as published in The Sun Post News on June 22, 2012:
There's something about seeing a Marine buying toothpaste at Walmart that makes me weep inside. Every single time.
The idea that these strong and courageous heroes allocate part of their monthly stipend toward such a mundane human task makes me feel somehow unworthy, yet connected as we stand in the same aisle. As I watch them price-check the plastic tubes, I suppress my awkward desire to offer to pay for their items and instead resolve to find them in the parking lot the next time they host a car wash. It's the one car wash I get that I don't check for missed spots afterward.
Not that these men would miss them.
Even when not in uniform, you can always spot a Marine around town – their shoulders broad as a bull's, their hair fastidiously shorn to the scalp, the modest bravery in their countenance that somehow emanates even as they buy toiletries at a superstore.
When people ask why we love San Clemente, my mind instantly turns to visions of the palm trees at T-Street, the sunset down Vista Hermosa, and the Marines. And now that I have sons of my own, every time I see a man in uniform, I think of what my sons could become.
I'll never forget my oldest son's first haircut. As we entered Jerry's Barber Shop, I was already emotional at the thought of saying goodbye to my toddler's wispy blond baby hair. And then a Marine walked in.
Read the rest:
There's just something about a Marine in uniform | marine, jerry, sons - News - The Orange County Register
