MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Merry Christmas from the Marines in the Sandbox. Thank you Kata Ata for the Christmas Video. Funny how much everybody changes in 5 years(I think).

I am trying to call but the good phones are off for Video Conferences. If I don't get to call...oh well I guess I am sorta at war or something.

Thank you all for your continued love and support.

Momma sorry that I joined a boys club that takes me away from you during Christmas. Thanks for the book and the cookies. I got the package today and the pumpkin cookies were a HUGE hit.

I love you all and to all a good night.

Remember what Chester says "It's not easy being cheesy!"

I'm bringing WHAT back?

I bought a suit. It is sexy!

I paid $500 for a 3 piece suit(black with really thin pinstripes), 2 shirts(burgundy and baby blue) 2 ties that work well with the shirts, 2 sets of cuff links, 2 sets of really pointy shoes and 2 belts all tailored to me. I kinda felt stupid cause I got this deal and I should have got matching handkerchiefs. Anyway a few pictures to show off my good looks even though the photography is horrible.


I also bought a new camera because the old one broke and it takes way to high quality of pictures. I have been waiting about 30 mins for 5 pictures to upload.

Okay nevermind the picture won't co-operate I will try and put them on my picaso instead. Maybe I will take them again, lower quality. Anyway my profile picture is a preview.

Just askin...

If anybody wants to come to Denver and see me fly in, you are all invited. I know everybody is busy and I don't expect anything. However if anybody DOES want to attend I need your full name and date of birth so you can get on base.

It should be a few days after Jared graduates.

There I have done what I was told...invitations extended!

In Response to...

So I had a few questions from y'all on my last post that I will now answer.

Kate-about getting bombed. It's funny that Mike would say that because I had seriously thought about that. As it goes are track record is pretty good. There is Beirut Lebanon in 1983 that was a disaster but other than that Embassy duty is considered very safe. Even the "hardship" tours aren't necessarily dangerous, they are just in 3rd world countries. Besides that is why we are there. to kick butts and take names when crap hits the fans!

Mom- About picking where you go. This works the same way as the rest of Corps. For each tour you are given a set of options and you pick your preferences but in the end we are assets and will go according to the needs of the Marine Corps. You can pick my preference will be Lima though!

Cami-about Legos. I haven't played the Star Wars but I am definitely getting it when I get back. It is a very fun type of games with lots of puzzles and stuff!

Kellie- is a hard thing to get into? Shawn said that part of your time is suppose to be this type of thing. Is that correct? That or recruiting?
It can be difficult to get into. Marine forces are up to about 202,000 and those on Embassy duty are numbered at about 1300.However with the screening my chances get a lot better. I have good scores across the board, a very high ASVAB score, 2 meritorious promotions and I already have a clearance which is apparently the hardest part of getting the duty.

If you want to stay in for 20 years and get to the top of the ranks you have to do a B-billet. This is either Drill Instructors (which is INCREDIBLY competitive and hard to get into because of my field), Recruiting (I HATE talking to new people and trying to sell them), School of Infantry Instructors(which goes 75 percent to grunts) and MSG. There has been talks of making I and I staff a B billet but it probably won't happen until after I leave the unit so I would have to some time go back to a reserve unit and teach again.

MSG really just seemed like the reasonable course, plus it has the bonus of going places no one else in the Corps gets to go. If they makes I and I a B- billet then I wouldn't mind doing this again.

Kara-when I find out and start. This is the crummy part. The screening team was actually here on Al Asad about 4 weeks ago but nobody was informed at our unit. If I had done it then I could have got orders cut as early as March 09 to go. As it is the Monitor works pretty quick so if I get accepted I will have to be flown to see a screening team and my time frames look more like June to August 09.

Hope this has cleared some stuff up!

Updates...

So the boredom has really moved in for business...

I have started playing Lego Indiana Jones. It's ridiculous but it passes the times when I am sleepy and nobody is awake to chat.

I have finished all the books that mom sent out and that I ordered. Thats 11 altogether. Plus a handful of John Grisham's and the 7 book Dark Tower series by the Master of Fright.

I have watched every good movie EVER made...and then some! Okay maybe not EVERY good movie but pretty darn close.

I have started and finished a whole bunch of different TV shows to include
Rome, nip tuck, weeds, How I met your mother, Sons of Anarchy, True Blood, Heroes, Jericho, 24, My name is Earl, Scrubs and Sopranos again(4th complete time ever)


I have started my paperwork on a MSG package. This is Embassy duty. It is a 3 year tour, a year in 3 different embassies. This is exciting me more and more because of the places you can go. We will see I guess.

