Received the following email:
Mr. Plemons,
Thank you so much for responding to our post on AnyMarine. I hope this note finds you and your family well. Please give your family my best and thank your family’s veterans for their faithful service to our country as well.
The Marines here always look forward to mail call, thanks to generous supporters such as you. Whether we receive letters of encouragement or “goodiesâ€; the spirits of every one of us are lifted. We share everything and keep any items not immediately claimed in a locker for later use.
About half of the Marines in my shop are deployed here for one year; the remainder is on 6-7 month rotations. The former are stationed at —– and the latter are drawn from all over the Marine Corps. Our unit is an aviation maintenance/support squadron, which means that we are responsible for keeping all of the different aircraft from the multi-national forces, west available for flying. It can sometimes be a daunting task with so many different aircraft types and the sheer volume of work, but the Marines are performing brilliantly thus far.
As I’m sure you’ve heard from others, the long hours of hard work, and separation from our families can be difficult at times. Most of the Marines are on their first deployment, but a few of us “old guys†have deployed a bit more. But despite the hardships, the Marines here remain highly dedicated to the mission and attack every challenge that comes their way.
The Marines here are all very well, we have had no casualties or even any significant injury (knock on wood).
I too am a Kentucky native, I was born and raised in Louisville and only migrated in 1992 when I began my career as a Marine. Since then I’ve gotten married and have two children (my son is —– and my daughter is —–). My mother, brother and sister still live in Louisville, my family and I make a couple of trips a year back “home†to see them.
Thank you again, and God bless,
—–
