So much that could be said this November 10. So much that should be and so much that should not be said. Emotions have been raw this year as the sun sets on twenty years of “war on terror.” However you view it, try to see a different perspective.

Marines are special because they are asked to do so much with so little and they produce success. Sometimes that success comes at a great cost, but the Corps will not stop throwing itself upon the machine until it halts that which it is ordered to.

Changes in technology dictate changes in warfare. The two are tied. As long as man lives, we will search for the most efficient means to kill ourselves. The confusion for me is: why do we perpetuate this zero defect mentality in training and fire leaders who aren’t culpable for the circumstances instead of holding accountable those at the highest levels who don’t push realistic training and whose failed policies and ROE’s have gotten so many killed?

All that aside, I am proud to have served in the Marines. It is a defining point in my life but I don’t let it dictate who I am. Our purpose must emerge from our current identity which is grounded in the here and now. Living for a previous identity can leave you lost, especially if injury or other circumstance has made it difficult or impossible to perform functions of your former self.

Once a Marine always a Marine but be yourself first. They can’t tell you who you are, only who they want you to be. You’re more than name, rank, and serial number.

Carry on.

-Drew OUT!