When you say the word “Marine” an image will come to your mind. I had my own mental image of the Marine Corps. In 1979 I went to the recruiters office and wanted to enter the service. Post Viet Nam, the recruiters office was a ghost town. Young people today do not remember the climate of society after Viet Nam. It was not popular to say you were a Marine in 1979, yet there was a pride that my early mentors possessed in being a Marine. I heard the terms Band of Brothers, Brotherhood and it was just like being part of a new family. We fought each other, complained about everything not in our control. Like a family I might fight with my brothers and sisters but you better not cross my family, there was a severe price to pay if you did. Like someone receiving an education, I was being transformed daily. Honor, Courage, and Semper Fi (Always Faithful) phrases that are not bylines, they are the very foundation of our lives. I am not a medical professional so I know very little about genetics, DNA or Hematology, but something changed in my DNA over the years I spent in the Corps. I was adopted into a brotherhood that was family in every sense of the word. Today 40 years after stepping on the footprints at Parris Island I work with Marines, both young and old. I have two sons that have served in the Marine Corps. There is a special bond with Marines wherever our paths may cross. Yes, I was adopted into a family that I have loved most of my adult life. This year we celebrate our 244th Birthday. To this day my extended family, Marines, post and write Happy Birthday every November 10th, our Corps’ Birthday. To all my brothers and sisters across the world, Happy Birthday Marines and as it will always be Semper Fi.