Marine Steps on IED Without Scratch

Awesome!
My Grandma sent me this, it's about young Marine who grew up in her church.

 On a Marine foot patrol here through the predawn chill of Friday morning, he stepped on a pressure-plate rigged to roughly 25 pounds of explosives. The device, enough to destroy a pickup truck or tear apart several men, was buried beneath him in the dusty soil.

It did not explode.

Lance Corporal Mathison’s weight triggered the detonation of one of the booby trap’s two blasting caps. But upon giving an audible pop and tossing small stones into the air, the device failed to ignite its fuller charge — a powerful mix of Eastern Bloc mortar rounds and homemade explosives spiked with motorcycle parts, rusty spark plugs and jagged chunks of steel.

God Blesses Our Troops.

Glad to see the NYT can publish some good news every now and again.
Read the whole thing here.

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What is The Meaning of Semper Fidelis?

Image by wallyg via Flickr

Sometimes it's best to look at the definition of a phrase from a personal perspective.

Found at at Oo-Rah.com by Cam Beck:
"...the Marine Corps has never experienced a mutiny. Marines in England were revered for their loyalty to the crown, just as United States Marines are now revered for their downright fanatical dedication to each other, their service, and their country. Using Latin to characterize this quality represents its legitimization--its codification. Significantly, for Marines at least, it also provides a caste--a group that is separate and unique from any other--a group that has no desire to be like any other.

What is left unsaid in the motto is also notable. The phrase is "Always faithful." It isn't "Sometimes Faithful." Nor is it "Usually Faithful," but always. It is not negotiable. It is not relative, but absolute. Who is always faithful, though. and to what, exactly are they faithful? Interestingly, the simplicity of the phrase and the calculated neglect to specify its parameters seems to strengthen it. Marines pride themselves on their straightforward mission and steadfast dedication to accomplish it."

Don't forget to hit that Valour -IT fundraiser widget at the top right of the page. We may not all be Marines but we can be faithful. Only two days left in the fundraiser!
Semper Fi

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