I don't typically subscribe to creating internet memes, but I felt inclined to make this for my friend Cottle. He sure loves guitars.
Any way, we're about done with this deployment. I have about just over 2 weeks left and I'm super excited to get back to Hawaii to my wife and my dog and my Teddy's. This will mark the end of my last deployment to this horrible country, as well as the beginning of the end for my enlistment in the Marine Corps. It's hard to believe it's almost been 4 years since I decided to become a masachist.
I'll be leaving Hawaii as well. I rather like Hawaii, it's nice all the time and there's a beach by my house. I would stay if it offered any of the opportunity I need to reach my goals in life. Unfortunately the little island isn't as good for animation and film as it is for relaxing and enjoying the sun.
I went on my last mission the other day. We had a detainee release in Fallujah, left from Baghdad. We spent the whole day prior in Baghdad. It would be nice, if not for the excessive use of army personnel there. Obviously the base is an army base, and that's fine. But places like Baghdad really make you see how little of a war this is any more. Any shred of hardship or struggle goes unremembered in Baghdad's green zone. Between the 2 acres of chow hall and the Taco Bell the spirit of war is no where to be found in that place. Not to sound completely motarded, but I think this is primarily due to the lack of Marines in Baghdad. Marines in themselves carry with them the presence of conflict. If there's no Marines where you are, there's probably not much going on.
Baghdad is so devoid of Marines, in fact, that the soldiers there seem to fear us. Walking passed them in the chow hall or on the street, you're greeted not with words, but with quick, fearful glances in an effort to avoid eye-contact. The soldiers cower and flinch at the movements we make, the officers and SNCO's are overly polite as if we're going to kill them on a whim if they say the wrong thing. The soldiers fear and respect the Marines. I'm not going to make any claims that I deserve this respect, or that I have seen or experienced more than every soldier in Iraq. Just... more than these soldiers. In this stage of the war, the soldiers that inhabit Baghdad are not war-hardened veterans--but rather pasty, overweight and fearful products of the safe-haven.
One moment in particular that I thought was interesting: I was sitting in the chow hall, eating, minding my own business--the only tan cammies in a sea of gray PT shirts, glow belts and blue ACU's. This civilian in a glow vest comes up to me with a very noticeable scar on his face, he tells me, "Hey man, how's it going? My name is Angel, I used to be a Sergeant in the Marines."
I responded, "Oh hey how's it going?"
He proceeds to tell me that he misses seeing Marines around, and that if we ever need anything--go to the Mayor's Cell and ask for "Gunny". Apparently "Gunny", as the name implies, is a retired Marine Gunny that likes to hook up Marines. He said if we ever wanted any hookups or anything at all that we could think of, we should see Gunny. I was flattered and somewhat taken aback by this. The idea that Marines are so rare and yet revered in Baghdad was strange, honestly I didn't think anyone really bought into the ideas that Marines are that much better. But looking around the chow hall, seeing all the obese soldiers and airmen in their PT gear with their rifles on the floor--you realize that no matter how fucked up we may think the Marines are... we're still better than the Army.
