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ADVENTURES IN MARINE BIOLOGY
By
Vincent D. Faini
An
www.our-mission-possible.com
publishing Guild
Library of Congress listing information this page.
Library of Congress Number: 2007942413
ISBN -
978-0-9794986-4-0
X
X
Published 2007 by
www.our-mission-possible.com
publishing,
1430
Willamette St., #274,
Eugene, Oregon 97401
U.S.A.
All
rights reserved.
Copyright Vincent D. Faini 2007
All
rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America.
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no
part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or
introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form,
or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission
of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this
book.
All
characters, places, and scenarios utilized are products of the
author’s
imagination and experience.
All
names have been changed and personalities have been constructed
into amalgams or some people have been represented by two or
more personalities to protect both the innocent and guilty and
to allow anyone plausible denial. Any resemblance to actual
persons, events, locales, or businesses is wishful thinking and
strictly coincidental.
Special thanks go to a few of my best friends Thanks to Phoenix
Michaels for the majority of the conception and graphic design
for the cover and his invaluable advice. Thanks to Celina Hicks
for her role as the beautiful model displayed on the front cover
and as an invaluable editor for much of the book. Thanks to my
friend and co-conspirator Brent Fletcher; who has also helped me
to keep developing as a writer.
Special thanks to Jim Schmolke, Roy Stover, Eric Bissbocci and
Don Watson and Tim Bloch who have been patient enough to read my
stuff, giving me needed feedback along the way. I want to thank
my stepfather Jay Disorbo for his everyday example of what true
work ethic and discipline is about. I want to thank many of my
friends from Philly, for their love and support. To Chris Lynch,
Jon Lynch, Mrs. Lynch, Mr. Mullen, John Mullen, Little John
Delany, John Aberant, Brian Anderson, Bill Hoffman, Paul
Harcelrode, Debbie Pansire, Maribeth Reagan, Aunt Rosie, Uncle
Skip and Aunt Rita with much love and gratitude for being there
over the years.
i
Specials Acknowledgments To:
Phoenix
– For
the positive influences that he has played in my life. I am
thankful that I have such a friend as a fine example of a man
who always
pursues his goals with vigor… even the ones that scared him. As
a person, he has been one of my top inspirations in life.
Brent Fletcher
– For his caring and his unflinching support of my goals even at
the cost of putting some of his off. He has also been an
positive influence in my quest to improve myself and has been a
calm voice when things got tough.
Vincent Lazarus Chimera
– a name that I have given to a friend who has volunteered to
come forth and be my lightening rod as I have helped him to
vent his many disappointments in life.
Neo
– A friend who has filled in at times as a
father, a favorite uncle, an older brother I wish I had and a
friend who has save my life and hopefully saved me from
damnation. Thanks for giving many ideas on how to get important
messages out without going Postal.
Poppy
– Without her early encouragement to write and to complete my
first Book ‘Zen & The Art Of Resistance
Training – A Scientific & Yogic Approach To Weight Lifting’
I very
likely would have never discovered the joys of writing and the
books and the stories that needed to get out would remain buried
forever. To her I have a single message that I hope she
understands
“To the many fond memories of the good times;
forgiveness of the transgressions and bad times;
My hope for the promises that life may bring us –
if we live with honesty, integrity and walk in the light.”
Last
but not least this Book as with the other books is dedicated in
memory of:
Tom
Jennings-
My friend whose life and our friendship - tragically cut short.
He taught me a lot about courage and what it means to stand up
for your friends, for what is right in the face of adversity.
I miss
you.
Most
of all, this book is dedicated to my mother.
She
has more than anyone taught me about discipline, sacrifice,
compassion, friendship, love, loyalty, to both friends and just
causes. She has given me more than I could ever repay in several
lifetimes. Having her as a mother has tempered me… kept me from
evil, made me think twice about doing questionable things.
I miss
her everyday.
ii
FORWARD
“On the debris of our
despair we build our character.” ---------- Emerson
This
is the intriguing and revealing story of just one of our young
men in uniform.
Why
would any young man join any branch of service… much less the
U.S. Marine Corp, especially during wartime?
How
would you feel if your son or daughter or any loved one joined
the military once you read about the fortunes and misfortunes of
the young men in this book?
Many
people assume that young men that join the Marine Corp are
inherently tougher, braver and more patriotic than the people
that join the other military branches, especially if wartime
activity is likely to be inevitable.
