Once a Marine, Always a Marine

When Ted and I were trying to figure out where to take our annual honeymoon, we got it down to San Francisco and San Diego.  Two places we could go pretty much for a long weekend and spend time together.  I was kind of pulling for San Francisco because I had never been there.  Ted said he wanted to go to San Diego - because when he was there for basic training, he never got to see anything there.  And he wanted to go back to where he "stepped on the footprints".  I had no idea what that meant and honestly thought there was no way we were getting on a military installation.

Always a Marine

We actually found it on Saturday after going to the Midway.  Ted was so excited to hear they have a museum, that he wanted to go back on Sunday.  HELLLLLO - we're going to Sea World.  I think he would have come back and forgot Sea World.  I was happy to hear they were closed on Sunday and we made plans to come back on Monday.  

The history of guns
in the Marines

Very hard to see
Recruits about to be
Marines - marching to
prepare for graduation

I had no idea what to expect.  We walked in, it was just the two of us.  A family came in later.  We wandered through and I actually got a little weepy thinking of this man that I'm married to, at 17-years-old, doing what he had planned since he was pretty much born.  That's all he ever wanted, was to be a Marine.  He was still a child and he got to this very place at 2:00 in the morning and was screamed at to get off the bus and onto the yellow footprints.  I had no clue what that meant until I saw the ones they had in the museum.  The yellow footprints - they had to go stand on the yellow footprints - stand at attention.  This is where they break them down and build them back again.

Stepping on some
footprints

When we made it up to the second level, Ted found the staff there.  He found a way to get his unit picture.  They will be shipping it to him.  He was thrilled.  While he was doing this, I started talking to a gentleman - I think he was the man who ran the museum.  I was telling him how Ted was very close to dying back in January and how when we were talking about where we were going to go for our trip, he said he wanted to go back here and step on the yellow footprints.  This guy excused himself and came back.  When he introduced himself to Ted and shook his hand, he put a challenge coin in his hand.  It was a challenge coin for the 25 year anniversary of the museum.  When Ted and I were alone, I was able to tell him of the conversation and Ted got a little overwhelmed.  

The real footprints

We made our way outside to the parade grounds.  There were young men and women out there practicing practicing for their graduation that is going to happen on Friday.  We saw another unit out running.  And another unit out marching.  We also saw the real footprints.  The footprints that made the man into the one I love today.  OOO RAH.