SOMETHING I MUST SAY ... Something that I have on my mind and it seems to be more frequent... I want to apologize if this seems to get boring to you but July 23 is approaching rather quickly. I will be doing more post like these as time gets closer. Once he has gone, I am going to post my feelings... so please bear with me. In 4 short months, my son will leave home and to become a lean mean fighting machine. He will become one of the few and the proud. After 8 weeks of having someone break you down only to build you right back up, he will be proud to be called a United States Marine. He has made this selfless decision and for that I am so very proud. In November a dear friend of ours, a Marine currently stationed in Hawaii was home on leave, came over and talked to Matt regarding the Marines. I had asked him to and not to sugar coat anything.... and believe me, he didn’t sugar coat it at all. He told him the worst of everything and even after hearing what Gene had to say, he still made the selfless decision to join. I am humbled by those willing, able, and ready to serve their country. If I were able I would do all in my power to protect them as they protect me. All I can offer to any service man or woman are my truly heartfelt thank you, my thoughts, and my prayers. I believe we should simply respect the choices each of us make with our lives, and if by chance you are that type of man or woman that wants to dedicate a period of time for the benefit of others and improvement of our world, then better still. I look at entering the Marines as a brave and exciting choice, a selfless choice. As long as Matt stays the course of honor and courage, he will never have to hang his head about the decision he made. Matt has gotten a lot of advice regarding the Marines but I have given him some motherly advice, for what it’s worth … I said to him “Son, when you get older and are out of the Marines, the last thing you will want is to look back at boot camp and know you didn't give 100% of yourself, so make sure that everyday you give everything you have and you will have no regrets"... Make sure you give everything you have. When you are in the pit and you feel like saying screw all this, just dig deeper and push harder. Don't ever quit... ever and you will be able to look back and know you did your very best. Here are a few tips that Gene gave to Matt before he left that night. 1. Don't touch your face... ever...don't scratch, don't pick, don't rub... 2. Learn how to say "Aye Aye, Sir" really fast... he recommend saying "icer" it is what he was saying by the end of boot camp 3. Ask for people to write you before you go. Letters will be your savior in a couple of weeks. Make sure nobody sends you candy or anything... this is not a good thing. 4. Salute with your right hand, not your left, not both... 5. Never let another Drill Instructor tell you what to do when your Drill Instructor is standing right there. ONLY LISTEN TO YOUR DI WHEN HE IS PRESENT... you may get yelled at at first, but you will get his respect at the same time. 6. The Drill Instructors are playing games with you all the time. They don't hate you and they don't want you to fail. They do want you to think that, but they really do want you to succeed. 7. If they throw the guidon on the ground... dive to try and save it if you have to. They will do this to see who gets what it stands for... it stands for your platoon and it stands for everyone of the recruits in that platoon, so treat it like the American flag... don't ever let anyone outside of your platoon touch it... be mean if you have to while protecting it. 8. Keep a journal of your experiences. 9. Be proud that you made a tough decision in your life. You picked the best and the hardest and that is something to be proud of. You will never regret your decision. 10. Forget the word "can't"... it won't be in your vocabulary in a couple of months. 11. Semper Fidelis - Always Faithful 12. Even if you don't go to church in the civilian world, go on Sunday morning. This will at least give you a small time to yourself. The DI's won't bother you in there.... so go. 13. Don't wear Marine Corps shirts around Marine Corps bases... everyone knows you are a Marine. However, Do wear the shirts at home... chicks dig Marines.