Dear Daddy

[Lock-n-Load]

Dear Janine.....So happy for you, that your dad's SRB is now in your hands; in addition, you now see what he as a Marine was all about...none of us are perfect in this imperfect world...the SRB is the testament and heart and soul of each Marine...it's factual, concise and all revealing about the Marine...at retirement in civilian life you are lucky to get a watch...a Marine treasures their SRB and that's a whale of a story about what a real American [Marine] is all about...your dad's SRB will unfold anew at each reading of it...I'm happy you have it now...and keep your chin up, just like Dad did in all his combat forays...you had him all his life, that counts for something...Janine, you will always be a Marine to us....it took courage to go public...thank you, as I understand you better now...God bless. Christy-USMC FMF

[Sophora]

Daddy's With Me

by Janine Corbin 3/9/03

I wrote daddy a letter today.
He's in a place so far away.
I don't understand this thing called War,
But daddy's a Marine and an oath he swore.

I talked to daddy on the phone today,
After I finished my sentence "over" I'd say.
He's in a place so far away,
But he's with me too in a special way.

I showed daddy my Christmas dress today.
I ran to the camera so he could see.
Daddy's fighting a war to perserve our peace.
On Christmas Day, so far away.

Daddy came home from the war today.
I wore my best dress, he wore his dress greens.
I don't understand why people say he's bad.
He fights for our country and the American Flag.

I think of my daddy and I'm sad today.
What a child didn't see, I understand now.
A Marine came home from Nam that day,
But daddy was in a place so far away.

[MillRatUSMC]

Wars have a way of changing of one's character.
The war in Vietnam and the conduct of that war,
Left many with bitter feelings toward the government,
and the civilians that we saw lacking in support of our conduct of the war, we were fighting in their name.
Many sought relief from all the memories of that war, by drinking.
Many to an acess.
Many lash out in their bitterness.
I know many a day, he must haved prayed for relief from all the unhappiness he was causing.
We're happy that you were able to forgive your Dad.
His SRB will shed more light on his service before and after Vietnam.
The WHY of all that madness is what many are seeking to this day.
I like your Dad, came back bitter and drank far more than I should have.
You try to drown out screams in the night, as a young Marine was dying.
But it's does no good, they will be with me till the day of my closure to that war.
I tried to show, that your Dad conduct was a mirror of the conduct of many.

Semper Fidelis
Ricardo

[RichLundeen]

Janine. Mike, all,

Wow.

My 1st visit here, Janine, we had a bit of a discussion. Bisbee and my Marine friend Juan looking for our missing Marine friend, Dave.

You are quite a good person.

I'm going to better with my wonderful girl, Ella, now eight.

I've been hard on 'em both, over the years, so I'm gonna take to heart, the !st Sgt's admonishment / revelation; 'it's never too late'.

Semper Fi

Rich

[Sophora]

I found my kindegarden class photo when I was going through the boxes of papers and pictures when at mom's. We were stationed at K-Bay at the time and we were allowed to go to school barefooted. There I am literally front row center. I've spent a good part of yesterday and this morning looking at the photo.

The most striking thing about the photo is the diversity. My god! 1964 and you have black kids and hispanic and white and oriental all in the same room! We didn't see colors, we saw fellow Marine Brats, some Navy Brats, they were ok I reckon. We were Marine Brats, there in K-Bay, later in Le Jeune, and finally at Pax. No colors, the only culture, Marine. When I went to civilian school I learned about racism, about discrimination. It never made sense to me.

Things were different in Brat school. You could bet money that the kids you started class with, some would be gone at the end of the yr. Either they transfered or I did. Transfering was easy..You knew in advance if you were going, or what friends of yours were leaving. In K-Bay in 64 - 65 things were different. Our dad's were in Viet Nam. It became common to go to school and see a classmate missing. No one said anything, but we knew we would never see that kid again. We knew that his or her daddy had died and they would be going away forever. It was sad. It was hard to lose a friend. We'd miss them. We knew that it could happen to us. At 6-7 we knew what war was, we knew what death was. We were Marine Brats, we were special and we were proud of our daddies, we knew what they did was important. We just didn't know what they were doing, but knew they were serving their country. We hoped they wouldn't die. I stopped making friends. It hurt to much when they left. I didn't want to think of dead daddies. If I made a friend, and their daddy died I would lose them forever. If their daddy died I would be scared that my daddy could die.

We lived in base housing. Brats are kids. We play tag and hide-and-go seek. We roamed the neighborhood in packs. We rollerskated and rode bikes. We were kids. Sometimes an official car would turn up our street. We'd stop our play and stand together in a group. We didn't breath till the car passed our house. We looked at our friends. The car meant someone was going away, someone had lost their daddy. It hurt to lose a friend. It was sad to think of a friend with no daddy.

