An Open Letter to the Men and Women of the U.S. Marines
by Bob Thomas
An Open Letter to the Men and Women of the U.S. Marines
I know that you have no desire to fight anyone. Warriors know that a peaceful solution is the best solution.
But, when peace is not forthcoming and it’s time to fight, you have always stepped forward to protect our country, and us.
The bravery and dedication required to risk your own life for the life of strangers is incomprehensible to some people, but not to us. . . your friends and neighbors. We see your bravery everyday. We see you struggle to raise a family on a salary that should be much larger. We see you forgo luxuries for necessities. We see you wave goodbye to your loved ones for months at a time, and We see you accept the risk of being a Marine without question.
Believe me, We see your bravery.
Pride, usually, is not so evident in most people. Not on a constant, day to day basis anyway! But, in you it is. Mostly, I think, because a Marine is “All” pride! Pride in his abilities, his achievements, his country, his organization and in the fact that he can seek out the weak, persecuted and abused people of the world, and tell them, “Don’t worry, you’re O.K. now. I’m a U.S. Marine”! By the same token, he can seek out the persecutors, the abusers, the tyrants and the terrorist of the world and strike fear into their hearts with the same words, “I’m a U.S. Marine”!
For what you do now as an active duty Marine, and for what your fellow Veteran Marines have done, and for what you are willing to do again and again as we call upon you, I thank you.
As you go forth in the world in this time of apprehension and uncertainties, know this one, very important, thing.
You are “Our” Marines.
Eastern North Carolina’s. Onslow County’s. Swansboro’s. Jacksonville’s and every other community down east. The rest of the world watches you on television news for 30 seconds as you deploy, but we see you on our streets. We see, and hear you everyday, training to defend our way of life.. We see you reach for that one last touch of a loved one’s hand as you leave and we see, and share, the tears and hear the shouted goodbye’s and “I love you’s” as you deploy to the less desirable places in the world. And that makes you “Ours”!
We know that you are commanded by the President, but we also know that when that Presidential order finally gets to where it will do the most good, it reaches a foxhole in some foreign ground. . . and in that foxhole there is a single Marine with a rifle who is expected to, and will, execute that order!
We know that most of you hail from some other place, and we know that the ‘home’ you miss is not necessarily here. But we want you to know that our most impassioned wish is that you return to us safe and unharmed. We also know that some of you won’t return, and that we’ll have to carry you in our hearts and memories forever. We will. It’s the least we can do for you. Other places have their Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen. . . and they treasure them just as we do you. But you are “Our” Marines!
On behalf of all the citizens Down East,
Thank you,
Bob Thomas
During the Viet Nam era, the people Down East were of the few that treated us well. I was snuck into California in the middle of the night on my return, to avoid protests. But later I protested the war too. Who knew better that it was a mistake, than one who was there? Down East people didn’t seem to care either way, but respected us for the job we did. And liked our contrbution to the economy there.