I want to share a poem I wrote about my husband, with you. I hope you enjoy!
His Heart Belongs To Me
Expected to soar above and beyond all others,
Guarding freedom and protecting others who cry for help,
The look distinguishes him from all others,
An eagle he wears upon his chest.
The many countries that make up our globe,
All look for them to help protect their homes,
At any time of crisis he will go at a moments notice,
An eagle and globe he wears upon his chest.
Small in comparison yet strong enough to hold a lot,
Able to secure and hold under any situation,
Going through water or at lands end,
An eagle, globe and anchor he wears upon his chest.
The eagle globe and anchor he wears upon his chest,
In front of his heart as a promise to the world,
Though few in numbers the Marines are a force of readiness,
Even though his life is the Corps,
His oath to God and country,
Behind the promise of my Marine,
I know his heart belongs to me.
©stryteller
During Boot Camp.....
Boot camp From a Marines point of view this is the final chapter of what separates them from all others. Once they got in the jet and off to boot camp they went, is a cadence but also a life altering reality. Some would refer boot camp as 13 weeks of HELL. Many would revel in the knowledge that they made it, because it was tougher back when they went in. Recruit Depots in San Diego and Parris Island are where Marines are made. They are not born, they are not trained, but they are made in a unique fashion that defies all logic to those of us who love them. If you wonder how you could support your Marine, whether he/she is son/daughter, boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife or friend, during boot camp is write letters! Every Marine I have ever met including my own has recalled the wonderful feeling having your name called during Mail Call. When writing letters home you are allowed to be scared, homesick or just pissed off. When a drill instructor is in your face the only feeling you have is respect, he/she is a Marine and went through the same hell you are going through and made it, they have your respect. Graduation Day:Upon completing every task given to them in 12 weeks they are allowed “Visitor Sunday.” This is when all the family members are allowed to come and see their Marine before graduation. Through out the week is dinners and other events for families of the recruits, however Friday, graduation day, is the most exciting. To see your loved one right there, in uniform, surrounded by peers, and sometimes the first time addressed as Marines is a feeling like no other. Pride swells inside you and you know they will never be the same and neither will you because you love them.
November 1991 – Shane left for boot camp at MCRD San Diego California. This was 13 weeks of hell for both of us. I was alone with our son and Shane missed our son’s 1st birthday and 1st Christmas and 1st step. You wouldn’t think 3 months was that long, add that to the life of a baby and it’s a lifetime. January 31, 1992 was his graduation from Platoon 2106. This was one of the proudest moments in my life, seeing my love, husband, father of my child become a United States MARINE. I think this is when the Marine Corps Hymn became such a beloved tune for me, as a wife. It stood for all the traditions that came before my Marine but were still in function today and tomorrow.
Arriving
August 1992 – August 1994 – MCB Camp
Lejeune North Carolina attached to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion Motor Transport.
First duty station was in a town called Jacksonville North Carolina. Since we left Jacksonville has grown into quite a large community. However, when we were there not much in way of family entertainment. We lived in a trailer out in town until we received quarters on base in Midway Park. Shane was deployed a lot during this time. His Commanding Officer though had a wife of gold. She took me under her wing and made sure I understood this new world I lived in and what it meant to be “A Marine Wife” and how things in my life were going to change. These were the rules she gave to me that I should know… How to read a leave and earnings statement (LES) Was my Marine on Direct Deposit and where and how much a month Rank structure on which ever side of the tree you are attached to (ex. Enlisted or officer) on site How to present yourself when on base and off ( clothing and attitude) Who NOT to complain to Who you can commiserate with when things seem to go to shit When to fight against the structure and when to just learn to live with itFollowing these rules helped me a lot as a young junior enlisted spouse. The book Roses and Thorns explains a lot also but it is also outdated.
To Do List for PCS success
Q – Is this a TMO move or a D.I.T.Y. move? (T.M.O. Transit Military Organization, D.I.T.Y. Do It Yourself) TMO A –
Check orders for a check out and check in date. Decide what is the best times to have your home packed up, be sure to have a few in case it is a busy time and your first choice is not available.
DITY A – Check orders for a check out and check in date. Decide when you are going to pack, pick up rental truck, and plan ahead. Get boxes and packing supplies and begin packing, remember with a DITY move you do not get to claim anything if you break it. Load boxes, clean house, move on.
Things to find upon arriving at a new duty station:
emergency room
urgent care
family practice clinic
Post office
commissary/ local grocery stores
MCX/ AAFES/ NEX and local dept stores i.e. Wal-Mart, Target
area schools including colleges, find where the territory is for each school gas stations
Navy/ Marine Corps Relief society Red Cross office
housing office
base housing
rental properties
major highways or expressways