It was just a little odd to realize I was out here and it's just another day and people back there have the day off for Veteran's day.   Add to that the fact that yesterday was the Marine Corps Birthday and the chaotic mess that is my thought process showed even more pertubations that usual.  While we didn't have the normal riotious celebrations that occur when units are at home for the birthday, we did still gather and make the couple essential obeisance's to comrades and country that define the day for Marines.  I put it that way not because I was going through the motions just because or by rote, but because it is larger than one person and institutionalized in it's format and significance.  Don't know if that makes sense...

   If you have a couple minutes you can watch this years message from the Commandant.  It was a little more targeted than last years, but well done nonetheless.  Hopefully you can get to via the links below, I couldn't verify they work as ironically the filters block even streaming media that's on the USMC homepage.

http://downloads.feedroom.com/downloads/t_assets/20081007/CMC08_FINAL_Download_2VDP.wmv

   Below is the page that link is off.  If you want the whole experience (or what you can get online, lol), you can read Gen Lejeune's message (link on right of page) that's been read at every Marine Corps Ball for the last 87 years and will no doubt be read at every one yet to come.
http://www.marines.mil/usmc/Pages/2008MarineCorpsBirthdayBall.aspx

   While the Saint Cripins Day speech they're not, when you're away from home they still stir some feelings.  They may also be a little over the top for anyone not in the military or familiar with the culture, but then when you're trying to remind people of the importance of what they do and and price people have paid in doing it, you need to lay it on kind of thick.
    Having read a number of historical accounts, taken some classics in college, and generally just mused about life,  I find the psychology of a military kind of interesting, but then as some of you know, I feel the need to overanalyze everything, my own situation and motivations especially.  While I'm definitely a believer that you need a military and I do take pride in what I do, or I wouldn't have joined in the first place, your stereotypical service member I'm probably not.

I hope all had a good day
        Steve