So in honor of the USMC birthday, I decided want to tell y’all about the first Marine I really knew, who I met my first week in the Pentagon years ago. The most full of himself prior service Marine in the universe, Bill was a senior member of our security detail...(thread!)

I was 22 and thought I knew everything and he was pushing 60 and KNEW he knew everything - but somehow we still became friends and worked together like champs...

Every day, he told me about being in Vietnam, where he served as part of the 1/9, earned a Purple Heart, and survived a helo crash. If you’re not familiar with the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, “the Walking Dead,” take a moment to read about them here https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2016/10/26/how_19_marines_became_the_walking_dead_110260.html

I thought my bombastic marine buddy was annoying as hell but invincible. Then I learned that decades after Vietnam, he still couldn’t get on a helo - and that in order to do his job, he would often leave hours early to beat the SecDef’s helos to the next location..

Bill would complain about literally anything else — but the one real challenge he faced he never complained openly about. He just fucking handled it. To this day, that’s how I think of Marines. They just fucking handle the hard things. Every Marine I’ve ever met is like this..

So cheers to my buddy Bill and all Marines on your 245th birthday. We regular Americans will raise a glass to you today, and will be counting on you to handle the hard shit for us for all the days to come. Semper Fi

**also if anyone wants to fact check me on Bill being real and awesome, ask anyone in the Pentagon press corps... @JimGaramone @ckubeNBC or @DefenseBaron to name a few!