Ditty07

Reflections

First and at the top of the list — there just aren't enough ways to thank Ed, Suzi and Erik for all they did to make the rest of us feel welcome, well-fed and comfortable.

From the moment I pounded on the hatch until I took my leave, there wasn't anything more they could have done to have provided a more cordial visit. They're generous to a fault, and were completely willing to do whatever it might have taken to make a great weekend better.

I was a bit surprised at how easy it was to slide right into conversation with folks I'd never met. I'm usually a bit more reserved, or cautious, but I felt completely at home in Winger Heaven, and with everyone.

You might recall that Nancy and I started our relationship as penpals. The exchange of emails and posts among all hands for the past several years must have replaced that initial getting-to-know-you stage, so meeting these cyber- pals was much-much easier than I think anyone expected. It is great to be in a place and among people where there are no pretenses and no oneupmanship. A good place and a good time to be a Marine among Marines. I've never forgotten how good that feels, and it was wonderful to feel it again.

The family atmosphere fostered by meeting in Ed's home, by Al's and BullDawg's wives and daughters, by Suzi and by Mair and Mike — our own special newlyweds — was really special. Although the Marines kinda knew one another via the forum and emails, earlier meetings and friendships, the ladies brought a new and different perspective to our gathering. Impossible now to think of Nihil without thinking, too, of Ina and Lori, or of Al without Jean and Becky coming to mind. Although we were on our best behavior, I know they brought about a decorum that otherwise might have been, shall we say, a bit less civilized.

I commented earlier about Mair and I discovering a common link in Major Frank Manrod. That hit home big-time, a vivid reminder of how much family we really are, how close-knit our community is. A brief note on Major Manrod: many Marines reserve the term "Skipper" for the most respected among their COs. Frank was one of them.

There's little to add about how delighted I am to have met these Marines: Martin — the Dirty Dog, a super young man

Erik — a man-mountain sized guy with an equally large heart (but a weird hat)

Ed — consummate Winger and consummate host

Mike — the thrill instructor with a sense of humor, and his Drill Field stories

Mair — as lovely as one can imagine, yet make no mistake: a Marine's Marine

Big Al — whose size ain't what you'd think from his pictures, but whose heart and courtesy are even bigger

BullDog — No mistaking his heritage or his legacy, his gift to country and Corps.

Somehow, it seems that this gathering was much larger than it was, that there were many more than the dozen or so in Ed's home. It must have been because all of you were there in our hearts.

Truly humbled in your presence, and proud to be among you,

Semper Fidelis

Dittychaser

* * *

Author's bio: Former SSgt Jim Barton (Dittychaser) served from 1964 to 1970,

with one tour in Vietnam (1966-67). Although born in New Jersey, he and Nancy

(married in 1965) reside in Oklahoma City, where he still spends nights on the ground and in uniform (Boy Scout, that is).

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