Bones, your refreshing to say the least. Glad your offended by the bovine stuff. Worked with a few Marines. The only question their LT wanted to know was " Where are they." Welcome home .

Morning Coffee!
 

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya this mornin'! Another day in the neighborhood! Coffee's on! Make sure ya have a cup or two before ya get headed out! Paper'll be here directly! I get the editorials and the funny pages! Hell, have ya seen the letters to the editor lately! LOL. Just about enough to get ya goin' inna mornin'! LOL.

Hey, LT, it's porcine, but who's countin'! LOL. A Marine LT wonderin' about farm animals in the field is probably lookin' fer somethin' to eat....unless he was a butterbar, then who the hell knows! LOL.


Let's see, what else was I thinkin'.....Let's see....old dogs and cats...did that.....gettin' older...did that....Jane's World's Insurgency....no, that ain't it. Hell. I lost my notes....again!

Well, I suppose I'll just improvise or somethin'! LOL.

I been playin' on the net with some stuff. Been sendin' emails to the hometown newspapers of the Marines who been transferred to Chesty's command. Can't do the others til I get their names and hometowns. Haven't gone after the families. Tryin' to leave 'em alone so they can deal with their grief themselves. That's a thought that can be argued either way, I suppose.

Been emailin' Congress and such about the war with Iraq. Sent an email to Bill Janklow. He's in the House of Representatives now. I don't figure I'll hear from him. When ya start yer email by sayin' "Hey, Marine! How the hell are ya!" Ya might not get a response from DC. 'Least not the kind yer expectin' anyway.
He's got a bigger staff now than when he was governor! LOL. On the other hand I have been gettin' some responses from Tom
Daschle. That's scary! He's braggin' about how much the Dems been doin' fer the Vets and tellin' about how bad the Republicans are that way.....wonder where the Dems were at a few years ago.....or the Republicans fer that matter.....

Well, I suppose.....

...it's time to warm up yer coffee and get yer head wrapped around yer day, folks. It's a new day! A new chance to get it right! A new opportunity! Go out there and take advantage of it.

Morning Coffee!
 

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya doin' this mornin'! Coffee's on! Ya better grab a cup and get some! It ain't gettin' any hotter! Paper'll be along after a bit!

I've been watchin' that TV as long as I can every day since the war started. My eyes look like a road map, and I'm wore out just watchin'! I figger we're doin' pretty good, all things considered, but I can't seem to get my mind wrapped around much of anything else right now! I don't know if some know how important this could be, but that's just me. That's one of the reason's my little bit o' ramblin' lately has been so short.

Yeah, I know. Some of ya don't mind that a bit, do ya! LOL.

Well, over time, we've covered quite a bit here. I figger now it's just re-hashin' stuff and gettin' the fine points ironed out. Some of you folks been havin' coffee with us in the mornin' might think and see if there's any of those life principles we left out somewhere along the way. I ain't thinkin' today. I got a bad tooth. One side of my face looks like I'm a chipmunk or somethin'! I figger I'm gonna have to go see the tooth doc tomorrow whether or not I wanta. I hate 'em. They don't seem to listen much and findin' a good one is just as hard or harder than findin' a good wrench to work on yer car! LOL. Besides, I'm in the middle of playin' with the VA, fer cryin' out loud! One headache'd be about enough wouldn't ya think!

Well, I guess we're back to that listenin' thing again. Ol' Lady told me to go to the VA with it, but she must not a heard me when I told her they don't do that 'less yer hundred percent. That's what I'm dealin' with the VA over. I ain't a hundred percent yet. I did get in there once or twice. Don't ask. I told the dentist up there what my history was and he didn't listen, next thing ya know he's two hours into it and thinkin' about a dental surgeon or some such. Four hours a sittin' in that chair, altogether. One time I told him I hadda take a break. He'd been doin' it and it was my turn. Hell, my bladder was full!

Well when he was finally done I told him, well, mumbled really, through a mouth full of crud he'd stuffed in there after the stitches, " Next time some hillbilly bastard tells ya somethin', ya might listen." I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed, but I ain't the dullest either. I'm a fairly big guy with a deep voice and a southern accent. Folks think I'm Jethro. Now Ellie Mae might have a step on me, but Jethro!?

Let's see, listenin' and prejudice. Well, just because ya don't care about color don't mean ya ain't prejudiced about somethin'! I don't like doctors, lawyers or cops. Cops are OK, they just doin' their jobs, but some of them...Well, sometimes it seems that doctors, lawyers and cops all come at the same time over the same stuff. If they'd combine them all into one, it'd make it easier on me. Wouldn't be so many folks to try and avoid then!

