The End of Someone Else's Chapter

Today, I am attending a retirement ceremony for a Marine who is retiring from active duty after 28 years of service.

Not because I HAVE to, but because I WANT to.

As a Marine, I have always made my best effort to attend every memorial service, funeral, and retirement ceremonies for fellow Marines.

Every single time one of these events comes up, I hear Marines complaining about the "working parties" to set these events up.

Every single time, I hear Marines complain about the fact that they have to take time out of their precious day to be a part of another Marine's biggest day of their life.

I irks me like no other.

Look, I was a Marine for 10 years.

I get "Marine culture".

Newsflash to those of you who have not been on "the inside" of the Marine Corps....

Marines are the biggest complainers and whiners you'll ever meet (I'm guilty as charged).

Are you surprised? 

Behind the "no nonsense", rough and tough exterior, Marines bask in misery...we're like sadists.

A common phrase heard in the Marine Corps is, "If they're not complaining or miserable, something's wrong."

Anyway, back to the point of this blog post...

It bothers me the most when I hear Marines complaining about having to attend "another retirement ceremony" (or whatever other ceremonies Marines participate in).

It bothers me because, as Marines, we are taught from day 1 of our training that we are one.

We have each others backs no matter what.

We support each other.

So is it really that much of an "inconvenience" for you to take an hour out of your day to celebrate another Marine's accomplishment?

Anyone who survives "the suck" for 20+ years deserves more than just an hour of my time (in my opinion).

But, if all they're asking is that I be a part of their special day to commemorate the end of one life and the beginning of the new life, I'm all over it like "white on rice"! 

I'm looking forward to attending this retirement ceremony today.

This Marine has served 28 years in the Corps, 24 of them married to his wife, had two kids, and has moved 11 times. 

Not to mention the countless deployments he has done.

I'm friends with his wife on Facebook, and I have noticed how much she is truly going to miss being part of the Marine Corps family.

I remember the feeling of loss I had when I got out of the Marine Corps, but that void was filled knowing that my husband was still "in", and I could still sorta be "in" it. 

It's funny because I have been counting down the years until Nick retires from the day we got married.

 

But I never thought about how I would feel when this crazy life...

The only one I've ever known since graduating from high school...

Comes to a close...