Most Americans today are taking advantage of the day off by grilling, shopping, or relaxing. They are enjoying the very freedom that our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines stand watch over. We, as Americans, should enjoy this day, but we should also remember those who never came home; those who are buried above the cliffs of Normandy, in the deserts of North Africa, in Flanders Field, in Arlington, or in Gettysburg. These Americans never fully realized their hopes and dreams, but by serving in the military, they allowed so many others to fulfill theirs.
I ask however, that each of us don't simply remember the faceless thousands but one name and their story. One that I draw meaning from is the story of Major Doug Zembiec, who was known as the "Lion of Fallujah" for his valor in battle. One of his Marines said that he "would follow the Major in to battle with a spoon". Major Zembiec was killed by small arms fire on his fourth tour of duty in Iraq, leading a unit of Iraqi forces that he had helped to train.
For Katie and me, we are remembering Corporal Jonny Porto, USMC. He was killed in action on March 14, 2010 on operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. As you may know we are running the Marine Corps Marathon in his honor. (Six mile training run in the 90 degree heat this morning!) If you're interested in learning more about his family, read his wife Rachel's blog:
http://alittlepinkinaworldofcamo.blogspot.com/
(And be sure to check back in here for our updates as our training progresses!)
Please enjoy your cookouts and your extra time with your family and friends. But please also remember to give thanks to those who have served.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Ring a ling a ding dong!
So this weekend was Second Class Ring Dance at the Naval Academy, which Mike has been waiting for since roughly the day he was born. It was a great weekend, despite a few minor setbacks (ie renting a house for the weekend that apparently belongs to swingers, a pretty massive migraine for a good portion of the dance, and spending way too much money overall...)
But we looked fantastic:
But last night Mike's sponsor parents threw a lovely little party for the mids they sponsor who will be graduating on Friday. It was so fun, but we've become really close to these kids and it really hit me that they're moving on, and moving out, and it will just be kind of a bummer to see them go. Mike and I are so happy for them all to get their commissions and do exciting things for the Fleet and the Corps, but it sucks to say goodbye to friends. And then it occurred to me that next year, this will be us. We'll be packing up and going out and saying goodbye to USNA, to Scott and Misty, to a very familiar world around here that we've really come to love. And then we'll be doing that AGAIN and AGAIN. I've always been a little reluctant to change-- it took me 2 years to get used to the Naval Academy at all! But now I love how my life is going and it's starting to feel like as soon as I get settled, everything is going to get tossed around and the best I can do is hope for fair winds and following seas!
In other news, my dear friend Christina has asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding, which is exactly 2 weeks after ours, and I am thrilled beyond thrilled to be able to stand up with her while she ties the knot. Her fiance is also a Navy midshipman... C and I actually met on facebook after the boys got through their grueling plebe summer and I can honestly say now that she is one of my very best friends. She's the only person I know who is a) a NAG (which is my brother's non-charitable acronym for Naval Academy Girlfriends) and b) a grown-up. We're both working our first "real jobs" and experiencing the ups and downs that come with that, so we are each other's favorite whining post. She was in town for the Ring Dance this weekend, which was probably the highlight of my weekend, overall. We went reception-venue shopping for her yesterday, and completely scared off a plebe girlfriend with our crazy stories about how crazy we are, and overall had a blast together. I try to remind myself that despite the many drawbacks of being a NAG and staring down the barrel of constant change, at least I've got Christina doing it with me.
Anyway, there are a few traditions about the Ring Dance that everyone should be aware of:
The midshipmen get their rings several months before the dance. They are authorized to wear them the same number of days as the last two digits in their graduation year (so Mike was authorized to wear his ring for 11 days because he'll be graduating in 2011). I don't know what they do for people who graduate in like, '96-- I can't imagine they wear their ring for ninety-six days. Maybe six days? Anyway, the ring then gets put away until the Ring Dance. Midshipmen and their dates will dip the ring in a basin (pictured above!) that contains water from each of the seven seas, as well as water that was flown into space by USNA grads, water from the Severn River, and water melted from a glacier the year Christ was born (or something like that). Then the date will traditionally wear the ring around her neck for the remainder of the evening. (Don't ask me what mids do when they're both 2nd class and are Dance dates-- maybe the guy wears the girl's ring around his neck?! Haha more likely they just both wear them on their fingers.)
The Naval Academy has what they call a "50 year link in the chain" system-- so Mike's "sister class" is the class of 1961. Some of the rings from that class were melted down into the batch of gold that this year's class rings were made from. And Mike's class will end up donating a few rings for the class of 2061. Cool, right?!
This is not a GREAT picture of Mike's ring, but it's the only one we've got:
But we looked fantastic:
But last night Mike's sponsor parents threw a lovely little party for the mids they sponsor who will be graduating on Friday. It was so fun, but we've become really close to these kids and it really hit me that they're moving on, and moving out, and it will just be kind of a bummer to see them go. Mike and I are so happy for them all to get their commissions and do exciting things for the Fleet and the Corps, but it sucks to say goodbye to friends. And then it occurred to me that next year, this will be us. We'll be packing up and going out and saying goodbye to USNA, to Scott and Misty, to a very familiar world around here that we've really come to love. And then we'll be doing that AGAIN and AGAIN. I've always been a little reluctant to change-- it took me 2 years to get used to the Naval Academy at all! But now I love how my life is going and it's starting to feel like as soon as I get settled, everything is going to get tossed around and the best I can do is hope for fair winds and following seas!