All that and you would think I'm getting fat and lazy. Nope I work out like it's going out of style! Hope it pays off with this PFT on Saturday!

Love ya all!

Game of Thrones

So this is what I know so far.

The HBO pilot for Games of Thrones is in competition with 9 maybe 10 other pilots. While this at first seemed like long odds I continued to research. Because of how HBO works they don't have to fill normal time slots like NBC or ABC. This means that they could pick up as many as 6 or 7 shows. This makes the odd even better but still losable. Until I realized the buzz factor. The fan base for GRRM's hit books are enormous. The forums about this pilot are never-ending and almost nothing has been set in stone yet.

What are the other 9 shows you ask? One is about a rockstar in the 80's. That's all I can find.

I hate to speculate...okay I LOVE to speculate but why wouldn't HBO go with a series that already has this big of a fan base. The fact that it is in the fantasy genre doesn't matter anymore as we have seen from successful shows such as True Blood and the medieval style was very accepted in Rome and Showtime's The Tudors.

All in all the odds look good but I am still gonna keep my lucky penny on at all times. Can't hurt right?

Thanksgiving.

Well I know it's a little Early but I figured I would do it anyway.

Things I am thankful for...

Family- People to laugh with, play with, stay with, cry with and even EAT with! Thanks for all the support and goodies!

The Internet- Making this deployment a piece of cake.

HBO-Making the boredom bearable

Grass- After growing it in Iraq I will never look at grass the same way!

Bottled Water- People say that it's not any better for you than regular water. They wern't talking about Iraq!

Kimber- Giving me money and laughter for three AWESOME summers! For teaching me responsibility when I was an ignorant cus!

Joe- Hope we get to go shooting sometime soon

Josh- Always having work to keep me busy on Leave and Books on tape!

Kara-For always being! For an introduction to Techno...I love it. For being extra thoughtful and creative. Thanks again for the cards. they are AWESOME

Cami-For being a Pen pall when I needed it the most!

Kellie-For saving me my senior year! For always being honest. For movie lines and gaming good times! For always being nice even when you were really mad. For late night Alias and Ice Cream!

Jim and Jake- Paving the way for my Military Career. I may compete a lot and talk a lot of trash but thank you so much for your service! Best brothers a guy could have.

Kate- For always offering a place to stay! For late night talks. For an AWESOME summer and an even better Christmas and New Years!

Jared- For covering for me so much! Oh the trouble I would have got in High School! For pushing me to be a good example. For choosing to serve when you had other great options! For showing me true faith!


Mom and Dad- For not stopping at 9! For putting up with my crap for so long. Dad for teaching me to work hard and to finish what I start. Mom for teaching me to love reading! Mom for rocking me in her chair when I KNOW it must be uncomfortable. For teaching me to love board games. For supporting my decisions even when they seemed completely insane!

The Marines-I love Marines. They are the best kind of people. What a great decision on my part! Turned out A-okay!

Love all you guys Happy Thanksgiving!

Finally

Well I Finally got Kara's present and it was AWESOME!
Since you EVERYBODY already knew I won't go into detailm Kara can do that. THANKS SO MUCH SIS! I love Pictures AND my beloved Corps. Way to integrate the two!

In other news the Marine Corps Times for the Ball FINALLY got here. Every year they do the reasons we love the Corps in the birthday edition. It just fot here today so that is why it is late. Anyway, a lot of these only make sense to Marines but some are very funny as well. I encourage you to make it all the way through.

I have modified it because it was really long and most of it only Marines understand!

November 11, 2008

233 Reasons and Counting

... to love the Corps.

On Nov. 10, the Marine Corps turns 233 years old. Ever since it was formed in a Philadelphia bar in 1775, the Corps has given us countless reasons to take pride in the heritage of 'our beloved Corps'.

There is no shortage of instances in which Marine units and individuals have distinguished themselves in battle, but the bragging rights earned over the past 233 years weren't all born on the battlefield.

The Corps' culture sets it apart from other branches of the military in ways that those who have never earned the eagle, globe and anchor find difficult to fully understand. But what is obvious to even the most casual observer is that Marines distinguish themselves through their unique appearance, spirit and accomplishments.

To know the Corps is to love the Corps, which is why Marine Corps Times compiled the following list of 233 reasons to stand proudly at this year's birthday ball.

1. Cpl. Jason Dunham. First Marine to receive the Medal of Honor since Vietnam. If jumping on a grenade to save a buddy isn't worth the top of the list, nothing is.

