I remember when Scotty was a little guy.  All he ever did was want to be like me.  I guess I always assumed that Ben would be the same way, but what I never took into account was that Ben has a big brother.

Of course that is the reason we call them the twins, because in all reality they really are.  Everything that Scotty does Ben does.  They act alike, and even dress alike.  Ben is now wearing a tie, and I am required to put it on him just like like Scott wears his.

The funniest part is when you ask him what he wants to be when he grows up.  He will tell you without hesitation that he wants to be a Marine like Scotty is going to be.  So Scotty always asks him what do Marines say, and Ben replies, also without hesitation, “Semper Fi Ooh Ra!”  It is hilarious, but to Ben it is serious business.

When I was at the end of high school, I sat in the recruiter’s office ready to sign onto the Marines.  I wanted to be nothing else.  I was a kid in need of a lot of direction, and I knew that it was the road for me.  Unfortunately for me, that recruiter lied to me, and instead of signing I delivered a pretty colorful rant at him as I walked out of his office….never to return again.  It is a decision I regret to this day, because I really needed what the Marines could have offered me, and the road I walked from there, although successful, was a lot less sure than it would have been.

In the end it has all worked out, thank God, and although I never achieved that high honor myself, I will indeed be the father of a US Marine, and perhaps even two.  And that does not bother me, because it has never been about me.  I am just honored to be an American, and soon to be among those whose children serve this great country of ours.

I still need that direction and discipline.  But in the end in looking at these two goofballs I lives with, perhaps it is best that I let them receive it instead.  They are both great kids, and they both make me proud.   And it pleases me to hear the words so dear in my home of duty, honor, and country.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+