In other news, my dear friend Christina has asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding, which is exactly 2 weeks after ours, and I am thrilled beyond thrilled to be able to stand up with her while she ties the knot. Her fiance is also a Navy midshipman... C and I actually met on facebook after the boys got through their grueling plebe summer and I can honestly say now that she is one of my very best friends. She's the only person I know who is a) a NAG (which is my brother's non-charitable acronym for Naval Academy Girlfriends) and b) a grown-up. We're both working our first "real jobs" and experiencing the ups and downs that come with that, so we are each other's favorite whining post. She was in town for the Ring Dance this weekend, which was probably the highlight of my weekend, overall. We went reception-venue shopping for her yesterday, and completely scared off a plebe girlfriend with our crazy stories about how crazy we are, and overall had a blast together. I try to remind myself that despite the many drawbacks of being a NAG and staring down the barrel of constant change, at least I've got Christina doing it with me.
Anyway, there are a few traditions about the Ring Dance that everyone should be aware of:
The midshipmen get their rings several months before the dance. They are authorized to wear them the same number of days as the last two digits in their graduation year (so Mike was authorized to wear his ring for 11 days because he'll be graduating in 2011). I don't know what they do for people who graduate in like, '96-- I can't imagine they wear their ring for ninety-six days. Maybe six days? Anyway, the ring then gets put away until the Ring Dance. Midshipmen and their dates will dip the ring in a basin (pictured above!) that contains water from each of the seven seas, as well as water that was flown into space by USNA grads, water from the Severn River, and water melted from a glacier the year Christ was born (or something like that). Then the date will traditionally wear the ring around her neck for the remainder of the evening. (Don't ask me what mids do when they're both 2nd class and are Dance dates-- maybe the guy wears the girl's ring around his neck?! Haha more likely they just both wear them on their fingers.)
The Naval Academy has what they call a "50 year link in the chain" system-- so Mike's "sister class" is the class of 1961. Some of the rings from that class were melted down into the batch of gold that this year's class rings were made from. And Mike's class will end up donating a few rings for the class of 2061. Cool, right?!
This is not a GREAT picture of Mike's ring, but it's the only one we've got:
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
A new way to run
Mike and I ran the Marine Corps Marathon together last year-- it was a first marathon for both of us, and it was really really incredible, inspiring, exhausting, and exhilarating.
One of the most inspiring things about running the marathon last year, though, was the sheer number of people that were wearing tshirts indicating that they were running in honor of a fallen Marine. Seeing these shirts had so many different effects on me. Mostly, they choked me up, which of course, sort of hampered the running. But it was a good push for me-- it reminded me why I chose this marathon and inspired me to dig in deeper when I was pretty sure I was a) dying, and b) about to poop my pants.
This year, Mike and I have the privilege of running in honor of a fallen Marine. I came across this blog a few weeks ago and I've been so touched by Rachel's story that I knew I wanted to run in honor of her husband. Mike was in total agreement-- after we get married next June, we'll be a military family. This means a lot to both of us, for so many reasons. When I approached Rachel about running in honor of Jonny, she was in total support, which thrilled me.
I think it sucks that we have a reason to run this race-- in a perfect world, people would run marathons because they wanted to, not because they felt it was a good way to honor someone who has passed away. (Although the whole marathon event is in honor of Phidippedes, who died of exhaustion after running to Marathon, so I guess that wish is inherently flawed.) But since we don't live in that world, I feel blessed to have the opportunity to support another military family.
We'll be sure to keep you posted on our progress in marathon training, wedding planning, life arranging, etc... we're going into all of this with our boots on the ground! (Cheesy. I know.)
One of the most inspiring things about running the marathon last year, though, was the sheer number of people that were wearing tshirts indicating that they were running in honor of a fallen Marine. Seeing these shirts had so many different effects on me. Mostly, they choked me up, which of course, sort of hampered the running. But it was a good push for me-- it reminded me why I chose this marathon and inspired me to dig in deeper when I was pretty sure I was a) dying, and b) about to poop my pants.
This year, Mike and I have the privilege of running in honor of a fallen Marine. I came across this blog a few weeks ago and I've been so touched by Rachel's story that I knew I wanted to run in honor of her husband. Mike was in total agreement-- after we get married next June, we'll be a military family. This means a lot to both of us, for so many reasons. When I approached Rachel about running in honor of Jonny, she was in total support, which thrilled me.
I think it sucks that we have a reason to run this race-- in a perfect world, people would run marathons because they wanted to, not because they felt it was a good way to honor someone who has passed away. (Although the whole marathon event is in honor of Phidippedes, who died of exhaustion after running to Marathon, so I guess that wish is inherently flawed.) But since we don't live in that world, I feel blessed to have the opportunity to support another military family.
We'll be sure to keep you posted on our progress in marathon training, wedding planning, life arranging, etc... we're going into all of this with our boots on the ground! (Cheesy. I know.)
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