And Now For Something Completely Different

A while back I mentioned another very talented Marine, Max Uriarte. Max has recently joined the proud ranks of former jarheads, but he's also managed to create a unique contribution to Marine Corps lore and culture. Back in January Max started a witty and biting little web cartoon called Terminal Lance. Terminal Lance has since gone viral with well over three and a half MILLION hits. Max asked me to contribute to his site and my first cartoon is up today.

This cartoon is a commentary on the Corps I first encountered in the 70s and the one Max is exiting in 2010. While the fighting elan of Marines is as constant as the Northern Star, there have been significant changes in, shall we say, the quality of recruits and the moral fiber of the Corps over the last 40 years. The days of morning formations where a quarter of your fellow devildogs are UA (unauthorized absence) and barracks hallways fragrant with the smell of pot are long gone, but senior enlisted and officers still seem to find ways to keep non-judicial punishment charge sheets coming. Like recruiting duty, there must be quotas.

At anyrate, check out my cartoon scribblings over at TERMINAL LANCE.

Something Old, Somethings New

I'm pretty close to having all my gear for the upcoming trip to Afghanistan bought and put together. Today UPS delivered the last of my required protective gear, a tan ballistic Kevlar helmet. On my feet for this trip will be a pair of well broken in desert boots and around the neck a shmeagh from my last jaunt. The ergonomic single strap bag for my art supplies and cameras is also a veteran of several campaigns.

A friend of mine, a retired Defense Intelligence Agency civilian, was kind enough to offer me his personal set of Dragon Skin body armor! I can't tell you how thrilling, and reassuring this is. Dragon Skin is the ultimate in protection from multiple threats.

Over the past month I've been going to the gym around the corner and spending a couple hours on a stair climber with my body armor on. You can imagine the questions, and looks I get.

Finally Found

Corporal Leon Salisbury, Fire Team Leader, November 2005

Back in November of 2005 I took a photo of a Marine fire team leader with 2nd Platoon, Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. I had just joined this platoon for Operation Steel Curtain. I always try my best to get all the information possible from each of my portrait subjects. Many of the photos I took would be turned into drawings. There was one drawing/photo where I failed to find out who the Marine was. Thanks, in large part to Facebook, I finally know who the subject of this drawing is . . . Corporal Leon Salisbury.

A few days after photographing Leon he was severely wounded and medevaced to Germany. He, along with 11 other members of his platoon, were wounded the morning of November 16, 2005. 5 others lost their lives in a hellacious firefight in and around a "hell house". On that morning Leon's squad, led by Corporal Javier Alvarez, were assigned to two tanks supporting Fox Company for the final push through the last 100 acre pocket of Ubaydi, Iraq. When the shit hit the fan Alvarez led his squad to the aid of the squad caught in the initial contact. Dashing into the confines of a farmyard they immediately came under fire and Alvarez, in the lead, went down after being shot in both legs by a hidden mujh. Leon, and another Marine, LCpl Justin Mayfield, quickly located and closed with the insurgent who had shot Alvarez. No sooner had they eliminated that threat, a hail of hand grenades started to fall around them. Alvarez picked the one closest to them and tried to toss it back through a window, but no luck. It exploded just as he got it over the sill and into the window opening. His right hand disappeared in a red haze, but the majority of the blast was deflected away from his squad. Alvarez would get the Silver Star for his quick selfless thinking. Leon, although severely wounded by the same blast, dashed to his wounded squad leader and tried to apply a tourniquet. Leon's a little hazy as to what happened next, other than he got dinged again, and although his helmet absorbed most of whatever hit him, it pretty much knocked him out. The next thing he knew he was in Germany. He underwent 6 surgeries for his multiple wounds.

Leon shared with me how his squad leader, Alvarez, even though he himself was recovering from multiple gunshot wounds and the loss of his hand, was bringing his wounded buddies "pogey bait" from the hospital snack bar. And this was mere days after they had been medevaced to Germany.

For his actions that day Corporal Leon Salisbury was recognized with the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star with Combat "V". Leon also endured 6 surgeries to deal with his wounds.

Yesterday Leon came to Fredericksburg to visit and showed me his shattered helmet and bloody flak vest. Leon's platoon sergeant, GySgt Robert Homer, made sure his Marine would have these mementos of his heroics. Homer was recognized with a Silver Star for his actions that fateful morning. Leon was on his way from Harrisonburg to Manassas, Virginia to spend the weekend with his Mom. He's currently a junior at James Madison University majoring in international relations and Arabic.

Corporal Salisbury with his shrapnel damaged helmet and helmet cover

Getting Even Closer

4 Months into Retirement

I''ve cleared the final hurtle for going to Afghanistan as a free-lance correspondent. . .picked up my 6 month visa from the Afghan Consulate in DC last Thursday. My plan is to fly to Kuwait on or about May 23rd and then catch a military hop from Ali Al Salem Air Base into Kandahar. In Kandahar I'll check in with the NATO/ISAF Region South Public Affairs Embed Team and then, hopefully, out to Marine units in the field. I'll be in Afghanistan for the entire month of June.

Word has it that June should be a very active month in and around Kandahar City as coalition forces begin the process of "pacification".

