Don't Just Read—Study!

"For all the ‘4th Generation of War’ intellectuals running around today saying that the nature of war has fundamentally changed, the tactics are wholly new, etc., I must respectfully say, ‘Not really’: Alexander the Great would not be in the least bit perplexed by the enemy that we face right now in Iraq, and our leaders going into this fight do their troops a disservice by not studying — studying, vice just reading — the men who have gone before us. We have been fighting on this planet for 5,000 years and we should take advantage of their experience. ‘Winging it’ and filling body bags as we sort out what works reminds us of the moral dictates and the cost of competence in our profession." --Major General James Mattis

Studying is not a waste of time as some people think. Rather it is an investment of time that pays off in the military, in your personal life, in the corporate world. The return on investment is saved time, saved money, and saved lives. It is said that 'readers are leaders', but it is those readers that study and learn lessons from what they read then apply those lessons that really succeed.

QOTD

“A French doctor asked a wounded man ‘you are an American Soldier?’ ‘Hell no,’ he answered. ‘I am a Marine.’" — French newspaper, Le Figaro, 1918

Stark Observation

"Marines I see as two breeds, Rottweilers or Dobermans, because Marines come in two varieties, big and mean, or skinny and mean. They're aggressive on the attack and tenacious on defense. They've got really short hair and they always go for the throat."

-- Rear Admiral "Jay" R. Stark

In Remembrance of Sgt William Stacey

"My death did not change the world; it may be tough for you to justify its meaning at all. But there is a greater meaning to it. Perhaps I did not change the world. Perhaps there is still injustice in the world. But there will be a child who will live because men left the security they enjoyed in their home country to come to his. And this child will learn in the new schools that have been built. He will walk his streets not worried about whether or not his leader's henchmen are going to come and kidnap him. He will grow into a fine man who will pursue every opportunity his heart could desire. He will have the gift of freedom, which I have enjoyed for so long. If my life buys the safety of a child who will one day change this world, then I know that it was all worth it.

Semper Fidelis means always faithful. Always faithful to God, Country and Corps. Always faithful to the principles and beliefs that guided me into the service. And on that day in October when I placed my hand on a bible and swore to defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, I meant it."

--Sgt William C. Stacey, age 23
killed by an IED in Afghanistan on January 31, 2012

Marines Take Boxing Championship Away from Army

For the past 20 years, the U.S. Army Boxing Team has been the All Armed Forces Boxing Team Champions. However, that came to an end Friday night (2/3/2012) when Marine Sergeant Dejesus Gardner defeated Army Sergeant Marvin Carey. Congratulations to all the winners! Ooh-Rah!

Fatal Explosion in Military Housing Area

One person has died and two others are hospitalized with injuries after an explosion related to the propane distribution system erupted in the military housing area near the U.S. Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Coleville, CA. The blast happened around 21:00 on Friday night. Multiple structures were damaged. There are 38 families that have been temporarily relocated. It is unknown at this time what ignited the propane. The incident is under investigation.

Brian Terry: Semper Fidelis & Honor First

Prior to becoming a U.S. Border Patrol Agent, Brian Terry became a U.S. Marine. He was killed in the line of duty protecting America's border on December 15, 2010. He wrote the poem below during a class assignment for his training to become part of the Border Patrol's elite tactical unit, BORTAC.

Please watch the memorial video from his family.

If Today Be the Day...So Be It
by Brian Terry

If you seek to do battle with me this day, you will receive the best that I am capable of giving.

It may not be enough, but it will be everything that I have to give and it will be impressive for I have constantly prepared myself for this day.

I have trained, drilled and rehearsed my actions so that I might have the best chance of defeating you.

I have kept myself in peak physical condition, schooled myself in the martial skills and have become proficient in the applications of combat tactics.

You may defeat me, but I’m willing to die if necessary. I do not fear death for I have been close enough to it on enough occasions that it no longer concerns me.

But, I do fear the loss of my honor and would rather die fighting than to have it said that I was without courage.

So I will fight you, no matter how insurmountable it may seem, to the death if need be, in order that it may never be said of me that I was not a warrior.

Semper Fi, Marine!