “Soldiers of the Sea” since the founding of the Corps.

JOHN A. LEJEUNE,
Major General Commandant
75705–21

Today’s the last hurrah for the men and women of the 81st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, who wrapped up their pre-deployment training today at Ft. McCoy with a send-off ceremony. After that they’ll be packing up their gear and getting on planes and headed east to the sandbox for another 12 months.

The brigade’s clenched fist is the Spokane-based 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry, which has armories all across Eastern Washington including Pullman, Moses Lake, Pasco, Wenatchee and right here in town.

Now for the unitiated, the infantryman is the guy that holds the key ground on the battlefield. In combat you’re either Infantry or you’re Infantry support.

Now if you’re a tanker, cannon cocker, bulk fuel specialist or supply clerk, before you get your dander up, for those of you that haven’t read this blog before (that means all of you except for my bosses, my wife and a handful of friends of mine) I make that claim because for most of my adult life I was an infantryman. I was an infantryman in the Marine Corps. I was a Mechanized Infantryman in the Army Guard.

There’s a special, albeit dark and cold, place in my heart for 1-161. It was my battalion and Moses Lake was my armory. Many of the guys over at Ft. McCoy right now spending their last days and hours in the United States before going to Iraq are my friends who I pushed hot steel downrange with last go-around.

At first when I heard they were heading back I had survivor’s guilt. I was neck deep in the you-can’t-say-that-in-your-blog with the battalion last time around. I spent a year camped out in the Green Zone running combat patrols outside the wire with them. I was there for the IED strikes, rocket and mortar attacks, firefights and for the memorial services.

I did my time. I did my part. I pushed my fair share of bullets downrange.

I shot this video below the last time we were in-country. Many of the guys in this video are out of the Guard now. Many of them are going back to Iraq within a matter of days. While I’m glad I’m not going (My wife is glad, too) with them deep down inside I feel guilty because I’m not.

Good luck Highlanders. Unleash hell and return home with honor. We’ll have plenty of beer chillin’ and BBQ grillin’ for you guys when you get home.

There’s a difference between me, the web guy, and TV reporters like Jeff Humphrey as he was kind enough to point out to me the other day.

I’m the guy who learned how to call in fighter airstrikes - and actually did it a handful of times with live ordinance - while I was in the Marine Corps.

He’s the guy who gets to ride in the back of the fighter because he’s the TV reporter.

OK, granted, there’s a certain pucker factor associated with the yanking and banking and going vertical in a Blue Angel Hornet piloted by a Naval Aviator and there’s a certain sexiness associated with being strapped into a multi-million dollar fighter jet cruising above Lake Roosevelt just below supersonic.

I tell you what. Nothing compares to flying out of Baghdad International Airport aboard an Air Force Reserve C-130 Hercules transport plane, yanking left and right and changing altitude to avoid giving insurgents a shot at the aircraft with SAMs and AAA.

A four-engined Freedom Bird isn’t as fast or sexy as a Strike Hornet, but after a year in-country and heading home it’s the most memorable ride one could ever have in a military aircraft.

Last weekend I watched the U.S. Navy Blue Angels perform over Lake Washington as a part of the Seafair Air Show. It has been my privilege to see this sensational precision flight demonstration team perform almost yearly for many decades. Growing up in Seattle, I saw the Grumman Tigers flown by the Blue Angels in the late fifties. In the seventies, they were F-4 Phantoms from the Vietnam war era. Later the Blues performed their magic aboard McDonnell-Douglas Skyhawks, and today the aircraft of choice is the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet.

Since 1946 the Navy Blue Angels have astonished and thrilled tens of millions who have witnessed their brilliantly choreographed aerial shows.

The Blue Angels exist to enhance Navy and Marine Corps recruiting efforts, serving as positive role models and goodwill ambassadors. The elite Blue Angel pilots exhibit what are actually just refinements of skills possessed by all naval aviators. This year, the Blue Angels will fly 66 air shows at 35 locations in the United States. Some fifteen million spectators will see their incredible performances. Beyond the oohs and ahs, and even the recruiting value of the Blues, there is an important message delivered by this amazing precision flight demonstration team….it is about the country you live in.

