Merry Christmas from Okinawa

Here's to hoping that everyone's Christmas is festive and safe. Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish readers too.

Christmas in Okinawa doesn't feel quite like Christmas in the states. The weather, of course, is quite different, but the general atmosphere is not the same either. Only about 20% of the population is estimated to really celebrate Christmas here, so the decor is a bit lackluster.

I somehow doubt that we will have a "white Christmas," but I'm thankful that I get to spend it with my wife and kids. I'll certainly miss spending Christmas with the rest of my family, but that's why I get paid the big bucks.

Merry Christmas. Stay safe, and have a great week.

Good News

Headquarters Marine Corps has published the fiscal year 2009 approved selections to the rank of First Sergeant and Master Sergeant. You can view the list here. My name is on it!

What this means is that I've been selected, by the promotion board that convenes in Washington, for promotion to Master Sergeant (E8). The Corps will now promote a few each month until they get to my "number." I'm looking at sometime next summer to get promoted.

I work with a couple of guys that got passed over, and it sort of stinks for them, but that's life.

Bailout: Rewarding Failure

Shamelessly stolen from Politically Incorrect Gazette.

Jury Duty

About once a year or so, my wife gets a summons for jury duty. It comes in the mail. It comes in the mail to our FPO address. With efficiency like that, I think we're all doomed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Despite all of the wailing and wringing of hands over the dangers of deep frying turkeys, I've decided to do exactly that this year. Since it's raining outside this morning, I'm going to move the fryer into the living room...I'M KIDDING!

Since I know how to read, follow simple instructions, and fight the urge to "improve" on the process, I have no worries about frying a turkey. Besides, I have a fire extinguisher, and wounds heal.

The neat part is that I used an injector to inject seasonings into the bird. The seasonings are mixed into melted butter. I was delighted when I realized that I'm actually going to be deep frying butter...Mmmmmmmm; health food. The only way to make it even better would be to stuff a duck and a chicken inside of that sucker, and maybe a couple pounds of bacon too. Oh well; there's always next year.

Here's to hoping that all two of my readers have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

More Motivational Posters

More Okinawa Funnies

You can click these for the full size version. These are just a couple more funny things that I see here in Okinawa on a daily basis. My wife is fond of reminding me that things we see every day and find routine would be very interesting to folks in the states.

If you want some goo, you can just call and it will be delivered by this guy:

What do you think will happen if you don't obey this sign? I've seen this one a few times, and I always giggle a little bit:

Making Changes

I had written a previous post about my time as a Drill Instructor at Parris Island. One of the commentors asked what it was like to transition back to "normal" duty after that. I thought I might delve a little bit into that.

Serving as a professional jerk has its drawbacks. It was extremely difficult to turn that behavior off when I came home at night, but it became a little easier as my tour went on. There are various jobs, or billets associated with DI duty. There's the Drill Instructors, the Senior Drill Instructor, and the Series Gunnery Sergeant, which used to be called the "Series Chief." As I moved up the food chain to SDI and Series GySgt, my role changed.

The SDI is not as much of a sadistic madman as the regular Drill Instructors, and that has a very important reason behind it. While none of us wanted to see recruits get abused, I'm not naiive enough to think that it never happens. Having an SDI that the recruits feel will solve their problems can have a positive effect if there is a DI that is stepping over the line. Recruits will come talk to the SDI about it, instead of someone at the medical clinic, the chapel, an officer, etc. This gives the SDI the opportunity to solve the problem, without officers getting involved. It also makes the evening transition at home, and the transition back to the fleet, a little easier.

Moving another notch up to Series GySgt is even better. I did one cycle as the Series GySgt (I was only a Staff Sergeant at the time), and my only real job was to run PT in the mornings, and supervise the DIs and SDIs. I wasn't the one training recruits, and I was able to ease the tension a little bit.

Both of those jobs made transitioning back to the FMF (Fleet Marine Force) a little easier. Another element that made it more practical, if not easier, is having a family. My tour as a DI was very hard on our family, and I didn't want to lose them. It was absolutely imperative that I make some serious changes, or I probably would have lost them.

There was one other factor that helped me. I, and probably every other Marine that has been around for a while, have worked for, or with, those Marines who are prior DIs, and that never seemed to take off that smokey bear. I don't particularly care for that at all, just as most subordinates don't. I knew that I would probably lose the respect of my subordinates (and peers?) if I didn't change my leadership style. You simply cannot treat Marines like recruits.

In a nutshell, it was a little difficult, but I had some help. I still can't believe that my wife put up with me through all of that, but I suppose that it made our marriage stronger. Between that and deploying, I think we could get through just about anything now.

More Japanese Signs

So does spelling! The crime "preventic" didn't work too well, since somebody stole the 'N.'

I saw this today while out geocaching, and I couldn't pass it up.

Vacation is Over

Well, my couple of weeks of "vacation" are over. I thought that I had more stuff going on while I was off of work...until I returned to work.

Young, male Marines are dumb; there's no getting around that. Some of the young, female Marines are just as dumb. Get them together, and you've got a recipe for MP involvement. Sheesh. Was I really that dumb when I was their age?

My current battalion commander has decreed that all alcohol-related incidents will go to his level for punishment...maybe he didn't realize that this policy will simply serve to squash even more incidents. Oh well; I get to "counsel" even more young Marines now...hehehehehehe. I have a shovel, some sandbags, and an imagination.

Being back at work is strange, but silly decisions by those "above" me have made it even stranger.

I alos received a nice email from a liberal Democrat. She told me that she disagreed with my Commander in Chief, but supported me and my fellow troops. I was impressed with her email. It was very nice, and counter to anything I have ever received from any liberal. I wish she was running for office, vice Obama. Perhaps if liberals believed, or made public, what she does, they'd get a lot more traction.

Until Monday, stay safe and shoot straight.