2. Civilians have to find time to go to the gym. Marines get paid to go.

4. There's no such thing as an "ex" Marine.

5. Re-enlistment rates are higher IN the war zone.(Thats because you don't have to pay taxes on your bonus!)

7. Jalapeño cheese.(heehee)

9. Lump-sum re-enlistment bonuses up to $80,000. Many of you would consider doing it for free.

13. Barracks parties on non-payday weekends.(because you spend ALL you money on paydays)

18. The lance corporal underground.(oh the things you can learn!)

22. "No better friend, no worse enemy."

23. Typhoons approaching Okinawa often spark islandwide beer runs.

25. Gen. James Jones, who followed his tour as commandant with appointment as "supreme intergalactic overlord" (OK, it was Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, but close).

26. 10 rounds from the 500-yard line.

28. To civilians, every Marine is recon.

29. Recruiting in Texas is like hunting at the zoo.

33. Motivating television commercials.

34. The "horse shoe" haircut, gone but not forgotten.(OOH-RAH 1st SGT)

36. Running cadences that mention napalm. And Eskimos.(heehee)

37. Stories that begin with, "So there I was ..."

39. The transformation. Who you are when you join is not nearly as important as who you become.

41. If you've been on liberty in Twentynine Palms, you've been on liberty in Yuma and Barstow, too.

44. Women in Manhattan have all seen the Fleet Week episode of "Sex and the City."

47. The occasional free beer. Wear your blues into a bar and see what happens.

48. After decades of debate, there remains no resolution on whether sand fleas trump "The Reaper."(Hell No)

50. Cpl. Gareth Hawkins, lying on a stretcher after an IED shattered his leg, demanded re-enlistment before medical evacuation. And got it.

51. Whereas Army, Navy and Air Force jokes are funny, Marine jokes are potentially dangerous.

53. That troublesome "10 percent," making good Marines look great since 1775.

54. Everyone at a high school reunion is obliged to justify his last 10 years, except the guy wearing alphas.

55. As if ranks that include the words "master" and "gunnery" aren't intimidating enough on their own, the Corps uses them both. At once.(OOH-RAH Master Guns!)

56. Soldiers have Hooah Bars. Marines have Ka-Bars. The second will generally get you the first.

57. The dress code. You can wear your cammies to meet the commandant or repair a tank.

58. From "Aliens" to "Doom," the future vision of warfare almost always includes Space Marines.

59. The Corps was formed in a bar.

61. Give a Marine some free time, and he'll rip down your dictator's statue.

62. If it ain't raining, we ain't training.

64. Duty station garden spots: Jacksonville, N.C.; Yuma, Ariz.; Bridgeport, Calif.; Twentynine Palms, Calif. (Yes, we're kidding.)

65. Making morning PT on time.(Hardest part of my job!)

66. Recruiters who promise everything EXCEPT a rose garden.

67. Mustangs #1. It's easier to take crap from a CO who went to boot camp.

69. Gen. Peter Pace, the first Marine chairman of the Joint Chiefs. He left his four-star insignia with his fallen comrades at the Vietnam Wall when he retired.

71. Nothing says "Good morning" like a mouthful of Copenhagen and freeze-dried coffee.

72. Nothing says "I love you" like a welcome home sheet hanging on a chain-link fence.

73. Bill Barnes. In June, the former Marine beat the crap out of a 27-year-old pickpocket who tried to make off with his dough. Oh yeah, he's 72.

78. Front toward enemy. It's not just a visual reference on a Claymore mine, it's a Marine Corps way of life.

80. Fred Smith, founder of FedEx. Only a former Marine could truly appreciate the value of getting your mail on time.

83. Chuck Norris was in the Air Force. Steve McQueen was a Marine.(AWESOME!)

84. The Crucible.

90. Arty guys who do civil affairs. They blow it up, then they fix it. Circle of life.

91. Service Charlies. They look so good, the Navy's copying 'em.

92. Fake Marines. No one eats 'em up faster than real Marines.

93. John Lovell. A 71-year-old former Marine is sitting in a Subway restaurant when two armed men try to rob the place. Lovell grabs his .45, kills one and wounds the other. No word on how Lovell's sandwich fared.

94. 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines. Six Navy Crosses so far. Six.

97. Body-fat standards. Everyone hates them, until they see a fat Marine.

98. "Jarhead." Only a former Marine could write a war story about not fighting anyone and make it last for 200 pages, then get Jamie Foxx to star in the movie.

99. The Stumps. The Rock. The Sandbox. Oh, the places you'll serve.

101. Tattoos #2. Getting a fallen friend's name tattooed on your other forearm, and knowing the same.

102. The new PT running suit. Sure, the Army had them first, but the Army gets most things first.

103. Marine expeditionary units: The cheapest cruise you'll ever take.

109. 30 days' paid vacation, plus federal holidays off, is obscene by civilian standards.

