thedrifter
08-10-05, 09:43 PM
Published on Tuesday, August 9, 2005 1:37 PM CDT
It's really about the Marines
By Matt Lane, editor
I spent last week in San Diego on a U.S. Marine Corps sponsored trip for educators. I went along for the ride to report, first hand, just what it takes to make Marines.
I was able to make this trip and file the reports, which appeared in last week's paper, because the Corps helped foot the bill.
At the end of each story printed last week was a disclaimer: The Marine Corps paid for the air transportation, one half of the hotel accommodations and for some meals for Photo Editor Glen Eller and myself. The newspaper will spend about $800 on the trip.
With war raging in Iraq and enlistments down some might wonder if this trip was such a good idea. Was I being wooed by the Corps to write good stories so more young people will answer the call and sign up? With the Corps picking up the tab, was I just a mouthpiece?
I hope not, in fact, I know I wasn't. The Corps did not read over my shoulder as I filed my dispatches from San Diego and there was no censor telling me not to ask questions. They simply got me to the coast, took me to the Marine Recruit Training Depot and let me observe how Marines are made.
The amazing transformation from a gangly kid to a United States Marine takes 12 weeks. I saw that process condensed into four days. I saw some of the finest young people you would ever want to meet pushing themselves, striving toward a goal, digging deep and persevering.
These young people, these new and future Marines earned my respect.
Will my stories help drive more prospective recruits to through the local Marine recruiters door? I don't know, maybe, maybe not. I reported what I saw and tried to be a good journalist. That's all I can do.
Yes, the Marines helped pay for the trip and, yes, I'll bet they were hoping for a return on that investment. But - and this is important - not once was there any pressure to say good things; not once did a tough question go unanswered.
I make no apologies for praising these young men who are now Marines or are working to become them.
During my trip, I sat with brave young men who went into battle in Iraq because that's what they were ordered to do. They saw sights you and I could not comprehend and made sacrifices that this nation can never repay. For these young men this war is not just something in the paper or on television. It is forever a part of their lives. The president said go and they went because that is what Marines have always done. They have answered the call.
I was humbled in their presence as they told me about what they did there and what they saw. One young sergeant told me he wasn't fighting because of weapons of mass destruction or Saddam, he told me he was fighting as hard as he could because he loved the men fighting next to him; he fought as part of team, a band of brothers. The spirit of the Corps is strong and, in the heat of battle, what matters most is fighting with the men in your squad so you can all come home.
This generation of fighting men and women, those who are and were on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan, are the best America has. I make no apology for glorifying them and telling you just how special and important they are to our nation.
I am no great fan of the current president; anyone who knows me knows that. I did not support the decision to fight a war in Iraq, and I pray each day that soon our fighting men and women will come home.
I do, however, have the greatest admiration and respect for the men and women who serve this country in the armed forces: the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and Marines. They make it possible for me to live free, to write what I want in this newspaper and to agree or disagree with politicians at City Hall or in the White House.
That is the essence of our freedom, and, as I was reminded as I sat and spoke of war with these young warriors, the price of freedom is high; these men are willing to pay it.
The Marines paid a portion of the bill for my trip to San Diego last week. But they never asked for anything in return.
No matter, I hope I gave them something; moreover, I hope gave you, the reader, a little better understanding of how Marines are made. If anything I wrote last week helps a young person make the decision to become a Marine, I can think of worse things a newspaperman could do.
Matt Lane is the editor of the McAlester News-Capital. Send him hate mail or encouragement to: Editor, P.O. Box 987, McAlester, OK, 74501. Call him at 421-2022 or send e-mail to editor@mcalesternews.com
Ellie
It's really about the Marines
By Matt Lane, editor
I spent last week in San Diego on a U.S. Marine Corps sponsored trip for educators. I went along for the ride to report, first hand, just what it takes to make Marines.
I was able to make this trip and file the reports, which appeared in last week's paper, because the Corps helped foot the bill.
At the end of each story printed last week was a disclaimer: The Marine Corps paid for the air transportation, one half of the hotel accommodations and for some meals for Photo Editor Glen Eller and myself. The newspaper will spend about $800 on the trip.
With war raging in Iraq and enlistments down some might wonder if this trip was such a good idea. Was I being wooed by the Corps to write good stories so more young people will answer the call and sign up? With the Corps picking up the tab, was I just a mouthpiece?
I hope not, in fact, I know I wasn't. The Corps did not read over my shoulder as I filed my dispatches from San Diego and there was no censor telling me not to ask questions. They simply got me to the coast, took me to the Marine Recruit Training Depot and let me observe how Marines are made.
The amazing transformation from a gangly kid to a United States Marine takes 12 weeks. I saw that process condensed into four days. I saw some of the finest young people you would ever want to meet pushing themselves, striving toward a goal, digging deep and persevering.
These young people, these new and future Marines earned my respect.
Will my stories help drive more prospective recruits to through the local Marine recruiters door? I don't know, maybe, maybe not. I reported what I saw and tried to be a good journalist. That's all I can do.
Yes, the Marines helped pay for the trip and, yes, I'll bet they were hoping for a return on that investment. But - and this is important - not once was there any pressure to say good things; not once did a tough question go unanswered.
I make no apologies for praising these young men who are now Marines or are working to become them.
During my trip, I sat with brave young men who went into battle in Iraq because that's what they were ordered to do. They saw sights you and I could not comprehend and made sacrifices that this nation can never repay. For these young men this war is not just something in the paper or on television. It is forever a part of their lives. The president said go and they went because that is what Marines have always done. They have answered the call.
I was humbled in their presence as they told me about what they did there and what they saw. One young sergeant told me he wasn't fighting because of weapons of mass destruction or Saddam, he told me he was fighting as hard as he could because he loved the men fighting next to him; he fought as part of team, a band of brothers. The spirit of the Corps is strong and, in the heat of battle, what matters most is fighting with the men in your squad so you can all come home.
This generation of fighting men and women, those who are and were on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan, are the best America has. I make no apology for glorifying them and telling you just how special and important they are to our nation.
I am no great fan of the current president; anyone who knows me knows that. I did not support the decision to fight a war in Iraq, and I pray each day that soon our fighting men and women will come home.
I do, however, have the greatest admiration and respect for the men and women who serve this country in the armed forces: the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and Marines. They make it possible for me to live free, to write what I want in this newspaper and to agree or disagree with politicians at City Hall or in the White House.
That is the essence of our freedom, and, as I was reminded as I sat and spoke of war with these young warriors, the price of freedom is high; these men are willing to pay it.
The Marines paid a portion of the bill for my trip to San Diego last week. But they never asked for anything in return.
No matter, I hope I gave them something; moreover, I hope gave you, the reader, a little better understanding of how Marines are made. If anything I wrote last week helps a young person make the decision to become a Marine, I can think of worse things a newspaperman could do.
Matt Lane is the editor of the McAlester News-Capital. Send him hate mail or encouragement to: Editor, P.O. Box 987, McAlester, OK, 74501. Call him at 421-2022 or send e-mail to editor@mcalesternews.com
Ellie