GetRight Games LLC

Apologies for the long post. On Nov. 7, I was the guest of honor at the Marine Corps ball for Littoral Distribution Company A, 6th Distribution Support Battalion, CLR-4 down in Savannah, GA. Following my speech, I didn’t expect a standing ovation. I didn’t expect Marines to share with me the story of their friends who had taken their own lives. I didn’t expect the Marines who came up to tell me about how they laughed and cried during my speech. @finnygo and others have said I should post my speech. Here’s a tranche of it. “Because America wants Marines — individuals willing to stand watch while others sleep. We need people willing to wake up before dawn, lace up their boots, run five miles through mud. And sand. And dust. And snow. And swamp. And water. And heat. On concrete. Through fog. And hallowing winds and jagged rock. Then spend the rest of the day training for a fight he or she hopes will never come. We need people willing to miss birthday parties and wedding anniversaries. Baseball games and dance recitals. People tough enough to storm a beach, steady enough to hold the line, and humble enough to bow their head at a comrade’s grave. We need Marines. We need people who can swim through surf, march through desert, and fight through jungle — but compassionate enough to provide aid after a tsunami or storm or to collect toys for children in need during Christmas. We need people who can charge into chaos with courage but cradle a wounded friend with gentleness. We need people willing to get in their finest dress uniform. Drive for miles to a home they’ve never been to and deliver the devastating news that their loved ones have died in service. We need people that will stay with that family during their bereavement. We need people strong enough to do it all over again for another family. We need Marines. People who can fix a rifle in the rain, find humor in hardship, and faith in the face of fear. Someone who can hold a rifle steady and be a friend at the ready. It has to be someone who will stand guard on a ship at midnight, patrol a dusty village at dawn, and salute the same flag they might one day be draped beneath. Someone who’d fight for a country that sometimes forgets, but never forsakes. It has to be someone who would raise their hand, swear an oath, and mean it. Who’d serve not for fame, or fortune but for the individual beside them and the nation behind them. We need Marines. Finally, if there is one regret that I hold from my time in the Marine Corps, it’s the regret of not appreciating nights like these when I was in uniform. It’s easy to get caught up in all the preparation and money one has to drop to come to a Marine Corps Ball. You got to pay for a hotel. And gas for the car. And get your medals mounted. And your date might need a suit or dress. And heaven help you if you’ve gained or lost weight because that means your dress blues have to be redone. But…every year around Memorial Day, I write down the names of 36 Marines that I served with. 21 of them were killed in combat. 5 of them died in non-combat incidents like car crashes or from health issues. One was murdered. And 8 of them died by suicide. I remember going to Marine Corps balls with these Marines and I wish I had appreciated them more at the time because looking back, I’d give anything to have another night with them. Remember….this night is for you. And your accomplishments. You're a part of the fabric that makes the Marine Corps great. Happy birthday, Marines. And Semper Fidelis.”