110. Maj. Gen. Marion E. Carl, the Corps' first fighter ace. First Marine to fly a helicopter. Two Navy Crosses, five Distinguished Flying Crosses, 14 air medals. In 1998, the 82-year-old was killed during a home break-in when he jumped in front of a shotgun blast aimed at his longtime wife, Edna.

111. Tattoos #4. Reaction to the new policy: Conway says sleeves are going away, Marines run for the chair. Tattoo parlors never saw so much business.

113. Guaranteed pay raises.

115. Having a WWII Marine say he's proud of you

118. A Red Stripe is a beer, mon. A Blood Stripe is a symbol of pride.

120. You watched "300," and it reminded you of your unit.

122. Combat marksmanship. You are creeping death. And you get graded on it.

123. Never lost six nukes on a plane.

125. Give a Marine enough free time, and he'll marry your Bahraini princess.

126. Go to YouTube. Type in "bored Marines." Enjoy.

127. When the president gets on a helicopter, it's not called "Army One."

129. Camouflage. You can camouflage anything and make it cool.

134. In combat, the division band becomes a heavy-machine-gun platoon.

135. What do headaches, broken bones, infectious diseases, missing limbs and hurt feelings all have in common? Motrin. Thanks, Doc.

137. Global instability equals job security.

139. The honor, privilege and responsibility of leading, mentoring and caring for junior Marines.

140. Gunnery sergeants. Don't know the answer? Ask the gunny. Need something? Ask the gunny. In trouble? Avoid the gunny.

142. The line to get "tazed" at a military gear expo. Marines will do anything for a free T-shirt.

143. Deployment reunions. Like reliving your wedding night. Sweet!

146. Marine Security Guards #2. They're not cute and cuddly, but when they greet you at the door, it's like getting a great big hug from the United States of America, no matter where you are.(just ask Kells)

147. The Mameluke sword. Distinctive.

148. The NCO sword. Earned, never given.(OOH-RAH)

151. MRE crackers. Hard as Milk Bones but much tastier. You can almost feel your teeth getting cleaner as you eat 'em.

154. The slogans: "The Few, The Proud, The Marines." "We're Looking For a Few Good Men," "Once a Marine, always a Marine," "Tell that to the Marines." If they could only purchase the rights to Hallmark's "When You Care Enough to Send the Very Best."

155. Speaking of slogans, "The Few, The Proud, The Marines" beat out such notables as Nike's "Just Do It" and Burger King's "Have It Your Way" for a 2007 spot on the advertising Walk of Fame. Better luck next year, losers.

159. While field-grade officers are at the company office, company-grade officers are in the field.

160. Colonels who can take a joke.

161. Free flu shots. And smallpox shots and anthrax shots …

166. If you ambush Capt. Brian Chontosh's boys, he's going to take off his Navy Cross and kill you. Then, he's going to pick up your rifle and kill your buddies. Then, he's going to pick up your buddy's rifle and kill your buddy's buddies. Then, he's going to pick up a rocket-propelled grenade launcher …

167. Speaking of the Navy Cross, a combat award second only to the Medal of Honor, Marines have earned 15 so far in Iraq, plus one in Afghanistan. Of the six awarded to sailors for those combat zones, five went to SEALs, and one went to a corpsman who exposed himself repeatedly to enemy fire to evacuate and treat wounded Marines.

189. Camaraderie. Marines will hook you up with their sisters, then punch you in the mouth for doing what they knew would happen the whole time.

190. Ingenuity. MRE bombs, 101 uses for cleaning rods and iPods wired into field radio speakers.

196. Every day in the Corps is another reason to celebrate. That's why they call them working "parties."

198. The U.S. Army Band is called "Pershing's Own." The U.S. Marine Corps Band is called "The President's Own."

199. "8th and I." Ten bucks says you have no idea where the Army chief of staff lives. Commandants don't hide.

201. The poncho liner. It's a blanket, it's a tent, it's a keeper.

204. Navy Lt. Vincent Capodanno, Medal of Honor recipient. If Marines have a hot line to heaven, Father Capodanno — aka the Grunt Padre — would take the call. His body peppered by shrapnel, his right hand nearly severed, the Navy chaplain and priest crisscrossed a Vietnam battlefield Sept. 4, 1967, to render last rites to his fallen Marines and corpsmen with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, until 27 rounds from an enemy machine gun took his life. Last year, the Vatican declared him a "servant of God." Next step, sainthood?

