Dogs of War

Two of my favorite things – dogs and our military. Specifically, the Marine Corps.

I grew up in a house with 2 little sisters, my mom and my father, a USMC Colonel. Needless to say, he couldn’t catch a break from all the estrogen in the house! So, we got him a dog. Grunt. (Grunt = another term for a Marine.) Grunt was a yellow lab, and yes, one of the best dogs to have ever lived. Grunt went to heaven, and now my parents have Jarhead (yes, another Marine moniker.) So needless to say when I saw this article with Marines and their pups, it was enough to make me swoon.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Man’s best friend is also a Marine’s protector.

Vintage

An awesome random vintage poster for the USMC I found… pretty cool!

So Tough. So Cute.

Semper Fido!

PFC Legend, the new mascot at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., scopes his newly issued M164A4 service rifle Nov 7 at the depot armory.  The English bulldog puppy arrived this fall, replacing Sgt. Archibald Hummer, who died in September. 

Legends handler, LCpl. Michael Rogers, is just out of view of the photo. The pup sat on the Marine’s head in order to reach the table.

Marine Surprises Family

Thank You.

We all need to make sure we thank you men and women who have served and are serving our great country. Today especially. So THANK YOU to all our troops, past, present and future, especially my father, USMC Colonel Miles Burdine!

Veterans – And a Scary Connection

With Veterans Day tomorrow, I wanted to share something that is too close for comfort for me. My grandfather passed away from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease…So many of you have helped me fundraise for this cause, and thank you very much!

With all the money raised each year, we are closer and closer to finding a cure…and although we don’t have one, every day we learn valuable information that can help us get there. Something we all need to be aware of is the scary connection between ALS and our military.

As the daughter of a Marine, this is something that terrifies me. Our heroes are twice as likely to develop ALS as those who have not served.

Take a look at this PSA from the ALS Association about the extremely high number of veterans who are diagnosed with ALS each year. What better way to honor our military this Veterans Day, and find a cure for this terrible disease that affects so many of them. Also, join the roll call of veterans here. 

 ALS in the Military 

 

Happy 236th Birthday!

Happy 236th birthday to the United States Marine Corps. The finest fighting force in the world. Since my father is a USMC Colonel, I have grown up loving the Corps. So Semper Fi, and enjoy these quotes about the few, the proud, the Marines.

Freedom is not free, but the U.S. Marine Corps will pay most of your share.  -Ned Dolan

Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don’t have that problem. 
-Ronald Reagan, President of the United States; 1985

A Marine is a Marine.  I set that policy two weeks ago – there’s no such thing as a former Marine.   You’re a Marine,  just in a different uniform and you’re in a different phase of your life.  But you’ll always be a Marine because you went to Parris Island, San Diego or the hills of Quantico.  There’s no such thing as a former Marine. - General James F. Amos, 35th Commandant of the Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps, with its fiercely proud tradition of excellence in combat, its hallowed rituals, and its unbending code of honor, is part of the fabric of American myth.  -Thomas E. Ricks; Making the Corps, 1997

I have just returned from visiting the Marines at the front, and there is not a finer fighting organization in the world!  -General of the Armies Douglas MacArthur; Korea, 21 September 1950

The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!  -Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States, 1945

We are United States Marines, and for two and a quarter centuries we have defined the standards of courage, esprit, and military prowess. -Gen. James L. Jones, USMC (CMC); 10 November 2000

The Marine Corps has just been called by the New York Times, ‘The elite of this country.’ I think it is the elite of the world. -Admiral William Halsey, U.S. Navy

The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle.  -Gen. John “Black Jack” Pershing, U.S. Army, Commander of American Forces in World War I

 

Cheers.

I love it when big companies do something good. Cheerios is stepping up to help spread cheer to our troops and their families. Just because the war is ending, doesn’t mean our military will stop serving. They will continue to protect our freedom. Additionally, their families will continue to make sacrifices. Show them you love them. Show them you still care. Show our troops you still support them. It’s easy!

And more good news: Cheerios will donate $1 to the USO to help support military families. They will donate up to $100,000 based on the number of postcards received before November 30th. So get to writing!

Click here to learn more.

Here’s how it works:

-Buy a box of Cheerios.

-Cut out the ‘Cheer’ part

-Write your message to a service member and their family

-Stick a stamp on the postcard… and toss the pre-addressed post card in the mailbox

Click here to read more about the USO.

28 Years Later: The Beirut Bombing Anniversary

Some call it the beginning of the war on terror: The 1983 Beirut Bombings. On October 23rd in Beirut, Lebanon, a suicide bomber drove into the Marine Corps Barracks and blew them up.Today is the 28th anniversary of that day, when 220 Marines, 18 sailors & 3 Army soldiers were killed.  It’s also where my dad was when I was born. Thankfully, he was not inside the barracks. Here’s a picture of my dad from his time in Beirut.

A Reminder

Just a reminder, of something we should never forget. Watch this touching slideshow about Fallen Marines and those who loved them. Semper Fi.