Some
people think that a young man’s choice of joining the Marines
may be due to a need to prove his worth to other people and to
himself. Or perhaps, some people just desire greater challenges.
It is
assumed after all, that the Marines is the toughest military
branch in the world, surpassed only by the Navy Seals and
perhaps even the specialized special forces units that every
military branch has, such as the Army’s Special Forces, or
Airborne Rangers. Of course the Marine Corp can boast their
extra tough Recon units.
Many
people that have never served in the military wonder about what
day-to-day activities confront a young marine during combat or
peacetime.
Is the
life of a military man like every John Wayne movie you have ever
seen? Is the military truly populated with men and woman much
like our cultural icons, such as Audey Murphy, Sgt. Saunders of
the TV show ‘Combat’, and Sgt. Rock; or is it all too often a
haven for the Sad Sacks and Gomer Pyles of the world?
Is it
tough, glorious and filled with romance and non-stop adventure?
Or, is it tragic and disappointing as the movie ‘Born in the
Fourth of July” depicts?
How do
the men and women who join the military feel about their
decision to serve their country while they are under the gun or
just passing time during their stint of service?
How do
many of them feel about their decision years later as mature
experienced adults looking back in their memories of the time
spent serving the ‘Green Machine?’
Do
they feel pride, betrayal, sadness or any sense of nostalgia?
Would
they do it over again if they could go back in time, especially
if offered other life choices?
The
major concern or question of most Americans face when pondering
any of these questions, is: “Was it a different time and the
people of my day so different when I was in the Marines when
compared to the young men and women in the Marines today?”
“Does
our situation in Iraq bear any similarities to our situation
during the Vietnam War?
Have
we as a people and a Nation learned anything from past and
present conflicts.
Is the
Military the best place for young men and women fresh out of
high school or their familial nest to learn honor, discipline,
integrity, and how to become a well-balanced adult; or is it a
place fraught with dangers and dysfunction psychologically
scarring our youth with a lifetime of substance abuse, sexual
perversion and a tunnel vision jingoistic outlook of the world?”
Find
out for yourself as you share the experiences of Vincent Lazarus
Chimera as he travels the uncertain and sometimes wonderfully
adventurous and often dangerous forays from his first day at
Parris Island to the last day of his discharge from the most
notorious military service in the world; sometimes known as
Leather-Necks, Devil-Dogs, Jarheads but always know as the
United States Marines!
“There
is only one thing that I dread: not to be worthy of my
sufferings” --- Dostoevski
Prologue
I am just a few months into my seventeenth year of life, fresh
from the rigors of Parris Island Marine Corp boot camp, and
still exhilarated from the victory of pummeling two of the
biggest men in the platoon with nothing but a pugil stick as a
weapon in combat.
I am also excited by the prospect of learning how to arm the
nuclear warheads in the Hawk Missiles Systems that I will be
trained to launch at Fort Bliss. The promise of these adventures
to come hold me enthralled.
As I stood on U.S. soil, my friends and I looked over the Rio
Grande’ at our new port of intrigue, where there are flesh dens
rumored to litter the city… as numerous as ants at an untended
picnic.
From my vantage point, Juarez looked like a concrete sprawl,
with a flowering of neon lights sprinkled and laced throughout
the main drag.
The patterns of light dwindling down on side
streets radiated away in every direction from the strip; as we
traveled the length of the bridge, Juarez looked like it
glistened with a myriad of potentialities.
The city was a cacophony of sounds and a
whirling montage of images, with crowds of people, milling in
and out of stores and traffic. There was the hustling and
bustling of U.S. soldiers, vendors, and tourists mingling with
work-a-day Mexican citizens.
As we walked on the main drag, the exotic feel of the city
intoxicated me. We mingled in the stores and markets and we can
see that the vendors are glutted with various native sundries;
you name it, it was all there.
Interspersed among these businesses were restaurants, massage
parlors, and numerous bars and whorehouses… set up like
flesh-peddling supermarkets.
Juarez was like an unauthorized adult theme park for servicemen
and
civilians alike.
To me Juarez seemed like a town ideal to
pursue my quest for gratifications of the flesh and other forms
of entertainment; none of which would found described in any
tourist book shelved at any reputable chamber of commerce.
Yes, this is what we came for and this is what we wanted… a
place that offered distractions of the flesh for eager and horny
young Marines, who were looking to cut their metaphoric teeth in
the world as budding adults….
HOMEPAGE |