Mom would go visit the widow. Mom was the gunny's wife. I hear jokes about if the Marines wanted you to have a wife they would issue you one. The Marines needed wives. Career Marines needed wives. When dad was getting sent to Nam, mom was one of the few wifes that was notified in advance. The Corps needed her to help with the young wives. Mom went to the young women and consoled them when their husbands died. I bet mom was scared like me. Scared her Husband would die too. Mom had been a Marine. She knew the risks, she knew what was happening was important for the country and the Corps. Mom was a woman with 4 kids and one in the oven when dad shipped to Nam. Mom was brave. Mom was a Marine wife. Mom was a Gunny's wife. Mom helped the Corps take care of their own. Mom gave comfort to her brats. Who comforted mom?

[Sophora]

May 4th kindergarden class K-Bay

[Sophora]

Daddy

The more I learn of you the less I know.
You're not the man with whom I was grown.
You are a Marine,
but not to my brothers and me.
You are a Marine but a father I need.

I look at your pictures, your record I read.
but you weren't a father, the man I need.
I am your daughter,
why can't you see me?

You fought in your war
why can't you see mine?
I want you to love me
but you leave me behind.

You are my father,
the man I hold dear.
Because of our war
from you I learned fear.

I want to love you
as a child I know.
A Marine is someone
you never can know.

A Duty, an Honor
A Country to serve.
A family neglected,
what do they deserve?

I pray while your gone
I hope you return.
Life is uncertain,
but love for a father
is an ache and a burn.

You come home to me
but your hearts far away.
In a place where men died.
A place where you stayed.

For them and for you,
dear daddy I cry.
God bless the Marines
Can I say
Semper FI?

[Sophora]

I'm kinda hoping some of you guys are looking into this forum. I never realised how powerful it was till I started getting feedback from some hardcharging Marines in other locations where I posted it. The greatest honor I received was when one Marine forwarded my writings to Internatonal War Veterans' Poetry Archives and they were accepted even though my first writing wasn't a poem. International War Veterans' Poetry Archives

I have met others on Marine sites who are BRaTs from one service or another. We all share a bond, a part of the Military, yet only as a child can see it.

I've looked for BraT sites BRaT, Born Raised and Trained, and the only good one I found was a site you had to pay to post. I know web space cost and I know someone has to pay. there are Military sites like this one and so many more. They have places for Moms and Wives and other family, where are the Children???

There is a whole group of children today who are having to deal with their daddies going away to war. There are a whole group of children who saw their daddies going to Nam, and to Korea, and even some who's dad's went to WWII. Yet how do we reach the children today?

we need to be there for today's BRaTs, be they Marine, Army, Navy, or Air Force, there are children who need to understand what is war. Only we who are children of wars can truely help them. How can we? I was silent during Nam, let me speak today!


__________________
Janine Corbin

[MrCobb]

Sophora : Very touching , we loved our daughters always.

[Sophora]

Stop Crawling and stand on the little yellow footprints.
You're a Marine BRaT and it's time to get in line.
You will do what you are told, speak when spoken to
and behave in a way to bring Honor to your father and the Corps.

Stand on the little yellow footsteps, you're a Gunny's BRaT now.
Gunny is in Nam, it's time to take responsibility.
You have seven years in position, the young BRaTs need you.
You watch out for them, teach them the rules.
Now do your chores,
Mom needs help maintaining the quarters.
It's hard for her with a belly full of baby.

Stand on the little yellow footprints and check your dress.
Are your socks clean, your shoes polished. Sit and wait,
hush yer little brothers, remind them of the rules.
Gunny's coming home, we'll show him our best.
Stand back, your brothers are first, or are you afraid?

Sixteen years are enough footprints
The First Sargent is a bastard, I won't take it no more.
The Hell with being a BRaT, The Marine Corps made Marines.
It was a father I lacked, a man who saw me with pride.
I don't know how to love the man,
but I'll aways respect the Marine.

[Sophora]

Once again the child intrudes on you life. All you old farts have some maybe. You new farts have gleams in your eyes. Marines and other Arm Force members are dying today and leaving babes behind. Marines and other Arm Force are coming home from combat to their babes today. Lets give us children a voice. We have something to say. We have a world view that is different from what a civi kid knows. We know war in a different way from a civilian and from what our dad experiences. I watched the news reports of Nam when my dad was there. What do the children of Marines and our Arm Forces see today on the news?

God bless you all and Thank you all for your dedication to our country and our children.