thedrifter
03-14-09, 08:30 AM
Marine’s memoir is inspirational
Friday, March 13, 2009
“Once a Marine: An Iraq tank commander’s inspirational memoir of combat, courage, and recovery” by Nick Popaditch with Mike Steere, New York, Savas Beatie LLC, 2008.
By Sue Blechl
Special to The Gazette We hear about Iraq and Afghanistan every day in the media, about the politics and the war. We don’t learn as much about the day to day experiences of the soldiers there, and about the injuries they endure.
Gunnery Sgt. Nick Popaditch made headlines when a photo of him smoking a cigar appeared in newspapers around the world after the capture of Baghdad in 2003. With a Saddam Hussein statue in the background, the picture celebrated a military victory and gave Popaditch the nickname “The Cigar Marine.” Little did “Gunny Pop” realize that a year later he would be decorated for bravery and recuperating from severe head trauma that left him blind, with impaired hearing, no sense of smell and other permanent injuries.
In this inspirational story, we follow Popaditch through the labyrinth of medical and bureaucratic processes as he recuperates and works to remain in active Marine service. We get a taste of today’s military world, with its code of honor, its physical and mental demands, and the camaraderie that is an essential part of the service. The book is a page turner. Popaditch’s story grabs the reader, and you wonder if he will recover, if he will stay in the Marines, if his family will hold together, if he will have a productive future. A word of caution: the story is told “the way many of us Marines speak, using some rough, tough, and extremely salty language. The point is not to shock or offend, but to put you there with me and my brothers.”
Indeed, I did feel involved in the story, feeling empathy, pride, and frustration. I look forward to the wonderful opportunity of meeting Nick Popaditch at a special event in Emporia on March 28 at Soden’s Grove. The author will be featured from 12 to 4 p.m. in a tribute to welcome the troops home. As the founding city of Veterans Day, Emporia is especially suited to honoring past and present service men and women. With four bronze Braille flags installed in our city, we salute our blind veterans also. Emporians can honor Gunny Pop and other veterans by reading his book and attending the reception. As a Marine would say: “Oorah. Semper Fi.”
Ellie
Friday, March 13, 2009
“Once a Marine: An Iraq tank commander’s inspirational memoir of combat, courage, and recovery” by Nick Popaditch with Mike Steere, New York, Savas Beatie LLC, 2008.
By Sue Blechl
Special to The Gazette We hear about Iraq and Afghanistan every day in the media, about the politics and the war. We don’t learn as much about the day to day experiences of the soldiers there, and about the injuries they endure.
Gunnery Sgt. Nick Popaditch made headlines when a photo of him smoking a cigar appeared in newspapers around the world after the capture of Baghdad in 2003. With a Saddam Hussein statue in the background, the picture celebrated a military victory and gave Popaditch the nickname “The Cigar Marine.” Little did “Gunny Pop” realize that a year later he would be decorated for bravery and recuperating from severe head trauma that left him blind, with impaired hearing, no sense of smell and other permanent injuries.
In this inspirational story, we follow Popaditch through the labyrinth of medical and bureaucratic processes as he recuperates and works to remain in active Marine service. We get a taste of today’s military world, with its code of honor, its physical and mental demands, and the camaraderie that is an essential part of the service. The book is a page turner. Popaditch’s story grabs the reader, and you wonder if he will recover, if he will stay in the Marines, if his family will hold together, if he will have a productive future. A word of caution: the story is told “the way many of us Marines speak, using some rough, tough, and extremely salty language. The point is not to shock or offend, but to put you there with me and my brothers.”
Indeed, I did feel involved in the story, feeling empathy, pride, and frustration. I look forward to the wonderful opportunity of meeting Nick Popaditch at a special event in Emporia on March 28 at Soden’s Grove. The author will be featured from 12 to 4 p.m. in a tribute to welcome the troops home. As the founding city of Veterans Day, Emporia is especially suited to honoring past and present service men and women. With four bronze Braille flags installed in our city, we salute our blind veterans also. Emporians can honor Gunny Pop and other veterans by reading his book and attending the reception. As a Marine would say: “Oorah. Semper Fi.”
Ellie