I confess. I am a sucker for a man in uniform! One of these days, a psychiatrist can have a field day examining my psyche. But for now, I want to focus on “my” Marines. When I joined the Project Valour-IT team last year, I chose to go with the Marines Team, because of my ongoing infatuation with that branch of service. I love you all from every branch of service, but my fascination with the Marines is incurable. Maybe it is the slogan, "the few, the proud, the Marines!" That slogan suggests “lean, mean machine,” and makes me feel protected, because I have that confidence that a few Marines can take care of a larger number of bad guys – and  win!

How did this branch come into existence? I went to the United States Marine Corps site to refresh my memory.

On November 10, 1775, the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia passed a resolution stating that "two Battalions of Marines be raised" for service as landing forces with the fleet. This resolution, established the Continental Marines and marked the birth date of the United States Marine Corps. Serving on land and at sea, these first Marines distinguished themselves in a number of important operations, including their first amphibious raid into the Bahamas in March 1776, under the command of Captain (later Major) Samuel Nicholas. Nicholas, the first commissioned officer in the Continental Marines, remained the senior Marine officer throughout the American Revolution and is considered to be the first Marine Commandant. The Treaty of Parris in April 1783 brought an end to the Revolutionary War and as the last of the Navy's ships were sold, the Continental Navy and Marines went out of existence.

Reading this made me remember that there was a hiatus between the founding of the Corps and its later resurrection to fight the pirates of Tripoli. Thank God that somebody made the decision to get the Marines back as a fighting force and to provide a definitive answer to the “pirate problem.”  Thank God that there was no further hiatus and Marines, along with the other troops are there to protect us in the ongoing struggles in which our country is engaged.

With the “invention” of the IED, our Marines and other troops have had to grapple with the devastating effects of loss of limbs, in Iraq and Afghanistan, where we have the ever increasing phenomenon of troops returning from the battlefield minus one or more limbs. They still have the needs and desires as anyone else, but are limited by their injuries. To be honest, I get very angry when I think of our troops being robbed of lives and limbs by attacks perpetuated by cowards. But that is life in the 21^st century. We can however, do something positive. We can donate to Project Valour-IT.  The following is a story that vividly demonstrates my point.

This Marine homecoming surprise is what I term a “Kleenex and a Kodak moment.”At first,  I did not need the Kleenex because I tried to be brave. I failed. I reached for the Kleenex. We send our men and women out to defend us and they go, knowing full well that death, disfigurement or dismemberment could be the result. They go anyway. We left behind should do our part, so to use a cliché, “give until it hurts.”

This is exciting! There is a donation matching challenge . Today is the last day for the challenge so please donate!  I read the following description and realized, if I didn’t before, why I love my Marines. Not many of us are blessed with the physical and mental fortitude on display:

“Most of us can't imagine even running a marathon, much less running one with only 75% breathing capacity and an extra 15 pound load. How about doing it from a wheelchair? What makes extraordinary feats like this possible is the power of belief in something larger than yourself, and that's just the kind of story that exemplifies the Valour IT spirit. These are men and women who've been dealt a hand that would crush most of us, and yet rather than feeling sorry for themselves or giving up, they're out there continuing to make the world a better place.

I am not worthy.

I am going to leave you with a little Marine humor. Pick a picture – and make a donation!