206. Amphibious warfare means always being near the beach.

210. Slapping an eagle, globe and anchor on the back of your car and knowing it'll get you out of at least one speeding ticket.

211. The Navy wants to put Marines back on warships. It seems that Tomahawk cruise missiles can't do everything.

216. If you need another occupying land force, you can use the Marine Corps. If you need another rapidly deployable, sea-based, front-door-kicking, air-ground team, you can't use the Army.

221. "Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant Weinburg? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to." Jack Nicholson, "A Few Good Men."

222. Maj. Meghan McClung, Marine public affairs officer, killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq while escorting media. The PAO is more than just a spokesman.

223. Sgt. Rafael Peralta. Like Dunham, he hugged a grenade to save his buddies in Iraq. No Medal of Honor … yet.

225. Call signs like "Spider" and "Assassin," and these guys were generals.




233. Your sons is an NCO your other son is almost a Marine

You made it!

SWEET!

For you Song of fire and ice fans:

HBO has signed the production order and will be filming the Pilot for ASOFAI

If you look at the blogs I am following you will see HUGE HUGE NEWS This will take you to George R R Martins blog and you can get it straight from the horses mouth.

Photo ops and my culture

Hello again. We have been having cold weather but that means clouds and clouds mean...
(The trucks are pretty cool to!)







In other news I have decided to start a garden...not really. However this little patch of grass has been growing right next to my steps. I water it at once at night and once in the morning. It started out as just a little sprout but has spread.

Happy 233 birthday Marines

What a glorious day!!!

Nov. 10th 1775, The Marines were formed.

Where you ask? In Philadelphia...In a bar! Tun's tavern to be exact. The man put in charge? The Bartender himself. That is why once a year, no matter where Marines are, they are allowed alcoholic consummation.

Alcohol is against the rules for Marines in Iraq...Except on this day. 2 Beers allowed to everybody.

Marines take their Birthday very seriously.

The ceremonies are also quite amazing! Lot's of guys in dress blues with NCO swords, except current warzones, all with very pretty dates who are generally VERY VERY impressed, except once again in a Warzone.

I love this gunclub!

Semper Fi Marines

Boot and Election day

So today is the big day apparently.

Jared goes to Boot. He gave me his blogger account so I will try to keep you updated with any news that I get. I also have some boot camp videos that are pretty funny/informing, that I will try and get up on his blog.

Thank heavens it is election day. I am so sick of hearing both parties whine like little girls in a temper tantrum contest.

At this point I don't really care who wins. Sure I would like an old military man but the junior senator won't hurt my feelings. Startinig in January one of them will be taking on the biggest logistical nightmare in the world. They will both realize that all those things they have promised will have to come second to a multi billion dollar war with a country without an army.

We have already seen two serious deaththreats in the Marine Times on Senator Obama's life. May the secret service keep him safe because I fear it is only gonna get worse.

Semper Fi Jared
Good Luck National Contestants
Good Night Neverland

I'm Back

But I didn't win...sigh

Oh well look towards the future...or something else equally inspiring. Overall I placed 4 out of 52. Not to shabby! I had an GPA of 97% so you can see the competition was tough. I also got a Challenge Coin from a full bird Colonel. Not many Marines let alone Cpl's can say that!

First there were three different tests based on the several classes that we received. I got a 96, 100, and 100. They were pretty simple tests based upon knowledge that we all should have known before coming to the course. I guess most didn't. High 80's and low 90's were common.

Next was drill. Not just marching anymore like in Boot Camp(silent laugh for Jared) but actually leading Drill. Calling commands and moving your formation were you want it. This is not as easy as it sounds, especially while moving. Throw and NCO sword into the mix and it is down right tricky. Good for me our Gunny back in Denver insisted on all of us, even the Lance Cpl's that don't rate the sword, learning at least the basics. I also had to march my class back and forth to the classroom when I was in 29 Palms so the commands and marching were pretty simple for me.

All in all the only 98% in the class is pretty respectable!

Just a few history tidbits. The Marine NCO sword is the oldest Military sword in constant use. The Marine Officer sword or Mameluke sword is actually the oldest but they stopped using it during the Civil war. This is when the Cavalry sword, now known as the NCO sword, started being used. The officers soon wanted their old swords back so the Mameluke sword was reinstated. They the gave the Cavalry sword to the Enlisted men and it has been handed down to what are now NCO(non commissioned officers). The Corps is also the only branch of service that allows ALL NCO's to carry a sword. Pretty stinkin nifty if you ask me!


PT of course was no problem!

