Take Care, Marie

Army Rangers praying

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
"Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
Isaiah 6:8

(I am including this verse, not because I believe in God, but because the verse was posted next to the above picture on the U.S. Army Ranger website, and it must reflect someone's idea that we are engaged in a "holy war"??)


High five with Iraqi child



Of my three step-daughters, Linda, Marie, and Cindy, Marie grew up with us in Long Beach (CA) as a natural leader. She was a born competitor, and was not always easy for us to keep track of.

After high school, we encouraged her to join the Army, thinking this would help her avoid "evil" influences in Long Beach, and give her a better idea of what she was good at and what she enjoyed doing in life. She met and married a fellow soldier while stationed in Germany, and they gave us our first grandson, Bennie, now 17 years old.

Marie returned to college (Calif. State Univ. at Long Beach, where I taught in the Dept. of Physics and Astron.), joined the Army ROTC program there, and graduated with a commission as a 2nd Lt. in the Army Transportation Corps. She has since done her best to "be all she can be", rising in rank to Major.

Her last assignment in San Diego county (in charge of Army recruiting there) allowed us to visit fairly often, driving down from Morro Bay. I have been impressed by the great job she has done. Her troops love her, and she is always willing to go the extra mile to get things right.

We also enjoy seeing Bennie, her second husband, James, and their son, Justin.

Now Marie is headed to Kuwait/Iraq for at least a year, and our thoughts are with her.

Some pictures:

Linda, Marie, and Cindy in a power-pose:




Linda, Marie, and Cindy all dressed up:



Marie with awards:




Marie and James:




Brandon and Tara are James' children from his first marriage. Here are Brandon, James, Tara, Marie, Bennie, and Justin.




And finally, a view of Iraq from the air:


Take Care, Marie