( if yer readin' between the lines, like ya oughta be doin', you might see somethin' about there bein' too much government runnin' around, ;) but that's another story!)

Well, I suppose we oughta warm up our coffee, folks! I gotta dentist to hunt down and you folks gotta get yer head wrapped around yer day.

It's a new opportunity! A new day! A new chance to get it sorted out!

Morning Coffee!
 

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya this mornin! Coffee's on and it ain't doin' anything but gettin' blacker! Ya better grab a cup while it's still good! Paper'll be along after a bit!

Well, once again I don't have too much this mornin'. Well, 'cept fer shavin' my ears...well, the hairs were stickin' out on my ear lobes, so I thought I'd get 'em while I was shavin'! Sometimes that little pair of scissors doesn't do the job so well, ya know! HGell, I remeber a time when I didn't have to shave but every other day to pass inspection and now I gotta shave my ears fer cryin' out loud! What're you laughin' at! Shit fire. Try to share a little and see what it gets ya.

I really don't have much this mornin'. I've been sendin' my little bit o' ramblin to some of the local newspapers and some of their newspaper forums when I can find the hometown of those Marines who bought it over there. I can't think of anything else to do. Ain't much I can do fer the folks who've lost loved ones in this fight. Hope my words are enough. I'm gonna set it out again here. Some of you have seen it about enough. To others it might be new. If ya think it might do someone any good, go ahead and forward it for me, would ya? Now one of you Army guys is gonna re-work this sooner or later. Go head, but let me look it over when yer done, would ya? I'd appreciate it.

For the Familes of Fallen Marines

There will never be anything anyone can do to mitigate the loss of a loved one. All we can do is to be there. One thing to keep in mind, as high brow and prideful as it might seem, is that as a Marine, they'll never be forgotten. Individual names will fade with time, people will all leave us in time, and their memories will go with them when they move on to better things. We often say of fallen Marines, that they have gone on "To guard Heaven's Gates" or they've been "transferred to Chesty's command". We know where Marines go when they leave us. We drink to their memory. We remember our Brothers and Sisters. In time we will be gone, and our memories with us. Take this comfort with you as you mourn your losses. The United States Marine Corps will never be forgotten. Your Brothers and Sisters will therefore never be forgotten. Your Sons and Daughters will never be forgotten. Your Fathers and Mothers will never be forgotten.They have passed into the legend and myth that is the United States Marine Corps. They will be remembered with the likes of Pharaoh's Army, The Hordes of the Khan's, Alexander's Armies, the Legions of Rome. Other armed forces across the length of time will be remembered as being less than our equals. Your loved ones have been a part of something special. Something that cannot be readily conveyed by mere words. It is scant comfort in this present time, but it is a source of quiet pride to those who understand. A Marine will live forever. God will not abandon those who have been willing to sacrifice so much for others. Your son, and the sons and daughters of so many others will certainly never be forgotten, here on earth or before the throne of God. They are only words, but they are all I presently have to offer. Be at peace, Mother. Be at peace Father. Be you all at peace, for your family member will most certainly be guarding Heaven's Gates upon your own arrival there in the fullness of time. Semper Fidelis, Marine family. Be Proud.
Warren Bonesteel
SGT USMC 1976-1983
55 Crestview Drive
Rapid City, SD 57701
wrbones@rushmore.com
( 605 ) 721-6872

Well, now that I got ya goin' again, it's time to warm up yer coffee and get yer head sorted out. Ya gotta get ready to face the day, folks! We got another chance at 'er! It's a new opportunity! We'll get it right! We might even do it all better this time around! It's gonna be alright! We're Marines, by God! We'll make it right!!!

It is so true
 

Marines never die, they are just reassigned. It is also true that once you are a marine always a marine. Once they put on the marine uniform they wear it for life, sometimes it is not visible to the naked eye. God bless the Corps.

Morning Coffee!
 

'Mornin' folks! How the hell ya doin' this mornin'! Life is good ain't it! Coffee's on! Grab a cup and get some! It ain't gettin' any hotter! Paper'll be here in a bit!

I was thinkin' somethin' earlier, but I fergot what it was. Looks like I need to carry a notebook with me. I was thinkin' somethin' fer mornin coffee when I was comin' home from the library yesterday. Might be a trick writin' things down when I'm drivin', though.....I'll figger somethin' out. Tape the notebook to the steerin' wheel or somethin', I reckon. 'Least that way, I'll remember where I'm goin'. Just write it down on the steerin' wheel! It had to do with the way we perceive things. Damn if I remember what it was now! Oh, well....life is! LOL.

