Once A Marine, Always A Marine...

With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable.
~~~~~Thomas Foxwell Buxton


I'm sure that everyone has heard that (the post title) at least once in their lifetime. But what happens to those Marines when they've been injured fighting for our country? Do they cease being a Marine? No! I've worked with men who had served in the Marines for years, had retired, and yet they continue to consider themselves Marines. I also know that they will do anything possible for a brother in arms. I've read many stories of our Heroes over the last year and half in regards to the men who just wouldn't quit after being injured. Some of those men have lost limbs and eyesight. Yet, the very first question they ask is "when can I get back to my unit?" or "I need to return to my men." Perhaps that's where they get their motto. Semper Fi or Always faithful.

Below you are going to read an excerpt from one such story. Only this man is in charge of more than a few injured Marines. Read how he is helping them along the return route. All I have to say...

Staying Power: Wounded Marines Ordered to do Their Part to Recover

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service


CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. , Nov. 21, 2008 -

Marine Capt. Ray Baronie was traveling in a convoy in Ramadi, Iraq, on Dec. 1, 2005 when an anti-tank round blasted his truck. Baronie's legs were shattered, his body cut and bloodied. His driver was killed. The truck rolled onto its side, and then he was shot at. But really hard times didn't hit until Baronie came back to the United States.

"That's really when hell started. In one year, I had 46 surgeries," he said.

Baronie's right leg was amputated above the knee. He lost major muscle from both legs. He can tap his thigh bone through the skin on the back of his left leg. He now walks with the help of a cane and a prosthetic right leg. Scars cover his arms.

But Baronie's injuries haven't stopped him from stepping in front of a Marine formation and continuing his active duty. In fact, quite the opposite. His injuries have uniquely qualified him to run one of three companies in the U. S. military designed to house and care for seriously wounded Marines.

Remarkably, Baronie was offered the job while he was still in the hospital recovering from his wounds. He now commands 100 or so Marines who make up Company A, Wounded Warrior Battalion East, part of the Wounded Warrior Regiment stood up at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., by order of the commandant of the Marine Corps in April 2007.

"I had to get better because I had to get back to work," Baronie said. "How fast could I get back to work? That's what it came down to. I think me knowing that I had a job sped up my recovery."

Please do the clicky click thing on the link above to read the rest of this amazing story. You will come to understand what just how much this country has been blessed with men such as these.





And so it goes......