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Old 08-18-2007, 09:06 AM   #1
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Default Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs

This letter was written by Charles Grennel and his comrades, veterans of the
Global War On Terror. Grennel is an Army Reservist who spent two years in
Iraq and was a principal in putting together the first Iraq elections in
January 2005. They wrote it to Jill Edwards, student at the University of
Washington, who did not want to honor Medal of Honor winner USMC Colonel
Greg Boyington. Ms. Edwards, other students and faculty do not think those
who serve in the U.S. armed services are good role models.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----

To: Jill Edwards, Student, University of Washington
Subject: Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs




Miss Edwards,


I read of your student activity regarding the proposed memorial to
Colonel Greg Boyington, USMC and a Medal of Honor winner. I suspect you
will receive many angry emails from conservative people like me. You may be
too young to appreciate fully the sacrifices of generations of servicemen
and servicewomen on whose shoulders you and your fellow students stand. I
forgive you for the untutored ways of youth and your naiveté. It may be
that you are simply a sheep. There's no dishonor in being a sheep, as long
as you know and accept what you are.


William J. Bennett, in a lecture to the United States Naval Academy
November 24, 1997 said "Most of the people in our society are sheep. They
are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by
accident. We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence
is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent
people, not capable of hurting each other except by accident or under
extreme provocation. They are sheep.


Then there are the wolves who feed on the sheep without mercy. Do you
believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy?
You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are
capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so,
you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.


Then there are sheepdogs and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock
and confront the wolf. If you have no capacity for violence then you are a
healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence
and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive
sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep
love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a
warrior, someone who is walking the unchartered path.


Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human
phobia, and walk out unscathed. We know that the sheep live in denial, that
is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in
the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why
they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits
throughout their kid's schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea
of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are
thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school
violence than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of
violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child
is just too hard. So they choose the path of denial.


The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf.
He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that
the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any
sheepdog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished
and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a
representative democracy or a republic such as ours. Still, the sheepdog
disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the
land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them
traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports, in camouflage
fatigues, holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog
cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go Baa. Until the wolf
shows up.


Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.
The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high
school students, and under ordinary circumstances would not have had the
time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had
nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and
SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to
physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the
little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door. Look
at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the
door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about
their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Understand that
there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what
you choose to be.


Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter. He is always sniffing
around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go
bump in the night and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young
sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little
older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed, right
along with the young ones.


Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend
the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day.

After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most
citizens in America said "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The
sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of
those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." You want to be able
to make a difference. There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog,
the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is
that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that would destroy
98 percent of the population.


Research was conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent
crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of
violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast
majority said they specifically targeted victims by body language:

Slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their
victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd
that is least able to protect itself.


Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically
primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose
which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans
are choosing to become sheepdogs. Seven months after the attack on
September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New
Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who
called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the
hijacking. When they learned of the other three passenger planes that had
been used as weapons, Todd and the other passengers confronted the terrorist
hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers -
athletes, business people and parents - from sheep to sheepdogs and together
they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the
ground.

Edmund Burke said "There is no safety for honest men except by believing all
possible evil of evil men." Here is the point I want to emphasize,
especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each
year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are
born that way, and so are wolves. They don't have a choice.

But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want
to be. It is a conscious, moral decision. If you want to be a sheep, then
you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you
pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there
is not a sheepdog there to protect you.

If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to
hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if
you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a
conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare
yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes
knocking at the door.

This business of being a sheep or a sheepdog is not a yes-no dichotomy.

It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a
continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other
end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the
other. Most of us live somewhere in between.

Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away
from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating
their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously.

Its OK to be a sheep, but do not kick the sheepdog. Indeed, the sheepdog
may just run a little harder, strive to protect a little better and be fully
prepared to pay an ultimate price in battle and spirit with the sheep moving
from "baa" to "thanks".

We do not call for gifts or freedoms beyond our lot. We just need a small
pat on the head, a smile and a thank you to fill the emotional tank which is
drained protecting the sheep. And, when our number is called by The
Almighty, and day retreats into night, a small prayer before the heavens
just may be in order to say thanks for letting you continue to be a sheep.
And be grateful for the millions of American sheepdogs who permit you the
freedom to express even bad ideas.

