A veteran’s thoughts & pen

Why I Write

I am storyteller. I often joke that I am a writer and speaker because I have no tangible skills. Writing and speaking provide a medium to tell stories. Some generate laughter or tears. Hopefully a few provide leadership and reflection.

I chose “Take It On The Left Foot” because the phrase is familiar to military folks. When running in formation and signing cadence, the one leading the song (or telling the story if you will) eventually belts out “…take it on the left foot!..the mighty, mighty, left foot!” The next individual then steps out with “I got it!”

I served as a United States Marine for twenty-five years. I was an infantryman, a grunt. I served three tours in Iraq and was awarded a Purple Heart after receiving a gunshot and shrapnel wounds on a really bad day. I recognize that I served with legends and walked with heroes. I hope I honor some of them with my stories, or at least convey what it felt like it for those of us who served.

Some of my thoughts are scribbled in green notebooks and stuffed into an old footlocker. They may show up here years later, appearing dark and rambling. I went through several years of an “angry and thirsty time” after the war. Visceral evidence of that time appears in some lines, but bleeding those words provided a measure of healing. I am doing alright now, thankfully so.

Thanks for stopping by Take It On The Left Foot, at some point my song will fade and the next generation will have to hold high the torch as such regiment hand down. Semper Fidelis