I had a great conversation with a friend of mine over dinner. We have known each other for 6 years but she still did not really know much about my Marine Corps experience. That night after cocktails I let it all out.

Wendy had the background to understand what I was telling her. When she was actively teaching she was hired to lead a second rate school to a city basketball championship. And she did. She knew the concepts of training and sacrifice. Ultimately she knew that it is the fire in our hearts that drives us. The body just reacts.

I told her about Boot Camp. Where we were immediately ‘thrown to the wolves’ and began our testing. For 13 weeks we learned deadly lessons. More importantly we learned to trust the man next to us. Mere high school kids that lived the soft life of mommy and daddy are hammered into the front line troops of the last great Super Power.

I told her about my love for the Marine Corps. If you inventory the core values of my life, you will find the Marine Corps solidly implanted. The high ideals of Honor and Integrity are there.

I told her about fear. She knew my experience of the harsh swim training where I drowned. She actually had nightmares reliving my experience. I told her it was just another test and I passed. I no longer have any fear of water. There are millions of people that will not even go to a pleasant beach because of that fear.

Now I would be comfortable in the water with high angry seas. But my main fear is still letting my fellow Marine down. Not being there or not doing the right thing when he needs me the most. That is my fear.

For a brief period we talked about the Army, just for a comparison. Yes the Army does have motivated front line troops, 10th Mountain Rangers and those spooky Delta lads. But they are only a percentage of their actual manpower. The rest are cooking meals or purifying water for the hard case boys.

I told her that Every Marine is Rifleman. No matter what job we have we are trained to be “Life Takers and Heart Breakers”. Just look at our current situation. We have Arty Marines out on patrol. Even our Women Marines are lethal. You can take a logistics trained Marine and drop them in a combat battalion and they will perform.

Why? Because we will not accept being second best! Our enemies train just as hard as we do. They also run 10 miles and hump 25. But the do not have our heart, courage and raw determination.

We are the champions. The idea of being second best puts a cold stone in every Marines gut. We just will not accept it.