Prayer Warrior With The Heart Of A Marine

[JohnBTatum]

G'Day Y'All,

I am a disabled person. I have been disabled pretty much all of my life. Growing up I always wanted to become a Marine, perhaps even a Marine Aviator. But by the time I was 17, I could not walk unassisted. But in my heart, I feel strongly connected to the United States Marine Corps.

I grew up in Orange County, California. The former homes of Tustin Marine Corps Hellicopter Station, and El Toro Marine Corps Air Base, and not far up the road form Camp Pendleton. A tradition occured in my home when I was growing up. Every Thanksgiving and every Christmas, my parents would call the local bases, and invite a Marine who did not have any family nearby, to join us for dinner. It was an honor to have these men visit our home, and to give them some "family" to be with when their blood families were far away and they had nobody to spend the holidays with.

I may be disabled, and I may be bedridden or chairbound, but I am here to offer my thoughts and prayers for all of you, both Marines and Marine families.

I am unable to help financially for any of the programs to help your loved ones (care packages, bracelets, et cetera). So I am unable to contribute in any worldly way. But it would be a great honor to be there for anyone who needs prayer.

In obeyance of the rules of this message board, I am not going to post any of my homepage information here. I can be reached from my member ID with your prayer request. I do not want to intrude, but I want to offer my moral and prayer support for all of you.

I thank you all for your love and sacrifice. Giving your beloved loved ones to this wonderful country of freedom, putting their lives on the line so that ALL can sleep peacefully at night. They stand on the wall, and watch. Some will "walk through the valley of the shadow of death", and return without a scratch, some may be injured or disabled, and some may offer the supreme sacrifice for their God, their Corps, and their Country. But their service shall NEVER be in vain, and their service shall NEVER be forgotten. I may have never had the honor of being called MARINE, but my heart is with all of you and so are my thoughts and prayers

Semper Fi,

John

[JohnBTatum]

I am always available to be there for anyone in need. All you have to do is but ask.

Semper Fi,

John

[greensideout]

Welcome to this site! I am just a member so my comments reflect only my view.

Dr. Tatum, we need a "Chaplain"! We have Members returning from Iraq, Afgan and a host of other places with a need for prayer and someone to talk to who cares about their soul and mind to get them through the adjustment to life out of the war zones. We have family members and friends who feel very proud of their Marine while bearing the burden of fear for their Marine's well being.

You may have found more here then you first thought you were called to do. ;)

It's good to have someone who cares enough about our brother Marines to take the time to offer prayer for those that request it. Again, welcome!

GSO

[JohnBTatum]

GSO,

It is an honor and a privledge to be here for anyone who needs to talk.

I thank you for the warm welcome. I just hope
that I can live up to the needs of everyone. The honor is truly mine and it is a great honor.

Take care my new friend,

John

[JohnBTatum]

"The Few, The Proud, The Marines"
( A Story of Creation )

In the beginning was the word, and the word was God. In the beginning was God, and all else was darkness and void, and without form.

So God created the heavens and the Earth. He created the sun, and the moon, and the stars, so that light might pierce the darkness.

The Earth, God divided between the land and the sea, and these he filled with many assorted creatures.

And the dark, salty, slimy creatures that inhabited the murky depths of the oceans, God called sailors.
And he dressed them accordingly. They had little trousers that looked like bells at the bottom.
And their shirts had cute little flaps on them to hide the hickys on their necks.
He also gave them long sideburns and shabby looking beards.
God nicknamed them "squids" and banished them to a lifetime at sea,
so that normal folks would not have to associate with them.
To further identify these unloved creatures, he called them "petty" and "commodore",
instead of titles worthy of red-blooded men.


And the flaky creatures of the land, God called soldiers.
And with a twinkle in his eye, and a sense of humor that only he could have,
God made their trousers too short and their covers too large.
He also made their pockets oversized, so that they may warm their hands.
And to adorn their uniforms, God gave them badges in quantities that only a dime store owner could appreciate.
And he gave them emblems and crests....and all sorts of shiny things that glittered....and devices that dangled.
(When you are God you tend to get carried away).

On the 6th day, he thought about creating some air creatures for which he designed a Greyhound bus driver's uniform,
especially for Air Force flyboys.
But he discarded the idea during the first week, and it was not until years later that some apostles resurrected this theme and established what we now know as the "wild blue yonder wonders".

And on the 7th day, as you know, God rested.

But on the 8th day, at 0730, God looked down upon the earth and was not happy.
God was not happy!
So he thought about his labors, and in his divine wisdom God created a divine creature.
And this he called Marine.
And these Marines, who God had created in his own image, were to be of the air, and of the land, and of the sea.
And these he gave many wonderful uniforms. Some were green, some were blue with red trim.
And in the early days, some were even a beautiful tan.
He gave them practical fighting uniforms, so that they could wage war against the forces of Satan and evil.
He gave them service uniforms for their daily work and training.
And he gave them evening and dress uniforms....... sharp and stylish, handsome things, so that they might promenade
with their ladies on Saturday night and impress the sh____ out of everybody!
He even gave them swords, so that people who were not impressed, could be dealt with accordingly.

And at the end of the 8th day, God looked down upon the Earth and saw that it was good.
But was God happy?
NO! God was still not happy!
Because in the course of his labors, he had forgotten one thing.
He did not have a Marine uniform for himself.
But he thought about it, and thought about it, and finally satisfied himself in knowing that, well.........

NOT EVERYBODY CAN BE A MARINE!