WHAT IT
MEANS TO BE A
VETERAN
Ahhh yes, I earned the title of
Marine but that came with lots
of responsibilities. It meant
making sure I stayed fit and
ready to fight and kill at any
time because I was a part of
the group that was the "first to
fight". It meant leaving my
family at times.
Staying in the
field for weeks at a time,
humping around with
EVERYTHING strapped to my
back, eating MRE's while the
DWON MOSS
bugs ate on me. It meant
maintaining that intestinal
fortitude when I felt it was
sometimes too hard to handle
and having that nervous feeling
when I did not know if my friend
or mate would make it back to
see me when they went out to
fight. It did lots of praying and
believing in God and the
Marines in the foxhole beside
My family and I always laugh about the day I announced I was
me.
joining the Marine Corps. You see, my original plan was to join
It also meantlifelong
the Army until a Marine Corps recruiter approached me and
friendships, great memories,
sold me on the Dress Blue Uniform.
Wanting to be a part of
growing up (ooh rah), and
the elite group of men and women who strutted around in that
travelling, great benefits, and
uniform commanding attention was what I wanted but I
pride that never leaves and
received so much more.
Mmmm...the right to sexily
June
21 1988
,
strut around in Dress Blues and
, I was standing on those yellow footprints at
watch all the male eye candy
Parris Island, SC, being screamed at and spit on by my Drill
strut around in Dress blues.
Instructors for doing what I do all the time...smile. I sniffed
Someone asked me if I could
and cried in my rack silently that night,and many nights
turn back the hands of time
afterwards, but three months later, I emerged a "straight up"
would I join the Marine Corps
mean green fighting machine.
again. My answer? I would do it
again...in the same way that it
was done because nothing can
compare to the pride I feel on
days like yesterday, today and
every time I am reminded I am
one of the proud, the few, The
Marines.
Semper Fi,
Sassily Yours,
Dwon D. Moss