Most boys
and some girls played army when they were younger. Funny how we called it Army
and not Marines… Take note my Marine friends. I remember going into the woods
near my house in Mandeville Louisiana, now built up into a subdivision. My friend
Michael Bordelon and Shannon Cross (Shannon Wilson) would be on my side and the
neighbors would be on the other. Always 6 or 7 against us three. We would find
sticks that looked like guns and Magnolia flower buds that we used for
grenades. We would plan attacks on ambushes. We played Army as a team. Best
friends.
Our time on
Saturday morning lasted till after dark. Our dedication to the mission (game)
was absolute. We always left markers on the ground so we could come back Sunday
and begin exactly how we left. Soldiers in 9, 10, 11 and 12-year-old boys. Yup….
We were a Band of Brothers.
Flash
forward 9 years. Graduation from High School. Parties, College decisions, and Ohhh
yes… girls. It started with me. Ok, my buddies can blame me. I signed up and did
my entry at MEPS New Orleans. My buddies followed. Shannon and I went Army and
Michael went Marines. Bryan went Navy with Chris.
When you
step off the bus at basic, it is a world away from normal and more in line with
a girl laughing at you when you drop trow in a drunken stupor at a college
party. The DS are not there to make friends. They were there (learned that
after basic) to make sure you live long enough to come home or kill as many enemy
as possible before you give your life for your country. Combat is a no-shitter
situation I learned later. Combat is the only experience one veteran can see in
other veterans’ eyes. There is no faking the experience.
In less than
320 words, I went through civilian to Soldier. Now I will go directly to the
after effect. This is the part that makes me miss the military. The dedication, loyalty, the ability to recognize a small contribution by each team member
can deliver a BIG ASS victory. No mission is accomplished alone. All missions I
have been blessed to be involved in consisted of no less than 3 different departments.
We had Air support, Ground support, Intel, and
yes sometimes we had a group of these Marine folks hanging back till we cleared
the emplacements of the enemy. That’s right. King of Battle baby. 75th
Artillery Brigade. 5/18th. The infantry is referred to as the Queen
of Battle. The Artillery (King of Battle) keeps her from getting molested. Ok, Ok I am getting off-topic.
What I am
getting at, if anyone has made it this far in the Blog, (post a comment if you
have) is we are a team. The Unified Warrior Foundation Team. A group of
Families that in 2015 sent names of their loved ones to a veteran who was
hiking the AT. No one, Not even my friends had any idea I was planning on
suicide on that hike. By God's greatness and those names, I beat it. Now I have
a mission that I will finish.
From 2015
and financially stable to 2019 and more broke than the day I took my physical
at the MEPS center before I was shipped off to Basic in 1988, I have been
devoted to finishing this mission. Why haven’t I just gone back to supporting
my family and myself? Those days of playing Army and the days spent in combat
tell the tail. The mission is not over. Just like playing Army in 1979 in Mandeville Louisiana.
That is to build the memorial designed in 2016. The largest in the Nation. The
only memorial with pavers signifying veteran suicide. Why do we hide from the epidemic?
Why shy from it? Red pavers signify suicide and Tan all the others. The
memorial is not meant to glorify that act, but to make sure we understand the
magnitude. Their actions do not represent who they were. They were our brother,
our sisters. Least we never forget.
We can
either make a difference or we can act as if we give two holy shits, so we look
compassionate to our friends. Here we go……Hold on to your sense of how a Director
of a foundation should act and finish the last 75 words.
We (Americans
personally) donated 25 billion to Haiti, we donate 180 million to save the
freaking rain Forrest (ok that’s not a bad idea) and we on average cannot
account for on average $73.60 per month on expenses. But donating a few coins
and telling as many friends and family to donate is like trying to make the
last few toilet paper sheets last so you don’t have to call for support. (Plan
ahead and have support under the sink…… just saying).
Imagine a
memorial that honors ALL veterans. Honors
ALL conflicts (not just the 9 publicized). A memorial that demands recognition
of our brothers and sisters and families that gave all. Some gave on the field;
some gave because the field came home with them.
Donate or
share the request and story. 5600 miles on a bike in the winter. Hooahhhhhhh
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