The Few, The Proud, The Marine

My son "The Marine" as I call him, is carrying on a family tradition.
Since 1770 not a generation has past that someone in our family has not proudly served in the military.
Something I hope carries on for generations to come.
Family traditions bring a sense of pride to families. It seems now days that a lot of the younger families are to busy to follow, or start a family tradition. I think they bring a sense of stability to a home and family.
My Father is a Marine. I still remember one day he asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.  "A MARINE Sir!" His response was something along the lines of "I'll Kick your ass from here.... if you join." It was not that he did not like the Marines. He knew what a Marine was. From his time back during WWII till now the Marines only have one mission. Go to war, fight, and win!  They are trained for war, trained to kill and trained to win. It is a brotherhood that comes before family and friends.
I made the mistake of making the statement that my father "was a Marine." I was corrected on the spot! "Once a Marine, always a Marine! 
I can say that the Marines made a man out of my boy, but I would be wrong. They made my boy into a Marine! "The Few, The Proud, The Marines!"
My son now has the honor of being called not only a Marine, but also a Devil Dog, a Leatherneck, and I am sure a few other not so nice nouns. Thanks to the Marines my son and I have a lot more in common. Now our chats are about M-16's, 50 cals, living in fox holes and such. I still think I can build a better bunker with sand bags then he can!
As a father I worry about him, but as a father of a Marine I have no worries. I know that he is an elite warrior, that is proud of his Nation. Offered the best training in warfare. The words "Send in the Marines" still puts fear in the hearts of our enemies. I am sure that Archangel Michael was the first Marine.
Marines, Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard protect our Nation and liberties. Keep our boys and girls serving our Great Nation in your hearts and prayers
My hope is that one day my grand kids will serve our great Nation's Military Service. I ended up going Air Force, but in my heart is a "Semper Fi" always Fathfull!