Just so the ladies know. We don't get lost. We just ferget where we're goin' is all. A man's got other things on his mind.

If you don't know, I ain't tellin' ya! ;)

I ain't got much then, I guess. Just visitin' is all. Had to take the cat to the Vet a couple weeks ago. Got an infection in her ye somehow. Ol Lady thinks it's because I let the cat out at night. Well, the cat ain't stupid. At night, the ( the cat ) waits til the ol lady shuts the bedroom door behind her and then comes to me wantin' out. Other day, the ol lady hit the head first. I went to the bedroom about then, and the cat wasn't payin' attention. The cat went to the bathroom door thinkin' it was me and hollered to go outside. Shoulda seen the look on that cat's face when the ol lady yelled at her! LOL. Well, hell, the cat's old. She can't see as well as she used to. I guess that's what she gets fer fer havin' bad habits. The Ol Lady or the cat? Well, both, quite frankly. Seems they both want their own way about things fer some reason, and I get stuck in the middle. I could do without either, but they're company, I reckon. Plus the Ol Lady even cooks and washes clothes, and I don't reckon there's anything like havin' a cat on yer lap purrin' away fer hours on end....if ya let 'em! Only thing as good that way is havin' a dog at yer feet after a good day.

Well, I've rambled and covered a variety of topics if ya were listenin'. Most of 'em had nothin' to do with cats, dogs or ol' ladies. And if it were done right ya had a chuckle or two to start yer day with, too.

Warm up yer coffee, folks! It's gonna vbe alright. Hell, it's gotta be! Ain't nothin' better than a good cup of coffee in the mornin' with some good company to get yer day started out!

It's a new day, folks! A new opportunity! Hell, daylight's a wastin'! Get out there and take advantage of it!

Hey Bones - why don't you try one of those little hand held recorders that fit in your pocket. We would get a lot more of those pearls of wisdom. :ab:

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya anyway! Coffee's on! Ya better get some! Paper'll be around when it gets here! LOL.


Damn, Nang! Ya tryin' to get me to do things the easy way or what! LOL.

I don't have a thing to visit over this mornin' I used it all up visitin' with a Mom who's concerned about her son joinin' the Marine Corps. I didn't mind, but who the hell am I to try and comfort anyone about anything. Havin' had a couple kids somewhere along the way, I have an idea of what she's talkin' about, but other than that? Kinda buffalos me why folks think I know anything about anything. Now don't get me wrong! I'm as arrogant as most anybody around here! ;) Just ask around! LOL.

Anyway, I thought I'd cheat a bit and tell ya what I told her. I figger it might be somethin' to think about when ya run across some Mom or Dad somewhere who's worried their their kid. Maybe it'll be some use to some one else. Hell, I don't know.

Well, here it is:

Worryin' about her offspring:

That's a tough one. You never stop worryin' about 'em fer some reason. In addition you have the worry of yer son possibly becoming involved in a war in a few months. The thing is, about every six months or so, the Marines are involved in some sort of 'small' conflict of some sort or another. Right now nearly one half of the Marine Corps is over there and the other half is
supporting them and wishing they could be there. Normally only a small fraction of the Corp's strength is deployed at any time.

The only thing that has helped me the last few years with dealing with my own concerns is to try to understand that my ' kids ' are big enough to make their own decisions now. I can't change a thing about that. I still have trouble seeing my 24 year old daughter as anything other than that little sweet blonde headed three year old that used to touch my heart so often. Ya just have to hope ya done a good job of raisin' them.

There's nothin' to help sometimes 'cept to keep busy and don't let the worry take over yer life. It ain't gonna be easy sometimes. Try to find some inner peace about it all somewhere, is all I know.

There are numerous opportunites for him in the Marine Corps as well. Education, growth,chances to become more than either of you presently imagine. His opportunites are almost limitless and he will be held back only by his own abilities and his own desire to improve himself. The Marine Corps is a special kind of military organization. One you will look long and hard throughout history to find it's like. He will be very well trained and generally well looked after. He will be a part of a larger family. A part of the best fighting force that has ever existed. When he returns to visit you, wearing that Eagle, Globe and Anchor, he will be a man almost beyond your comprehension. That boy you raised will still be there
and will manifest himself in the most unexpected ways and at the most unexpected times, though. He'll still be your son, and proud of it, too!

He will lose friends, whether in peacetime or in war. Those losses will affect him as if they were his own flesh and blood. The things that he will see and do will change him. If he has the steel, the sand, to walk through it all, he will become a man that you will no longer recognize. He will be a United States Marine!