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand
ready to do violence on their behalf." George Orwell
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"Life's tough, it's even tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne

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soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order.
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Old 08-18-2007, 01:17 PM   #2
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Yup, Jill is a pretty stupid sheep.
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Old 08-18-2007, 08:23 PM   #3
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ty,
there are lots of sheep, or as I call them sheeple on this board as well.
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"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have". Gerald Ford

"Life's tough, it's even tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne

There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order.
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Old 08-19-2007, 06:25 PM   #4
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Hoo Rah you badass sheepdog. Here's another one, a badass marine!! Greatness!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...arch&plindex=0
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Old 08-20-2007, 08:30 AM   #5
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the learned author forgot the all important 4th category: boogar eating morons.

Many sheep that strive to be more and think they are "sheep dogs" are in fact boogar eating morons (or sometimes wolves) in denial.

there are alot of boogar eating morons on this site as well.



(*as another note* this piece would have a bit more oomph had it remained a tribute to Medal of Honor winner USMC Colonel Greg Boyington. Instead that was just the lead-in, but it immediately became framed as "Ode to myself, you may honor me if you please")
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Old 08-20-2007, 09:38 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mcsluggo
the learned author forgot the all important 4th category: boogar eating morons.

Many sheep that strive to be more and think they are "sheep dogs" are in fact boogar eating morons (or sometimes wolves) in denial.

there are alot of boogar eating morons on this site as well.



(*as another note* this piece would have a bit more oomph had it remained a tribute to Medal of Honor winner USMC Colonel Greg Boyington. Instead that was just the lead-in, but it immediately became framed as "Ode to myself, you may honor me if you please")
Note your post would have had more oomph if you had made a point and not fallen into typical inane liberal name-calling. Hmmm..thinking a little longer, no it wouldn't.
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Old 08-20-2007, 11:27 AM   #7
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ok how's this:

People aren't livestock such as the author suggests. The fact that we have the ability to think independently, to reason, and to adapt our conduct are not traits shared with the sheep, or the sheepdog, or the wolf. these animals are reactive to stimulus in the context of their environment and their genetic programming.

Just like the heros the author mentions, like todd beamer and those on flight 93 who rose up against the hijackers attempting to use that airplane to attack washington dc, we are people with an abilty to recognize when there is a threat against us. We have benefitted from the contributions and sacrifices of others, people who have given their lives to defending our country from threats by volunteering for the armed dervices as well as those who were called to duty by the draft. Yet those very prople adapted their conduct to meet the challenges and the duties our country asked of them.

we are not passive "sheep" nor are these people who have volunteered or drafted preordained to be "sheepdogs". we are individuals who are able to react to the threats we perceive exist, and we will transition from being defenders to being observers as the need requires.

We are free thinking individuals, and the author may disagree with the conclusions some individuals may come to however those conclusions do not make any of these individuals incapable of ree thought; in fact, these different conclusions, such as jill edwards determined in her oppostion to the staute for pappy boyington, prove that they are not sheep. sheep don't think independently of the flock, they follow the flock.

while I and others may disagree with ms. edwards, her point was to not honor those who have taken lives of others, no matter for what cause that may have been, and she believes that we as a society should not glorify warriors, as inherent in such glorification is the glorification of war itself.
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Old 08-20-2007, 11:31 AM   #8
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much better.
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Old 08-20-2007, 12:32 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dude1394
Note your post would have had more oomph if you had made a point and not fallen into typical inane liberal name-calling. Hmmm..thinking a little longer, no it wouldn't.
I made a SPECIFIC POINT of dropping into the name calling, as a reaction to the "typical inane conservative" patranizing crap... "you foolish little sheep just don't realize the truer higher calling that I, a desk jocky conservative, am putting to motion on your behalf."

Do you not think that dismissively calling everyone who disagrees with his view of the world sheep... just try not to get in the way of that which is actually important.... is insulting? Particularly the way he worked it? It was an occasioanlly eloquently writen, self surving political piece, USING the fact that some silly little girl with myopic vision as a straw man to paint EVERYONE who disagreed with his political position in smarmy patronising tones.

