On Fidelity

The Latin words semper fidelis are inscribed permanently across my back to remind me that faithfulness, loyalty, and fidelity are the backbone of my character.  To forsake these attributes is to forsake everything I hold dear in life.  The words semper fidelis (always faithful) are also the motto of the United States Marine Corps, an organization I was once proud to be a part of.  I got my tattoo when I was very new to the Corps, it was intended to have both the meaning I mentioned previously and to illustrate the big part of my life that was the Marine Corps.


Semper Fidelis became the motto of the U.S. Marine Corps in 1883; it is an important part of Marine tradition and culture.  To many of us it is more than a motto, it is a way of life.  It means that we will always be loyal to each other, that we will protect and honor fellow Marines on and off the battlefield.  There are some of us who still believe in the ideals of brotherhood.  Always faithful, words that every person should live by.


Yet so few do...


During my time as a Marine I saw those sacred words disgraced constantly; turns out the brotherhood isn't so faithful, definitely not always. Marines debase the words with their actions by turning on their brothers or cheating on their wives; I have never witnessed so much infidelity as when I lived on a military base.  Not only are the words disgraced by actions they have become a joke to many, who use them sarcastically.  I saw the words lose their meaning as they are changed into cheesy slogans on signs around bases such as "semper fit" or "semper safe", it disgusted me.


Another disgusting trend I saw was the word "infidel" displayed with pride on bumper stickers, clothing, even tattoos.  The word that literally means "lacking faithfulness" is being proudly brandished by Marines while their motto "always faithful" is being disgraced!  The idea is absolutely revolting to me!  Honor, courage, and commitment cannot be forgotten: Always faithful cannot die.  We must adhere to these ideals in our daily lives, not only in the military but in all walks of life.

The importance of the abasement of these principles is that it signifies a culture apathetic to morality and trust.  The trend of using the word infidel as a symbol suggests a trend of ignorance of the culture of the land in which they fight or an apathetic 'I don't care who I kill' attitude.  I have experienced both of these and both are common within the military.  It is a very careless thing to fight in a place you know little about, for reasons you do not clearly understand; and the apathetic attitude will more than likely come back to haunt you. 

Dishonoring these ideals isn't only a problem within the military it is problem in our society as a whole.  Americans become increasingly materialistic, greedy, and dishonest and the importance of values is minimized continually.  In letting this go on we are allowing the fires that will destroy our country to be fueled.  It's time to take a deep look inside and find out what is truly important.

Journey of the Decieved

  I will never forget the day I became a Marine; my Drill Instructor placed the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor in my hand and told me he was proud of me, that I would be a great Marine.  If you were never a part of the Corps you may not understand the importance of this moment.  It is a very emotional ceremony, and is the one time in boot camp when it is acceptable to cry; and many new Marines do as they realize that what they have worked so hard for has become a reality.  I didn't cry; for me the moment was surreal.  I looked my Drill Instructor in his eyes and shook his hand and then I gazed at my fellow Marines and the mountains that surrounded us and wondered at the journeys life takes us on. 

The day was momentous for me because I had wanted to earn that title since I was twelve years old.  I had sat glued to the television eight years before that day, watching as nearly three thousand Americans were maliciously murdered in cold blood.  I told myself that one day I would defend my country from the people responsible for that horrific attack.  I decided I would join the toughest branch of the military and become a warrior for the land that I love.  My twelve year old mind hoped that there would still be some bad guys to kill when I got there.

In the following years I became infatuated with Marine Corps culture.  I studied it's history, customs, and tactics.  I practiced drill movements and recited diddies,dates, and facts; hoping that one day all of this would make me the best of the best.  I earned the title and my hard work paid off, I was good at what I did; and I loved the Marine Corps.

And then one day I opened my eyes...

And my world came crashing down. 

I was in Afghanistan and I was full of questions.  I didn't know who the "bad guys" were, I knew I was supposed to kill them but I didn't know who they were.  I knew Al Qaeda was responsible for the attacks that brought me here but we were fighting the Taliban.  I was ashamed to realize that I had no knowledge of Al Qaeda or the Taliban other than they were my enemy and they were bad.  I further recognized that I didn't have any knowledge of the country I was in besides the war and what I saw daily.  I was truly ashamed that I was in Afghanistan without this knowledge, so I began to research.

The first thing I discovered was that Al Qaeda was started and funded by the American Central Intelligence Agency; Osama Bin Laden, my enemy, was a CIA asset.  After seeing this shocking truth I couldn't stop; I took the red pill that day and began looking for answers.

The rabbit hole goes deep.