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When I graduated from high school, I had no direction for my life. I thank the US Marine every day for what they did for me. They say "Once a Marine, Always a Marine" and I know it's true. I work as a railroad cop in Georgia now but my Marine training makes me a better cop.My current duties include Department Training Officer for GA, TN, and FL. I am also a charter member of the department's SORT Team (Special Operations Response Team).

I am also very proud and thankful for my parents. Much of what and who I am came from them also. I will never forget my father's advice to me when I first started work as a police officer. He said, "Treat everyone with respect as long as they treat you with respect." That advice has served me well over the years. Many a confrontation has been defused because I treated the person with respect. My parents are my heroes.

I served with the the fine men of 1st BN / 8th MAR / 2nd MARDIV. I think about those brave souls every day. Here are my ribbons and unit crest. I am very proud of this unit and will always hold it dear to my heart.

Marines serve in every clime and place. They are called "The President's Own" because they are this country's 911 force. Marines die, that is their job. They do it without complaining because they know they die for the greatest county in the world. They may die but The Corps will never die. Marines don't make political policy, they make the policy of our elected leaders become a reality. There is no stronger, finer, or fierce fighting force on the face of the earth.

Here are what a few famous people had to say about the Marines:

The Marine Corps is the Navy's police force and as long as I am President that is what it will remain. They have a propaganda machine that is almost equal to Stalin's.
Harry S. Truman

"The deadliest weapon in the world is a MARINE and his rifle!"
GEN. PERSHING, US.ARMY

"They're on our right, they're on our left, they're in front of us, they're behind us;
they can't get away from us this time."
Chesty Puller, USMC, Chosin Reservoir, Korean War

Every Marine is, first and foremost, a rifleman. All other conditions are secondary
General A. M. Gray, USMC

People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

George Orwell, (attributed)

"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

The US Air Force Chief-of-Staff would never be called -- Airman
The Chief-of-Naval Operations would never be called -- Sailor
The Commanding General of The US Army would never be called -- Soldier
BUT the Commandant of the Marine Corps would be proud to be called a --
United States Marine

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference,
and our Marines don't have that problem."
- President Ronald Reagan, 1985

And finally, this says it all.

Marines are about the most peculiar breed of human beings I have ever witnessed. They treat their service as if it was some kind of cult, plastering their emblem on almost everything they own, making themselves up to look like insane fanatics with haircuts to ungentlemanly lengths, worshipping their Commandant almost as if he was a god, and making weird animal noises like a band of savages. They'll fight like rabid dogs at the drop of a hat just for the sake of a little action, and are the cockiest SOB's I have ever known. Most have the foulest mouths and drink well beyond man's normal limits, but their high spirits and sense of brotherhood set them apart and , generally speaking, of the United States Marines I've come in contact with, are the most professional soldiers and the finest men I have had the pleasure to meet.
An Anonymous Canadian Citizen