Did we ever really get out? Over 20 years later I still have the Corps deep in my bones. I still get a stirring in my heart when I hear The Marine’s Hymn or even when someone mentions Chesty Puller.

My MOS of 4063 Mainframe Programmer is now obsolete. However the essential Corps Values are very much alive.

When I first got out I had some difficulty finding a job. Work wasn’t the problem. I had a hard time relating to civilian bosses and coworkers. I was used to the outstanding leadership and Gung-Ho spirit that we find in the Corps. Did you know that civilians will actually quit work after 8 hours, even if the job is still not done!

For a few years I was roofing on the road all across America. I had the pleasure of working with a few fellow Veterans. One guy was an Army Ranger type. He’d shout out in the morning, “Great Day to be a Ranger!” I’d answer back with, “It’s a Fine Amphibious Day!” Then we’d kill ourselves working just to show the young guys how easy it was.

Carlos was a Fellow Marine. I swear at times we could read each other’s minds. It was under him that I was promoted to foreman. That’s when that Ole Marine Corps Spirit really came out.

We did a roof in St Louis when it was 120 degrees. Adding to the temperature was the black rubber roofing material. We checked once and the roof temperature was 143. Now that was hot!  I took my job seriously, and spent most of the time shuttling supplies, wet towels and water to my roofers. We got the job done with zero heart casualties.

Down in New Orleans I had to show some more Marine Corps Spirit. A big ugly dude was beating on his wife in the middle of St Charles Avenue. I had to step in and confront this giant wife beater. I was pretty scared and thinking the whole time, “What are you doing? Can’t someone else do this?” But a Veteran just cannot stand by and watch a guy beat the hell out a woman. Thank God for Marine Corps training, I ended up knocking him on his ass.

I am grateful for the Leatherneck.com Community. I am able to stay connected to the Marine Corps and fellow Veterans. It was here that I came to understand the Legacy of Our Marine Corps. Talking directly to Marines that served in Iraq, Lebanon, the RVN, Korea, and even Guadacanal.

Veterans are everywhere. There are millions of us still on the job contributing to our society. We are everything from Neighborhood Watch leaders to Cabinet Members.

I like what General Peter Pace had to say about us Veterans, "We cherish the freedoms of this country; we will fight for this country until the very last man or woman," he said. "And it will not happen, but in case somebody were able to get past that 2.4 million folks, there are 25 million living Veterans in this country who are ready to strap it back on and do what's necessary."