Eric is leaving for a while
Those of you who have met me know that I’m a sergeant in the Marine Reserves; those of you who don’t may have suspected it. My annual training is set to begin this Wednesday, and between that and working on election coverage, I’ll probably be checking out for the next two weeks. A team from my unit is going to be training with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), doing anti-terrorism and special operations exercises around Jacksonville, Florida. It sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun, but since there is always an irreducible amount of risk involved in this kind of training, please pray that everything goes well. While you’re at it, pray for all servicemen who spend a lot more time than a mere two weeks away from their families and loved ones.
Since many of you are taxpayers and you’re financing all of this, you might be interested in what a MEU does. There are seven MEUs, three in the Atlantic and four in the Pacific. There are about 2,000 Marines and sailors in each one, and they’re something like a military in miniature: they have ships, planes, helicopters, assault vehicles, and infantry, with tanks being the only major piece of equipment they lack. If the United States is the world’s policeman — and it is, to a very limited extent — the MEUs are the beat cops, always prowling around the oceans in case of trouble. Though the numbers in each unit are comparatively small, their striking power is all out of proportion to their size.
One of the best essays that I’ve never written is about the similarities between the Marine Corps and the Church, which isn’t that surprising because the Corps is one-third Catholic. Maybe when I return, I’ll get around to it. Also, if you would like anything in the greater Jacksonville area destroyed in the next couple of weeks, please let me know.