As you know, I was enlisted in the USMC from 1995 to 2000. It was a great experience, and I am proud to have served. I was listening to President Obamas recent speech about the withdrawal of our troops from Iraq over the next 18 months. I was enlisted during a time of very little conflict, so I never had the responsibility to be in combat, let alone on an exercise for an extended length of time....I was lucky....one of my lengthiest duties was an exercise in 29 Palms, California called CAX. I was there for 49 days....sleeping in a lean-to hooch on my canvas cot....Despite the -5 star living arrangements, I actually have a lot of fond memories from these days...of course not having to deal with the actual threat of injury or death helped!
My first roommate out of boot camp when I arrived at school in Pensacola, Florida, was Dena Stone....this was the beginning of a trend that would extend thru today, when Dena and I would never work or live more than a stones throw apart! This is the inside of a communications van that we operated....dot matrix printer and all!
Here is my graduation from Pensacola, after which I (and Dena) would be permanently stationed at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
Check out the cool duds...see how I blend right in with the background? Does wonders for a girls self-esteem ;) That and the "one-size fits all genders" fit of my uniform.
I wish our troops the safest wind-down possible to the war in Iraq and a speedy trip home to their friends and families!
Semper Fi!
Leah
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