Marines are Green

Marines are Green

Tim picked up an “Earth Friendly” shopping bag at the PX for me the other day, and here is what it says:

Marines are Earth Friendly because…
- Marines have been saving the planet for over 200 years!
- Marines are lean, GREEN fighting machines!
- In battle, Marines ALWAYS clean up!
- Marines conserve…they hit their target with the first round!
- Without nature, Marines would be visible!


Tim and I went to the Spouse’s Orientation meeting Monday of this week. The married officers in Charlie Company got to bring their wives (and two brought their husbands) to learn about resources available to families. One highlight was the question/answer time. One girl raised her hand and said,
“I’m a very career oriented person. How can I get a job where I can be promoted regularly if I’m only at a place for six months?”
Well, first of all, don’t get married, and second, don’t marry a Marine. Puuuleeease.
During the Tricare insurance brief, another girl raised her hand and asked,
“Will Tricare cover my homeopathic medications? Because of my medical condition, I need to have natural remedies.”
Tricare only covered medications that the doctors prescribed (I’m guessing they don’t prescribe natural remedies).

After the meeting, we had time to run over to DEERS to get my ID card. It was Tim’s fifth time in the place (twice for his, three times for mine). We waited two hours, but we finally got it!

I’m basically learning to expect things to take a long time and not even work the first or second time. Then, if things do work out immediately, I will be pleasantly surprised.

Tuesday morning I dropped Tim off at TBS and drove over to the Naval hospital to sign up for Tricare. It took about fifteen minutes. I was pleasantly surprised.

Garden Review

So while I was waiting for the Tricare office to open, I sat down with a gardening magazine. I came across an article about the lost gardens of Alcatraz (old run down prison in California shut down since the sixties, I think). Apparently, one of the prison’s rehabilitation programs was a gardening experience for the prisoners. They planted exotic varieties of plants around the prison. The plants are now growing wild despite being left alone for years.

Later that day, I went to pick up Tim. It was later than usual, and it had not been a good day for the officers of Charlie Company. Charlie Company had been getting an abnormal amount of parking tickets from the MPs. They decided that each individual who brought a car must have their parking job inspected. Tim was very glad that I had taken the car.

“So guess what we got to do today,” Tim said as we drove home. “We got to garden.”

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, your taxes are going to support the Marine Gardening Rehabilitation Program, for all those officers who don’t know where to park their cars.

They gardened more today, and removed a ton (literally) of dirt while doing edging work around a drain along the parade deck.

Thursday and Friday Tim does Martial Arts. I'm hoping he does a good job at blocking. Please pray for him in general this week!