Jesse is coming home to America this week. He is not quite finished his tour yet but we sure will be glad to see him. He joined the Marines right out of high school and has had three tours of Iraq. We pray for him all the time, just as all families and friends pray for these young men.Is there a Jesse in your family or your circle of friends, your church? His father once told me that always, Jesse wanted to help people. He was home one time when we had our Sisters in Christ Banquet and he helped serve the ladies alongside the other men of the church. I cannot see that Jesse sees himself as any different from anybody. Mind you, his whole family is kind of like that.
So, I was interested to catch an interview with another very special Marine who has written a book, Once A Marine. This book is available (signed) at his website or at places like Amazon.com. It originally came out in October.
I am not very military-smart, but there was a picture of a marine, holding a cigar in his hand, driving a tank at the Saddam Hussein statue they pulled down. Nick, from Indianapolis, Indiana, was that "Cigar Marine". He says people sent him all manner of cigars after seeing the picture. Unfortunately, that is not the end of Nick's story.
Later, Nick was very badly injured. He did survive but lost one eye and most of the sight in his other eye. He usually wears an eye patch, but does wear a prosthetic eye with a Marine emblem on it.
Nick loved being a Marine; Nick loves life! Now; Nick is going to be a High School Teacher! (High School Teachers and Marines need about the same amount of courage!)
There is an expression: Once A Marine, Always A Marine. It is considered discourteous to use the term ex-Marine. The correct expression would be "former enlisted Marine" or "former commissioned officer Marine". Hence the title of Nick's book.
One hopes this book will become a movie! Websites where you can learn more and see official photos are listed:
http://www.cigarmarine.com
http://www.onceamarine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPDpg7FC0sI
