Yesterday I briefly talked about what it means to be a Marine Gunrock.
I started with hard work.
What else does it mean to be a Marine Gunrock?
It means times of hardships, misery and opposition.

It means boxes of junk like this will be considered more valuable than gold.
I'm in pictures two and three, btw.



It means wading through unhealthy water trying to find lost gear that is essential to the mission.



It means risking shrapnel to your body to get relief from the 120degree heat.



Being a Gunrock means having to sleep almost anywhere. Even if that means the only flat part of ground you can find puts a tree in the middle of your precious tent. The one and only thing separating you from 50mph winds of freezing temperatures.



It also means facing opposition in places you didn't know you weren't wanted. Like the middle of nowhere, Japan.



It means humping a 50 lb pack through the rolling, snow-covered hills of Japan in sub-freezing temperatures.

Haha - no, not really. My real tattoo is much less embarrassing. But that's still awesome!

For those that might give a shit, I've decided chronicle some of my experiences as a Cannoneer in the USMC. I'll be breaking it down over a few days to keep it short, since I'll be using my photos to tell the story.
So, what does it mean to be a Marine Gunrock?

It means hard work.


It means teamwork.

Being a Gunrock means that when there is work to be done, it's done fast. Whether that's using a rifle or jumping out of a truck from eight feet in the air and unhooking an eight-ton gun.

And that work has to get done, no matter the weather.

I don't know why I didn't post this last week, but here is how we celebrated Halloween in Twenty-nine plams, CA last year.
MRE (Meals, Ready to Eat)box + knife + orange chem light = crap o' lantern.

(For the love of all that is holy, this is satire.)
There was a discussion about global warming recently so I thought I'd bing this up. I took this photo in April when I was visiting home. You know that month, right? The one where all the snow has given way to lush green grass and blooming flowers? If the Earth is getting so hot, why is all that snow on my car in April? Oh yeah, and this is after I shoveled the driveway. (Snowblower's engine had seized after 20 years of faithful service, and it being April, there had been no foreseeable need to get another just yet)

After about 15 shots with about five full-power manual flashes reflected with a cardboard box, I finally mangaged to get one I liked.

F/16
60 sec. Exposure
ISO 200

The dragonfly and spider were severely cropped so as to show more detail of the subject, and sorry for taking up the entire page.

I thought you would all be amused to know that I made gold 10 days ago, and am now 72% of the way to my hundred star. Also, I've only been a member for a little over three months.
I call for your assistance to help me set the record on the Sift!
Be a part of history, and help me make 100 in four months!

Nah, just messin'.. but I thought it was humorous.