Sincerely,
Warren Bonesteel
SGT USMC 1976-1983

Maybe I shoulda told not to startle him when he first gets home from the recruit depot......ya think?

Anyway, warm up yer coffee, folks! Daylight's a wastin'! We got a new day out there! Time to go take it by the balls and wring some good outta it!

It'a new opportunity, folks! A new day! Don't let it whip ya!

Morning Coffee!
 

'Mornin' Folks! how ya doin this mornin'!Coffee's up! Grab a cup and get some! It's hot, don't worry. It ain't always good, but it's hot! Paper'll be around in a bit!

I've been playin' on the net today. I don't have much new to say about anything. I am constantly being surprised by what keeps coming up from the colleges and peace activists and such. I guess I'm moving from somewhere in the middle to the right of the political spectrum. That puts me in the same bunch that looks for government/alien conspiracies I reckon. I did see an unidentified object when I was a kid.....I think it was about the time I realized there was something different about wimmin....;) Well she showed me hers first!

Life is good, I reckon. We've got to pick out those good memories and not let them go. Even, at times, the silly ones! We live in a time of myth and legend, whether we know it or not. A time of live lived well, of heros, of good versus evil. A time of poverty and despair. A time of world wide conflicts and the under currents that go with the all encompassing swarm for power by ruthless men and peoples. In such a time we must live, not wholly seeing what is before our faces, but fully realizing our own little piece of it. A time wherein good is overcoming the evil we face. We cannot know the future, for we cannot see it. Just as we cannot fully comprehend the past, for we have not lived it.

There is too much for one person to fully comprehend, and so it is....that we each live today for what it is. We take it as given to us and we do the best we can with it. What each of us then does affects the whole. Whether we live our lives in honor to the glory of some greater good, or whether we live it for avarice, greed and destruction. The whole is made from it's parts. Which is you and me. It is my contention that the whole of mankind's history is so made. Not from Pharaohs or the Hun or any words from any religious leader, but from folks like you and me. From the entirety of it's parts. You and me. It is my contention that what has gone before until now is only the great beginnings of our race....but for now....we each must live in our day to day lives. Living as best we may. Looking to the future.

In a such a way and for such a reason we have served our nation. The beacon of this little bit of time, in the opinion of this particular dilletente, is the nation wherein we live and serve. We have been a part of a great sweep of history that seems, in it's pattern, to be trying to bring the world out of anarchy and death towards a better place. A place where all may be treated well and live well. A place where life is good. Every day for everyone.

Lofty? Do I really believe all of that?

Well....ya gotta have a dream, folks. Just as well be a big one! ;)

Warm up yer coffee, folks! It's a good day fer now. Maybe you can make it a good day fer someone else in some small way. There is hope. Every day is a new opportunity! We just as well take advantage of it.

Mornin' Coffee!
 

'Mornin' folks! Coffee's on! Grab a cup and get settled til ya get yer head to workin' this mornin'! Paper'll be along after a bit!

Well, I was wonderin' about somethin' this mornin'! Do ya know what ya believe and why ya believe it? Is it based on what ya hear from folks around ya? Peer pressure and all that. It never goes away, ya know. Is it based on what ya read and looked up for yerself? Ya do yer own learnin', or just hear it from others? Does it make sense to ya when ya looked at all of the particulars, or does it tend to break down a bit if ya look at it too long or too hard? Does any kinda history back it up at all? History is what helps us to form our belief system, as an individual or as a group or society. If ya apply the KISS principle to it, does it still hold water? I use one more thing to look at stuff I'm thinkin' over. I just say to myself, "One plus one equals two." If it adds up good without too much tweakin' of the numbers ya might be on to somethin'.

The last test fer me, is this. "Am I willin' to die for it?" Now some time ago we visited over convictions and opinions, I'm just takin' another look at it. Comin' at it all from a slightly different direction is all. When ya can look at somethin' ya believe from different directions and it's still recognizable, ya might be on to somethin'.

There's too many folks runnin' around spoutin' all kinds of shit that they won't hold themselves accountable to. I was just puttin' this out there today cause I seen a few of them lately and, no, I didn't see any of them around here. Just talkin' out loud is all. Wonderin' about things to myself.

If someone else heard me talkin' to myself and it made any sense, well and good.....just don't let anyone else hear you doin' the same thing or yer gonna get stuck makin' coffee inna mornin'!

Warm up yer coffee folks! It's a good day! We got another chance to go out there and do it again! Hell, who knows! Maybe we'll find a new way to screw it u...I mean get it right!