I stand by the fact that I responded in equal measure to the original piece.
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Old 08-20-2007, 12:47 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mcsluggo
I stand by the fact that I responded in equal measure to the original piece.
If you'd have kept it with respect to the orginal piece I wouldn't have said anything, but typically you painted pretty wide brush on the board.
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Old 08-20-2007, 01:20 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mcsluggo
the learned author forgot the all important 4th category: boogar eating morons.

Many sheep that strive to be more and think they are "sheep dogs" are in fact boogar eating morons (or sometimes wolves) in denial.

there are alot of boogar eating morons on this site as well.
boogar eating morons

you just can't say that phrase without laughing a little.
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Old 08-20-2007, 01:20 PM   #12
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<<double post>>

Last edited by mcsluggo; 08-20-2007 at 01:21 PM.
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Old 08-20-2007, 01:20 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dude1394
If you'd have kept it with respect to the orginal piece I wouldn't have said anything, but typically you painted pretty wide brush on the board.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you believe that I paint with a broader more myopic liberal brush from the left than you do from the right?

(Or if you would prefer, "... more than other conservative members of this board do from the right" ...........
((since its much easier to compare others to each other than others to yourself--- conflict of interest!---- (which is why I am asking)))
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Old 08-20-2007, 08:28 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mcsluggo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you believe that I paint with a broader more myopic liberal brush from the left than you do from the right?

(Or if you would prefer, "... more than other conservative members of this board do from the right" ...........
((since its much easier to compare others to each other than others to yourself--- conflict of interest!---- (which is why I am asking)))
If you can find a post where I call the members of this board anything like:

Quote:
there are alot of boogar eating morons on this site as well.
.

Then I will have painted the members of this board with as broad (and rude) a brush as yourself. I have no problem with you criticizing the author, he put it out there. I'm not crazy about the way you did it, it makes you look stupid, but I wouldn't have posted anything (i.e. I would have let you look stupid) if you hadn't grouped the rest of those who don't agree with you in there.
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Last edited by dude1394; 08-20-2007 at 08:29 PM.
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Old 08-20-2007, 09:12 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mavdog
while I and others may disagree with ms. edwards, her point was to not honor those who have taken lives of others, no matter for what cause that may have been, and she believes that we as a society should not glorify warriors, as inherent in such glorification is the glorification of war itself.
Sorry, but I don't view that as a legitimate thought. If you don't agree with the policymakers that sent us to war, that doesn't mean you should refuse to honor those that fought. It's ungrateful and shows a complete lack of perspective.
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Old 08-20-2007, 09:25 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dude1394
If you can find a post where I call the members of this board anything like:

.

Then I will have painted the members of this board with as broad (and rude) a brush as yourself. I have no problem with you criticizing the author, he put it out there. I'm not crazy about the way you did it, it makes you look stupid, but I wouldn't have posted anything (i.e. I would have let you look stupid) if you hadn't grouped the rest of those who don't agree with you in there.
ok.

point well taken.
I'm sorry for going too far.
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Old 08-20-2007, 09:30 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kg_veteran
Sorry, but I don't view that as a legitimate thought. If you don't agree with the policymakers that sent us to war, that doesn't mean you should refuse to honor those that fought. It's ungrateful and shows a complete lack of perspective.
does every soldier deserve to be honored? shouldn't their conduct as a soldier be looked at first?
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Old 08-21-2007, 07:08 AM   #18
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Originally Posted by Mavdog
does every soldier deserve to be honored? shouldn't their conduct as a soldier be looked at first?
Is that the analysis that this woman went through? The guy is a Medal of Honor winner.

No, she just doesn't think soldiers (in general) are good role models. That's illegitimate.

Plus, it shows a complete lack of historical depth. Some of our greatest leaders (e.g., George Washington) were soldiers.
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Old 08-21-2007, 10:05 AM   #19
dude1394
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Another sheepdog and his pack! Godspeed men..

