What a brain fart on my part! Oh well...

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"Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival."
Winston Churchill

I can't express the good wishes and prayers I am sending your son, Barney. My own son wanted to join, but I told him to wait 'til after his residency. Though they would pay for his med school, I couldn't let him do his residency in an Army hospital if I could help it. My second son is studying languages to become a missionary - a less scary but still admirable service. I know so many wonderful young men in the military. Please be sure to keep us posted. Choosing to be a Marine in the Infantry is truly special.

As for your daughter, I beg you not to give up. I know how hard parenting can be. She needs her Daddy esp. if her Mom is not strong. I know so many parents who are lazy. Just do it, Barn. Look her straight in the eye and tell her you will not let her screw up her life. Remind her of her plans for the future and how what she does now can affect her entire future. There's a reason it's called unconditional love. She has to feel it when she least deserves or expects it.

Don't confuse our word "hope" with the word "hope" in the Bible. "Hope" comes from the Greek word "elpis". The way we use the word has little to do with expectation or confidence the way it is used in the Bible. In the Bible, the word is closer to meaning "anticipate". Hope, in fact, means certainty. I hope that you find much peace with your family's future.

Great news about your love life, too. I had a feeling there was a good reason why you haven't been around here in a while.

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Do you know what it's like to fall in the mud and get kicked... in the head... with an iron boot? Of course you don't, no one does. It never happens. It's a dumb question... skip it.

Well I'm, and MOST people here, are proud that your son is a Marine.

Godspeed, Marine Fife.

This post forced me to confront my feelings about a sub group versus the individual.
Knowing that Barney is a member of the "christian right" (a little oversimplification)
my initial reaction was quite mean *gulp* (Nothing like hoping harm upon your son, more like why isn't he in college type stuff)

But thinking of Barney, the human being, I am horrified at the thought of him losing his son.
If it helps any, I got kicked out of college and took a near 4.0 average down to a 2.2 and was dismissed from college. Partied like a rockstar including drug use, but eventually found my way back and finished up school and became a respectable member of society. I hope your daughter can find her way back. (Parental encouragment can't hurt...)

Ixtellor

P.S. Don't you love the new Texas pledge. Thank almight god that they had the courge to add "One State under God" in there. That was an amazing piece of legislation that was paramount to the continued success of Texas. Let the CHIPS program work itself out and get "under God" put into more mottos and slogans.

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George W. Bush "I don't think our troops ought to be used for what's called nation-building"

Blasphemy is a victimless crime.

I remain consistently amazed at the depth of life I experience on a daily basis. Yesterday morning, the very first customer of the day came into the store (Men's Wearhouse). He was a man about my age, maybe a little older. I greeted him in the manner I normally do, and he responded by saying he was in the store to purchase a suit because his son was recently killed in Iraq, his body was coming back home, and he needed a suit to bury his son. His son served in the Marines. A flood of emotions crossed my being; all I could do was embrace this man in my arms and weep with him. It was as if I was seeing first hand what I very well could one day experience in the event my son is also killed while serving in the Marines. It was more than I could handle, and I asked my boss to help this man in purchasing his suit. I spent the next ten or so minutes staring out the window into the street, tears streaming down my face. This is what life looks like. People die. This isn’t Pleasantville. This is a very broken world.

Shortly afterwards, a number of customers came into the store, and my attention shifted to their needs. Frankly, it was a very successful day. But all customers have their own very unique stories. This is what so captivates me in my new job. It’s like viewing the huge exodus of people in their cars during rush-hour traffic; all you see are the headlights of their cars flashing by, and yet getting an up-close and personal account of their very own unique circumstances of life. One such passing car recently lost their son in Iraq. Another passing car has a job interview. There’s a passing car whose son is soon getting married. That car is on the way to celebrate their parent’s 60th wedding anniversary. There goes a car on their way for a six-day cruise to London on the Queen Mary. On and on it goes…nameless people in nameless cars, all on journeys that matter little to most, yet inviting me into sharing the journeys of their lives, even when it is limited only in scope to what they wear. .

Do you know what it looks like for the father of a dead son to entrust you in the purchasing of suitable clothing to bury his son? This grief stricken man confessed his mind was on other things, and simply entrusted me in helping him be dressed appropriately, in order that he might bury his son. Oh God…. please…. anything…but please don’t cause me to have to bury one of my children. We helped this man, but the only help I could offer him was love. I hope it was something, but I know it wasn’t nearly enough. But at least another person was helpful in getting this man a suit.

I’m off today, and am looking forward to a day off. So much to celebrate and for which to be thankful. I’ve come to value and appreciate so highly the small details of life. I suppose it has much to do with coming into contact with so many “passing cars.” What an incredible journey life is.

My son leaves November 5th for Marine Boot Camp. I’m afraid I don’t have much experience in how to best appropriate such an event. This is not easy. The events of yesterday only heightened its difficulty. So many thoughts and emotions running together. But God…(are there any more powerful words than these?)…I have full faith God will see my son through, regardless. I hope for the best; I pray for the best; but ultimately, my son’s life is in God’s hands. I honestly don’t believe I’m simply saying the “religiously correct” words. I honestly believe this. I honestly believe I am releasing my son to be the person God first created him to be. Yeah, I’m scared spitless. But I’m also very hopeful. Mostly, I’m simply taking God at his word, even if it means one day searching for suitable clothing to bury my own son.

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"Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival."
Winston Churchill

Barn, it's hard to follow a post like that...

For what it's worth, your family is in my thoughts. I know this is an anonymous board, but that doesn't really matter.

Best wishes friend.

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Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

I suggest Ninfa's on Navigation. When the12thSon came back from Germany, we went there straight from the airport. Off the menu, order "queso de la mar" (sp?). I could live on it.

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Do you know what it's like to fall in the mud and get kicked... in the head... with an iron boot? Of course you don't, no one does. It never happens. It's a dumb question... skip it.

I wish you the best Barney and hope your son make it back fine. But if I have to pick out a suit to bury my son with then it better be for a good reason and not just to make a spoiled rich brat happy who BOUGHT his position to be able to get the military to go get HIS enemy. I have three nephews in the military and it is like walking on eggshells and hoping that none of them break. One of the nephews was sent home due to getting run over by a Iraqi in a vehicle and suffered back pain from it. This nephew who has 3 kids went to work for the Fort Worth police department and when he did that then he received a letter from the military telling him that if he is able to go back to work then he is able to return to the military. Now he feel that the only way he will be able to return to the land he love with his three kids in it would be when he is sent home in a sealed coffin. While that spoiled brat in the White House is sending more and more to suffer the same fate, leaving their family and breaking hearts and dying in a strange land for no logical reasons that weigh enough for it.

Best of luck to your young Marine. I am a recently retired USAF Reservist, so it is good to see other's choosing military life to continue on the service to our Nation in an all volunteer military. I think many parents these days are persuading their children to avoid enlisting. Now that be saying said, from here on out please advise your son to Never Volunteer for anything again! Just kidding of course but I suppose there is an element of truth to that.

Especially in a time of war like this, I'm sure I speak for many other Americans, Thank You! to your son...I mean MARINE!