Somehow, when you experience the Blue Angels, you think about America. I have had that happen to me more than once, and many others who have seen the Blues have volunteered the same. Witnessing the beauty and precision of a Blue Angels demonstration, one marvels at the extraordinary technology our country possesses. You will feel a sense of relief that those planes belong to us and not our enemies, but most of all one cannot help but feel an overwhelming sense of pride.

This precision flight team says all that is right and strong about our country. The pilots are our best and brightest. The jets are state of the art, and the epitome of American ingenuity. The precision and discipline with which the Blue Angels function is a tribute to American commitment and preparation.

Finally the remarkable maneuverability of these lightning-fast FA-18 Hornets sends an unmistakable message that our foes ought to think long and hard before they elect to take us on.

You can see what I mean this Saturday and Sunday when the U.S. Navy Blue Angels appear in the skies over Fairchild Air Force Base. Their rare visit is part of the Fairchild’s Sky Fest.

I’m going to wade into this little flap between the Coeur d’Alene Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Marine Corps League.

Here are the qualifications for my two cents: I’m a former Marine. I’m a veteran of two foreign wars. I’m not a participant in either the VFW or the Marine Corps League.

This is my concern. The VFW and the Marine Corps League are organizations that foster support for veterans in our community. These are men and women who have served our country in war and peace. Now instead of fighting Germans or the Japanese or North Koreans or North Vietnamese or Iraqis they’re apparently fighting each other over who gets to carry the colors.

Carrying the colors is an honor. The color guard at the White House has a member of each branch of our armed forces represented. Everyone is equal because everyone contributes. If I’m a Marine grunt in the middle of a firefight I’m counting on getting airstrikes from the Air Force, artillery from the Army and I’m counting on my platoon’s Navy corpsman to make sure all the guys in my squad stay alive. Everyone contributes.

Here’s where I’m going to adjust fire. A VFW representative, Don Reigel, says that the CDA Parade committee slighted the VFW by not inviting them to participate. They also feel slighted because the Marine Corps League - not the VFW - was asked to carry the colors. Now, I would’ve maybe asked if they could rotate that responsibility every year so that this year the Marines carry and next year the VFW carries it that way no one feels left out. But nope, it didn’t go that direction. Nope, instead Reigel decided to take a potshot at the Marine Corps League’s participation when he said:

“That flag is important and it should be done right not haphazardly.”

Out of everything else said I could understand the frustration of the VFW not being able to carry the colors. But take it to the point where you insult the Marines’ ability to honor our nation’s colors in the Coeur d’Alene Parade? That’s when I have to say as a former Marine take a look at this picture below. This picture sums up the Marines’ qualifications to honor our country’s colors.

Well I bet there are a bunch of Ironman athletes around the area who are waking up to the morning after their little swim, bike ride and jog that are feeling a little worse for the wear. I personally can’t imagine doing a two-mile run, 100+ mile bike ride or a full marathon.

Closest I’ve ever gotten to any of those was something we used to call the “MCCRES Hump” … that was the Marine Corps Combat Readiness Evaluation System 25 mile forced march. That’s 25 miles with weapon, body armor, full rucksack in eight hours. I was in a mortar section so in addition to carrying my rifle I also carried part of a 60mm mortar and believe me mortar baseplates aren’t light. The horror.

So yeah, you won’t be seeing me do an Ironman anytime soon but over at OnLocation North Idaho there are a plenty of pics of Ironmen swimmers, bikers, supporters and even their swimming safety net.

If you’re watching ABC’s summer line-up of reality shows here’s one more reason to watch. Over at Slight Detour they figured out that one of the contestants on the upcoming “I survived a Japanese Game Show” is Sandpoint’s Darcy Sletager. The show premieres Tuesday night at 9 p.m. on KXLY.

I thought I had a frustrating lawn to mow with most of my front yard inclined on a 45-degree slope. Taryn Hecker over at The Skinny on North Idaho has me beat by a mile … well, actually more like a half-acre.

Finally a belated welcome to Pecky Cox of As The Lake Churns … Pecky put up her right hand recently and took the oath to become a U.S. Citizen. Welcome to our dysfunctional family.

To see what else people are blogging about today check out Notes from the Blogosphere.