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archive.../08/018254.php

Quote:
A reader forwards an update from Marine Lt. Col. Phillip Chandler to the families of the Marines serving in his unit, among whom is our reader's son:

Dear Families,

Since my last email update in late July, we have passed the four month mark in our deployment and are fast approaching the five month mark. We have also passed our original 60 day deployment window for operations in Al Anbar Province and are now finishing up our 30-day extension here in AO Anaheim. Your Marines and Sailors continue to amaze everyone that comes in contact with them. Over the last 30 days, the BLT has hosted numerous General Officers to include: the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Conway; the Commanding General, Multinational Corps-Iraq, LtGen Odierno; MARCENT CG, LtGen Mattis, and MNF-W CG, MGen Gaskin and each had one common theme - the unbelievable performance of the Marines and Sailors of BLT 3/1 (LtGen Mattis used the term magnificent no less than a dozen times). Your BLT has denied our enemy sanctuary, interdicted insurgent supply routes and removed accelerants (IEDs, IED making materials and weapons) from the hands of our enemies. These efforts have made an immediate and positive impact on the Al Anbar Province (and the greater Baghdad region). Unfortunately, as a result of their Herculean efforts the Marines and Sailors were rewarded with the 30-day extension to continue the mission. If it were left to the General Officers mentioned above, the BLT would remain in Iraq indefinitely because of the results we are producing. That said, we are scheduled to withdraw from AO Anaheim on schedule next month and there is no talk of another extension, so rest easy.

We are currently integrating the 1st and 3rd Battalions from the 2d Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division into AO Anaheim. They will take over responsibility of our area once we depart next month. They are battle tested Iraqi soldiers who have spent the last two years fighting along side Marines in Fallujah. We are working extremely hard right now to ensure the battlespace is ready for turn over to our Iraqi partners. We want to do everything in our power to ensure they are set up for success. We are currently training, coordinating and conducting combined patrols with these soldiers with the ultimate goal of eventually handing over all operations in AO Anaheim to the 2d Brigade.

The transit plan is now being finalized and your Marines should be passing the dates for the two port visits. The first port visit will take place in Perth, Australia from 16-21 October and the second will be in Hawaii from 8-10 November. These dates have been confirmed and are good for planning, reservations and Tiger Cruise purposes. Things can obviously change when transiting such extensive distances, but this is what we currently have from our Navy brethren, so hopefully nothing will change over the next 2 months. This still puts us returning home just prior to the Thanksgiving holiday on or about 19 November. This is great news as we could all use a good home cooked meal and we all know there is no better home cooked meal than the traditional Thanksgiving Dinner. Please forgive our manners though as we will likely engulf our food and pass out on the couch (actually what's new, right).

With that said, I must remind you all that we still have a bit of work ahead of us here and our AO remains extremely dangerous. Our enemy does not have a deployment window and he will continue to seek to do us harm until the last minute of the last day of our time in AO Anaheim. I continually remind our Marines and Sailors that we must maintain an aggressive offensive mindset until the day we depart and we must continue to relentlessly pursue our enemy. Sadly, since my last email, the BLT has lost two additional Marines to Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Cpl Sean Stokes and Sgt Jon Bonnell, Jr. paid the ultimate sacrifice to make a difference here in Iraq. As a Marine, it is painful beyond belief to lose a fellow Marine, but we seek solace in knowing that out cause is just and our actions righteous. I continually remind the Marines closest to these fallen warriors (as I personally was to Cpl Stokes) that these are our generation's heroes. Marine Corps' history is replete with charismatic leaders and valorous heroes and these Marines now take their place among that honored few. Personally, I no longer need to reflect back to those heroes of past historic battles to find motivation for I am surrounded on a daily basis by my true heroes, your Marines and Sailors. These are not pages in a book, but live history in the making and I am humbled to be a part of it all.

I will close with a passage from General George Washington describing the actions of his men after a near miraculous victory at Trenton during our American Revolution. His words most aptly summarize my feeling towards the Marines and Sailors of BLT 3/1. After the battle, the General remarked, "The officers and the men that were engaged in the enterprise behaved with great firmness, poise, advance, and bravery, and such as did them the highest honor." I truly am honored to be associated with such men of high moral and physical courage and I love each and every one of them. I thank you for your continued love, prayers and support. We think of you everyday and long for the moment of our reunion. Please remain strong and hang tough for a couple of more months. It will be here before you know it.

Please feel free to forward this email to the families of our single Marines as they may not be directly tied into the network.

Semper Fidelis and God Bless,
LtCol Chandler
"3/1 HARD"

LtCol Phillip W. Chandler
Commanding Officer
BLT 3/1, 13th MEU, MNF-W
COP Golden, IRAQ
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