Three Generations Of Marines

My father, mother, and step father were Marines. My father was in Beirute in 83 and he is now one of the chairmen on the Beirute Memorial. I joined the Army and went to Iraq. Soon after we got there my father's National guard unit was activated and sent to Iraq. The experience that I took from being in a combat zone and then worrying about my father, who was in the same situation more times than most, made it a lot easier to understand where he was coming from. There is no one on this earth I respect more, well maybe second to my Grandpa who went to Vietnam with the Air Force, and both of these men have instilled a great tradition of patritotism in my brother(USMC)and I. Any one familiar with the Beirute Memorial knows that a common motto for them is "Our First Duty is to remember" That is what I had engraved on my father's bracelet. No matter how many times I hear that or the National anthem I get goose bumps and there have been some situations where it has filled my eyes with tears. It is great knowing that my family are not the only people who still remember to be patriotic. Thank you again,

Jessica