One Step Closer....To A Bunch of Stuff

Two weeks ago I decided to send out about 100 email queries to literary agents. I started by googling "literary agents, New York", followed by literary agents for Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia and London. Most agencies prefer email queries. I found it important to read the particulars of each agency to see how and what they wanted to recieve. Most simply want a proposal. Some are interested in sample chapters. Almost all of them won't open attachments, so everything needs to be cut and pasted into the body of the email.

I recieved about 40 replies within the first two weeks. The majority of them were very short form-letter type responses. Of the 40 or so that emailed back there were 6 that enthusiastically offered representation. My co-author Don DeNevi and I have elected to go with Katie Boyle of The Veritas Literary Agency in San Francisco. Katie has placed books on both the New York Times and Times of London best-seller lists. As you can imagine I'm very excited.

On another note: I've been credentialed as a war correspondent by the Leatherneck magazine. Yesterday I recieved word from the media folks at the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan that I'm cleared to come over and embed with the Marines in Helmand Province. I plan on heading over as soon as I get my Afghan visa and the book deal is locked on. My plan is to use this trip as the basis for a final chapter and for the Master of Fine Arts program at the University of Hartford I'll be starting this summer.

And New Things Begin......

Well, I'm now officially retired from the Marines. Among other things this means I am no longer constrained expressing my political sentiments and opinions. So first things first, I encourage each of you to contribute, as I just did, to the Senate campaign of Scott Brown . Brown is a Lieutenant Colonel and Judge Advocate in the Massachusetts National Guard. Each of us in the US military takes a sacred oath to uphold and defend the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic. As an armed combatant I fought the former with my blood. Now, as an educated private citizen, I can fight the latter with my treasure. I invite each of you to consider doing the same.

All Good Things Must End

Last evening, at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, a retirement ceremony was conducted in my honor. The ceremony was hosted by my good friend Colonel Bob Oltman. Colonel Oltman was the commanding officer of 2nd Battalion of the the 1st Marine Regiment during Operation Steel Curtain. He's currently the CO of Quantico's Security Battalion. My fiance Janis did a super job of inviting everyone and overseeing a lovely reception.

What can I say...it's been a great run since I first enlisted on June 11, 1975. I signed up that day alone in the haze of a hangover and under the shadow of dropping out of a third college. Last night I departed active duty in the presence of family and a wonderful circle of friends and comrades. I was completely sober and basking in the glow of a career full of many accomplishments. Thank you Marine Corps. Thank you God. Time to move on.

Happy Birthday Marines!

Deeds, McGlothlin, Lucente, Rogers and Ware. It is almost 4 years since you gave your last full measure of devotion in Old Ubaydi, Iraq during Operation Steel Curtain. Not a day goes by that I and all your brothers in Fox Company, 2nd Battalion of the 1st Marine Regiment do not remember, mourn and celebrate your lives and sacrifice.

This weekend I am the guest of honor at the Marine Corps Birthday Celebration being conducted in McAlester, Oklahoma by the Indian Nations Detachment of the Marine Corps League. In a few short weeks I will be leaving active duty in my beloved Corps. Tonight I am returning to where my career started, Marine Barracks, McAlester Naval Ammunition Depot. Although the Barracks was disbanded in 1977 and the base transfered to the Army, there is still a small group of dedicated former jarheads who come to together each year to celebrate the birth of our Corps, to raise a glass to fallen friends, to share well worn sea stories, and to keep a small light of memory lit in a remote corner of Oklahoma in honor of unglamorous duty performed with consumate professionalism during the Cold War. Semper Fidelis.



Please enjoy the Commandant of the Marine Corps' 2009 Birthday Message

Now I've Gone and Done It!

Today I finally popped the question to my long suffering girlfriend, Janis. We became engaged at our favorite haunt, Hyperion Espresso. Janis, being the good senior NCO and combat veteran, had all the particulars of our nuptials worked out months ago......the only missing thing was the official proposal. So this week I got permission from her mother Dolores and her brother Carl. This was followed by a trip to the local newspaper, the Free Lance-Star and setting up an engagement announcement in the Sunday edition. I had to surprise her somehow, and I'm happy to report that the announcement in the paper did the trick.

We'll be tying the knot on October 10, 2010 at the newly completed chapel at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

Here's the entry in the paper.

Finished......Sort Of

The Grenadier

An actual Marine grenadier in combat during Operation Steel Curtain, Ubaydi, Iraq-2005

Well, the Grenadier is finished.....sort of. The next step in the creative process is to take what I've just completed to a foundry to be cast in bronze. This piece will be cast using the lost wax technique. The next step in this process is for a foundry to make a series of molds. These molds will then be used to cast hollow wax versions of what you see in the top picture. The wax facsimiles will then be coated, both inside and out, with silica. Once fully prepped with the silica the wax will be melted out as the ceramic is baked, hence the term lost wax. The final mold is then filled with molten bronze and allowed to cool. Once cooled the work is then hit with everything from large hammers to small delicate drills to dislodge the ceramic. In the final steps the bronze will be buffed, sandblasted, treated to an acid bath to create the surface patina, and given a final coat of bowling alley wax.

In future posts I'll show you the lost wax process as it unfolds.