How Do Marine Families Have Fun?

Well they try on Kevlar of course! The Marine brought home the newest in flak jackets. It came in 14 parts and he had to put it together after he had A CLASS on it. He dressed us up so we could each feel just how much weight our boys in the sand pack around when on patrol. Let me just say, they all deserve a medal just for wearing this stateside, much less in the sauna like summers in the sand box.


Oh, BTW (that stands for by the way, it's cool blog/text talk)the glasses are just so I can look really cool, AND I don't have any make up on AND I have a sty in my right eye. Go ahead - you can laugh and guffaw... but I think it really makes a statment.
Here I get an adjustment. The helmet was pretty comfy, but if I had to wear it for hours I can see how it might become a stool. Plus, now I'm thinking the thinning hair on my Marine may not all be genetic. Several tours of wearing this stuff may have added to the hair loss...

This is my G.I. Jane pose. I think The Marine likes it. Okay, so he might be guffawing a little bit.
So his purpose in bringing it home other than to provide cheap entertainment for us for the evening was to have me help adjust it. There's different areas to adjust to fit the Marine. Look he stands at attention naturally. Straight stare, stiff posture. I kid you not, the man sleeps like this. Weird.Digging the pointy thing in the front, aren't you? He said it's not his favorite part of the ensemble as far as presentation. I'm sure he would appreciate it given the right circumstances.

Here I demonstrate my vast knowledge of this new gear and have the appropriate studied look on my face. Actually, I have no idea what I'm looking at, something to do with hip stuff. I am just looking appropriately involved so The Marine doesn't frown at me. Recruit 3 continues to be intriqued. Plus, - we turned the TV off.

This is my favorite. The Marine is demonstrating something called "tucking". With ballistic goggles on and the tuck procedure they have a good chance of withstanding injury. We prefer to call it "turtling". There's some movie with Dana Carvey or Harvey or Garvey, something like that, where he says "Tuuuurrrrtle". It's a dumb movie but Recruits 1 & 2 found it hillarious. So of course we all stood around yelling "Tuuuuur-tle".

It's just how we roll.

(I certainly hope if The Marine ever needs to yell out direction to other Marines to "Tuck" we haven't now influenced his brain to yell "TURTLE" instead. Never know what happends under times of great stress. Might need to send a memo to his unit that if he yells turtle he means tuck and they should just roll with it.)

Of course the party wouldn't be complete without everyone taking a turn. Recruit 1 just got in from Band Camp. Bet the other kids aren't haning out in Kevlar.

Recruit 3 got all velcroed in - and seemed to like it...
Recruit 4 said today he didn't want to be a Marine, but I don't now, he seems pretty happy...

Recruit 5 is only grinning because he THOUGHT he was no longer in danger of falling over backwards. Recruit 6 had to be steadied. When The Marine placed this on his tiny shoulders, he was heading to the floor, but The Marine caught him and held him up.

Thanks to whomever ratcheted up the gear a notch. There a few folks who are very very grateful. :)