We had a few other events that were all pretty small but not all that interesting.

So at no fault to myself I came in a respectable place, made some good friends that might someday turn into important contacts and pretty much got a 10 day vacation from the boredom that is starting to grab at us.

Busy is GOOD


In other news I got a Care package from Kimber! The fingers are a huge hit! I am a huge fan of the cereal. Thats pretty much all I ate in SLC. Booberry, Frankenberry and Count Chocula. Thanks so much to the whole family. It really means a lot!

Anywho back to the grind...with a smile on my face.

Random stuff...

First of all if you don't know Autumn has a Blog. I have gracefully asked her to send out invites. For those of you who don't have public accounts her E-mail is autumn.fullmer@students.columbiabasin.edu so send some invites.

Moving on. Cami recently did a post about a new alarm clock and explained that she has problems waking up to one.

Sorry Cams I have no real solution to this...

I am aweful at waking up. All or most of you know this. Since being late is, shall we say, frowned upon in the Military, not waking up is not an option.

My solution...4 Alarm clocks. First my watch goes off about 30 mins before I want to wake up. This gently stops my REM cycle without really waking up. Then I have a digital clock that is really cool but unfortantly really quiet. This one goes off about 20 mins before I want to wake up to let me know it is almost go time but it doesn't really jolt me enough to get going. Next is my phone. This has a really loud but short Ringer that jolts me awake about 5 mins before go time. Usually I just lay in bed and stare at the ceiling waiting for it to stop. After this I would fall back asleep so I got yet ANOTHER clock. This one is loud and won't stop ringing until I push snooze or turn it off completly. I had this bad habit of just grabing it a pushing snooze a bunch of times untill I only had about 2 mins to get ready...so I put it on the other side of the room so I have to get up to turn it off.

It's crazy but it works...then I go work out.

Next is my morning "FROG" (see Kimbers blog)

My Frog is working out. If I don't go first thing in the morning I will put it off until it is 2200 and I have to go to sleep. I love wordking out in the morning because it gets my blood pumping and I am truly ready for the day.

I want to hear what everybody's Frog is so..share.

My name is John and I have a Frog...Hi John

I got GOODIES from Mom! The cookies where a HUGE hit. Everybody loved them. So was the chex mix treats but I quickly hid them so they wouldn't all disappear. KUDOS MOMMA!
The package got here on the 17th so it took about 8 days.

Next is Cpl's Course. I am leaving tommorow for a 2 week course that is supposed to teach me everything I need to know about being the first leader in my Chain of Command. It is gonna be a whole bunch of organized PT, AWESOME, a bunch of Drilling and even some Sword Manual. That's right we use swords! It should be an AWESOME experaince!

Now normaly I would just coast through the event like I usually do but I have been challenged. One of the other guys in our unit is going and I am supposed to beat the trash out of him. Everone has told me their high expectations and now I have to try...

Oh well I guess it will make the time go even faster if it is a huge competion for #1

I will let you know how it goes.

Wish me luck!

Here's a quickie!

Autumn invite me to your blog so I can reply!

johnsnakfullmer@gmail.com

The things I do for my country!

First of all what a great day!

Woke up early(0345) and sore from the previous day's workout. We go to the gym to get an hour of cardio in before work. Get back to the cans in time to catch the early bus to the chow hall. This is AWESOME cause I never catch that darn early bus.

Get to the chow hall and what do they have? Actual blueberry pancakes. This is an AWESOME first. They are, of course, delicious.

From here we manage to find the fifth season of scrubs...and watch the heck out of it. Laughter ensues all day long.

After that started it was just a waiting game. Tonight is wing night...tonight is Poker Night...TONIGHT IS SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL!!!

Long story short on the poker, I eventually kicked everybody's behind and won!

The only downside to this is the fact that the games don't start here until 11 pm. This means we are all up until about 0130 watching the game. I grab a quick 2 hours of sleep because the Cowboys aren't doing so impressive.

I wake up at 0330 to cover the rest or Radar watch. At this point I have hit 24 hours with just 2 hours of sleep. My mood is worsened a little when I found out the Cowboys lost...but it was quickly recovered when while I watched the Patriots get stomped.

Now normally I would catch a bus back to the cans at 0700 but today is different. I take this awesome Sunrise as an omen of a good day.This sunrise is SO COOL because we simply don't get sunrise or sunset here. The are almost never clouds so all we usually just see is a big bright cirlce moving up and down past the horizon. Today was different.


I found out that there was a Air Refueling trip that we were being offered. This means that we get to go up in a BIG C130 Airplane and watch from great points of view while we refuel a couple of F-18'S in flight.AWESOME!

