Below is an excerpt of a Christmas letter I received from a great Marine colonel (in my judgment) who was once my battalion commander. A Navy Cross awardee at Hue City, SVN; a warrior in anyone’s book. He remains a longtime friend, mentor, and model for many of us. Colonel _______ was so intelligent, honest, candid, and competent (with a devout spiritual, notwithstanding his tactical use of profanity) that he intimidated many general officers who would be instrumental in his promotion to the next rank. He was just too good to be a general officer, but if his subordinates had a vote, he would have been the first choice of most if not all.

Following was an except from the memorable letter I referred to above. Talk about prophetic!

“Energy and enthusiasm have declined, time has accelerated, the warranty has expired, and annual maintenance is a daily affair. Doing better than I deserve, but continuing to acquire ‘medical experience’. Trying to hatch some kidney stones before back surgery. Running out of events but happy with my memories. Losing faith in the Founding Fathers - how could they have believed that we would be capable of self-government.”