My Marine

This is Matt's boot camp graduation photo. I met him just a couple of months later. And I have to admit that I had no idea what being a Marine meant. I grew up in a town that had a Naval base nearby. It was where the Marine's fresh out of boot camp came for their A school. So I remember seeing lots of young Marine's hanging out at the Raliegh Springs Mall, jeans tucked into their combat boots, dog tags on their chest, picking up on high school girls. I avoided them at all cost. Until I met Matt. Granted, I didn't meet him at the mall. It was at a church activity.

As we became friends I visited him at the base and met his Marine friends. I knew they were really proud of what they were doing but I still didn't really get it. Until Matt graduated from A school and I saw all Marines in their dress blues. Some of them were married with families. Some were fresh out of high school. Some, like Matt, were falling in love. But they all got orders for their next duty station that day. And I, like every other woman in the room, was so proud and so worried at the same time. That was when I knew how much of a sacrifice these guys were making. And how brave they were. And I understood why they were so proud to wear that uniform.

He was stationed at Cherry Point in North Carolina. He was assigned to a Harrier training squadron. I stayed in Memphis. He came to visit whenever he could. And eventually, I became the wife of a Marine.

We were really lucky. The time Matt spent in the Marine Corps was between the Gulf Wars. And he was in a training squadron so his planes never went anywhere. That meant he didn't either. We watched our friends and neighbors deploy, come home and deploy again. I was really grateful. Matt was too. And a little bit jealous. He served his country for four years but never got to leave the country.

I'm really proud of my Marine. I'm thankful he was willing to serve his country. I'm thankful for all the men and women who are currently serving so bravely. I'm thankful that I now understand what it means to be a Marine!

Happy 235th Birthday to The United States Marine Corps!