The only problem was that it was at 0830 and I had had 2 hours of sleep. Oh well, you only live once right. So we decide to go. We get to the appropriate location with all our gear(we were told to bring flak and kevlar) and waited.

As it turns out the flight had been rescheduled for 1100. Great more waiting. So instead of waiting on the nice and comfy couches they had there, our command decides that we should go pick up the other two guys who were supposed to take the later flight. Thats fine lets do it.

So a Staff Sgt comes and picks us up to take us back to the cans. In theory we could have gotten another 2 and 1/2 hours of sleep but between waiting, driving, getting lost, driving some more we burned that time up pretty fast. Thats fine we are Marines and we know the solution to this kind of problem.

CAFFEINE!!!

So we get the Staff to drop us off at the PX and we quickly purchase some wings in a can(Redbull). Now we have another problem. Our truck left because the Staff had to do something and we now had all our gear, an extra backpack for one of the other guys, a case of redbull and only 45 minutes to get back to our cans...which happen to be just under 1.5 miles away. So we walk and in good amazing Marine Corps fashion, we make it with some more sore muscles and 15 minutes before we have to go back to the flight line.

Chug some Redbull and we are off.

We get there on time and are taken to our plane. We get a Combat takeoff at around 1130, which is better than ANY roller coaster I have ever ridden!

After we get to height our Pilots surprise us and say that we can fly it if we want because we have about an hour before we refuel. I AM STINKIN SPEECHLESS!!! So we take turns getting in the Pilot seat and with help from the Co-Pilot we each get turns spinning the plane. I have a big old grin on my face the entire time.

After this we get word that the F-18's are inbound so we go below to the cargo area. Once again I am grinning from ear to ear!Sorry for the crummy quality but my camera screen broke so I couldn't actually see what I was taking pictures of. Turns out my guessing wasn't to bad.

After that we promptly landed and waited for the other two guys.

While we are waiting I ask the Marine who is sitting post in the shop where the closest head is. He takes a look at my name and gives a chuckle and a "nice name killer."

Sitting before me is Sgt Fullmer of Marines. He is from Idaho Falls. He said that his family comes from Jean(sorry if that is wrong) Fullmer the heavyweight boxer. What are the odds. We talk about home and family for a little while until our ride gets there to pick us up.

After all that it is 2 pm and we decide that we have to go to the gym so our cycle doesn't get messed up.

after that is was pretty much the same old reading, eating, blogging and here I am, it's almost 9PM and I haven't slept in almost 42 hours.

Great day and I'm sure it's gonna be some great sleep.

Good Night all you fans out there!

Guilty As Charged

I would like to say I have been super busy...which I sorta have, but it is an equal mix of super lazy.

I just read the Partner by John Grisham. Great book. Especially the end. Yes I am about to ruin the book so if you want to read it...look at next paragraph. Basis of the story: Man steals 90 mil from some bad guys. Runs away to Brazil, falls madly in love with a local, get caught because lets face it, you just can't turn your head on 90 mil. Anyway, gets away with theft, gets away with murder. He has a plan for everything...except for the last two pages when he finds out that the girls and the money are gone. Money ruined love....ohhhhh.

Anyway great book with a great twist at the end.

I have been watching Scrubs. Season 1 to Season 4 in less than 2 weeks. The show just cracks me up over and over again.

I have worked my way up to a full hour cardio session on the stair master. Calfs of WONDER!

On Monday we had to do actual work...I know it sound crazy. We were replacing the slipring in the Roxanne. The Slipring is probably the single largest piece of equipment on the Radar and it is HEAVY. It basically takes the signal from the spinning part of the Radar to a stationary part where all the wires connect to so all the wire don't get wound up and destroyed. Anyway there are about 2 dozen wires on the top half and about 15 wires to connect on the lower half. So we pull it all out, fix what is broke and stick it back in.

Now we like to get the guys who haven't done something very often a chance to get on the gear as often as possible. Since I have changed about seven sliprings I got the top half and My Lance Criminal(LCPL) got the lower half. It took about and hour to finally get all my wires connected and Pearson still wasn't done below so I went to see what the problem was.

The problem: one, just one of the wires won't reach...why? Because he put the darn thing in backwards. This means I have to undue ALL of the top wires again, pull the thing out just an inch and turn it 180 degrees.

Lessen learned. You must inspect what you expect. I have nobody to blame but myself and because of this a 2 hour job turned into a 4 hour job. I did the responsible thing( I REALLY DID) and controlled my anger and took the blame instead of following my first instinct, which would have involved fists and yelling and I'm sure a bloody nose or two.

