Recently, I've seen some Marines spending more time and energy getting out of an assignment or duty than it would have taken to accomplish the mission at hand. Thinking back on Marines that have come before, I talked about the Marines who were at Belleau Wood and Iwo Jima. I'm glad they weren't worried about assignments, hotel suites, and time off. Those Marines were available for duty and they did their jobs well. In today's world of what can you do for me, it's easy to lose sight of what service before self is all about.
Service goes far beyond the individual, it affects the well being of our nation.
Sitting here at Marine Corps Depot in San Diego, enjoying our great American way of life, it's easy to forget the sacrifices we have agreed to endure in the service of our country. When deployed to the desert, float, Kosovo or Bosnia, the sacrifices become much clearer. If a single Marine doesn't pull his or her weight, another Marine is forced to fill the slot causing a ripple effect felt not only at our base, but throughout our Marine Corps. These vacant billets or missions must be filled by people available and ready for duty. Everyone's family would like them to be home for the holidays, birthday parties and anniversaries.