Thing 11 Tag, your it

I have decided to share my experience as a Marine in Beirut, Lebanon during the 1983 PLO evacuation. It was only 9 months after boot camp when I found myself on night patrols in the streets of Beirut with an M16 rifle that was not loaded. I was under orders to not load my weapon due to fear of an accidential discharge. I may have been new to the Marine Corps, but as a 26 year old recruit, I surely had better sense. I never did understand why a Marine combat unit was doing a job that was not part of my Marine training. The mission of the United States Marine Corps is to close with and destroy the enemy with fire support and close combat.

As a Forward Observer, I conducted radar becon exercises with naval support ships from the roof of the headquarters building, which months after I was gone, was blown up and 230 Marines and Sailors were killed. I was fortunate to get back home unharmed, but I never forgot the experience, because it showed me that I need to always trust my judgement and never doubt my gut feelings.