Am I GROWING UP....it can't be happening. I have tried so hard to fight maturity and here it comes creeping up on me anyway. It's simply not fair!

Misconceptions

It has come to my attention that the family has a few misconceptions about my current situation.

First and foremost. Motomail. It was kinda neat at first but don't feel obligated to do it. Your blogs get to me a lot faster and it is easier to reply and keep in touch. With that being said if you want to have a more personal chat with me then go ahead and send motomail. In the end I will probably just E-mail you back.

By the way you guys have been great so far. It is awesome to see your constant updates. I really feel like I am still in the loop and not that weird relative in a far away place.

Secondly and more importantly is packages. While talking to Kate she mentioned that she thought some stuff would get taken away. Not the case. There are only 2 n0 no's and trust me, none of you are going to send them, even by accident. So things like, I don't know, homemade Chocolate chip cookies, are definitely okay to send. The other thing that I would really appreciate is pictures. I know I tried to get everybody to do it back in July and somehow we all avoided it but most of my family pictures are way way way outdated. Kara takes the cake on the most current as she sent me a picture of the mighty Maximus last month. So please send pictures...those are my favorite gifts!

In other news I have a cold due to the sudden drop in temperature, down to about 90 degrees, and a sunburn but anybody who has talked to me recently knows that I am still as happy as ever. It will take a lot more than the sniffles to get me down!!!

UM YEAH...

So I have decided to try and write.

A short story that is.

I have been pondering writing novels since Shawn gave me a begining draft of something he started back a few years ago. Problem is I just can't seem to get a grasp on something. While reading different authors it has come to my attention that most great authors, if not all, started and continue writing short storie. Most authors I have read agree that the best way to start is just that...start but start with something small.

Nothing has begun yet but a few ideas. All I ask from you is a constant nagging.;)
Don't let me quit because I am to lazy, which I generally am.

This may just be a passing phase but I am going to try with all my might not to let it.

Meloncholy has passed... Others are having much more difficult times than me and others are making the best of their situations. Purpose has been found again. Let's hope it sticks.

Picasso

Pretty please send me invites to your Picasso web albums. I haven't been able to get into my old email so please send it to my gmail account.

johnsnakfullmer@gmail.com

and in more good news if I can figure out how to work the darn thing I will start my own Picasso albums...but no breathe holding...it makes me kinda nervous

Sandstorms Pics!

This is my room. Pretty Comfy!

So you have all heard about the awesome sandstorm I'm sure. I got some before pictures while it is rolling in .This is what it looks like when it is on top of you. It gets really orange and hard to see.

BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH

Hey kids and welcome back to another Post by everyones favorite bigmouth.

They good news is after 10 and a half straight hours of poker I have $130 instead of $10. The bad news is I missed a work-out, due to a ridiculous sandstorm that refuses to leave, got whipped on week two of fantasy football (0-2), and got into it with a friend.

You are stupid this, I know everything that...big dumb argument due to a short fuse and even shorter chip stack.

I know I did the good news already but there is more. After three hours of constant arguing and yelling at a man I really respect, we did what men do. We got it out of our system, we shook hands and no hard feelings.

Enough about my short fuse.

I have started a new show. Californication on showtime. Another one of those shows I really enjoy but can't reccommend to anybody. David Dechovny is great. It shows the turmoil of a writer taken out of his element and thrown into a new world he pretty much hates. Reminds me of Bag of Bones by Stephen King.

For you George R R Martin fans...HBO has bought the rights to Game of Thrones. Now this all atarted back in 2007 but thanks to those darn writers and their strike... nothing ever came of it. However they have resently started working things out again. Apparently it is a toss up for HBO between GRRM's series and a King Arthur story. Really... King Arthur is about the most over told fantasy story. How is that even a choice.

Of course any of you that have read the books and/or watched any show by HBO know that it will turn out to be anything but a G-rated series. They did, I think, a fantastic job on their two season Rome adatation, which gives me inspiring hope.

Meloncholy strikes. My Nephews and Neices are growing up, which stinks, my favorite movie line buddy is moving to a far away land, my little brother is growin all up and being responsible(against all my teachings I might add) and my car is rotting in the soon to be frozen wasteland that is Colorado.

Oh well...life keeps a moving like it or not.

I think Mama finished her kitchen so everyone should call and congrats her.

Just so everyone knows, I am fine and the reason I hung up on Kellie, sorry sis, is because of the sandstorm that we have been having...not any kind of war distaster or anything crazy.

Love you all thanks for listening and if you made it through this post you all get 10 gold stars!