The weather is warming up, Legs is obnoxiously speaking Telugu all the time, and Thumper seems like he'll be driving next week. The time seems to be flying by. We are starting to see many of the Foreign Service Officers from Legs' orientation training leave for their posts. It's very difficult to watch people leave for such exotic and exciting places knowing that we have to wait another 8 months before we get to live abroad. We happen to be here longer than just about everyone in the class, so I guess we better get used to it. Unfortunately some new friends of ours from Portland, who had a son a week younger than Thumper, just left for Istanbul, Turkey. It was hilarious to watch Thumper and Rocket (not his actual name) sitting in high chairs next to each other when we would go out to dinner. Overall, things are going great and we're still having a blast exploring all that DC has to offer.
This weekend is Memorial Day weekend, and it's truly amazing to be able to spend it in our nation's capital. Legs, Thumper, and I attended a Rolling Thunder biker rally near the Washington Monument today and it was awesome! There were thousands of bikes and bikers, most of whom were veterans, and it was extremely moving to feel the energy surrounding the National Mall. It was a day of remembrance for those that have died in our wars, and also a show of support for those still here.
In the spirit of Memorial Day tomorrow I'd like to mention all of the Marines from 3/5 that died while deployed to Iraq with me during my 3 tours:
Gregory Rund
Benito Ramirez
Raymond Plouhar
Jason Morrow
Jeffrey Kirk
Shane Kielion
Victor Lu
Hilario Lopez
Ross Smith
Christopher Adlesperger
Michael Anderson Jr.
Melvin Blazer
James Blecksmith
Jason Clairday
Joseph Heredia
Eric Hillenberg
Erick Hodges
George Payton
James Philips
Gene Ramirez
Antoine Smith
Raleigh Smith
Rex Page
Sean Cardelli
Javier Chavez
Geofrey Cayer
Ian Stewart.
...You will never be forgotten.
Thinking of the friends that I lost in Iraq reminds me of how extremely lucky I am to live in this country and have the life that I do. Today I looked at Legs and Thumper with even greater joy than usual. Seeing Legs sitting with her boy on a bench at Freedom Park practically brings tears to my eyes. They're such wonderful people and I'm so happy that I'll get to spend the rest of my life with them.
Happy Memorial Day to everyone. I hope that you all take a moment over the weekend to reflect on the important people in your lives and appreciate what makes them special to you. Our country is far from perfect, but I've met people that have it a hell of a lot worse than we do here in the United States. I'm proud to be a veteran, and to have fought for granting freedoms to those without them.
