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  1. Marines as Intellectuals

    Someone somewhere once said (I think it was some left coast think tank) that Marines are the "Intellectuals of ground combat," and went on to describe the innovations the Marine Corps have made in the art and science of breaking things and dismantling people to further the political ends of our government.

    But the term "intellectual" doesn't jive with the image of a bunch of Marines standing around in a circle after coming out of the field and some Lance Corporal ...
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  2. Up Front

    Occasionally you run across things said or written by others who condense what you think and feel far better than yourself:

    When you lose a friend you have an overpowering desire to go back home and yell in everybody's ear, "This guy was killed fighting for you. Don't forget him-- ever. Keep him in your mind when you wake up in the morning and when you go to bed at night. Don't think of him as the statistic which changes 38,788 to 38,789. Think of him as a guy who wanted to live ...
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  3. Interservice Rivalry

    Interservice Rivalry
    © Joseph Petito

    As you well know, the four (five really) military services have their own separate and distinct cultures, and tend to, how shall we say, squabble, amongst themselves about allocation of funding, tasking, status, political connections, etc., etc.

    One day, a recent civilian appointee at the Pentagon who had dealings with the representatives of the various military branches got fed up with the different jargon, terminology, ...

    Updated 05-11-09 at 04:26 AM by jpetito (Modify syntax & language)

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  4. Pestilential Pirates

    See this link to a Michael Ramirez cartoon that sums up my thinking about pirates:

    http://www.cagle.com/politicalcartoo...ction=GetImage

    As you may know, two hundred years ago we had to deal with the same issues (as the Marine Corps Hymn spells out) and put them to rest by all manner of remorseless bits of metal.

    Joe.
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  5. Mindoro Island

    The attached short story, written for an audience of middle school students, is based on my experiences in the fall of 1977 on Mindoro Island, Philippines.

    Please excuse omissions and incomplete or just plain wrong recollections of names and facts, modified by the lapse of time.

    I will appreciate corrections with concern taken to redact personal details.

    If anyone knows the exact location, please send me a GoogleEarth link.

    Respecftully,
    ...
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