Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God!
Ps 20:7
By Col
Barry Cronin (USMC-Ret)
THANK GOD FOR LIFE'S DIRTY DISHES
I
enjoy many fond and happy memories from my childhood growing up in a large,
rambunctious, Irish family near Boston.
Among my favorites, as incongruous as it may seem today, was the nightly
ritual of cleaning up after the evening meal with the six-pack of noisy kids
that was my brothers and sisters.
Curiously, one of the most prominent trappings of this evening ritual
was a small ceramic plaque hung by my mother directly over the kitchen
sink. Inscribed on it was a simple
little poem that went something like this…
Thanks God for dirty dishes;
They have a tale to tell.
While others may go hungry,
We’re eating very well.
With home and health and happiness,
I shouldn’t want to fuss,
‘cause by the stack of evidence,
God’s been good to us!
Simple
yet profound, is it not? We American do have so much for which to be thankful.
Think about it. Although there is hunger
in this country and many poor children often
go
without, as a general rule American expects three square meals every single
days day. We even complain about the
dishes afterwards!
But even with all those dirty dishes, we are seeing something disturbing.
For those who may not know, a troublesome Marine under restriction is limited for
the duration to place of duty, billeting, messing the worship including direct
transit from one to another. That
restriction is closely monitored with frequent checks and mandatory signing
in. To break restriction invites dire
consequences. Over the years after
awarding restriction, I would always explain the process and then question the
Marine to ensure he or she clearly understood what was expected. Where do you billet? Where do you work? Where I the chow hall? The Marine invariably answered these first
three with little difficulty. When it
came to the fourth question, however, I discovered a rather disturbing trend. Where do you worship?
Over the years, only one of those entire many
Marine to whom I have posed that question identified an actual location. By the way, he turned out to be a very good
Marine in the end. The rest responded
more along these line:
I
don’t worship, I don’t believe in the stuff,… I used to a long time ago but not
anymore…I think it’s a waste of time,… I sleep in on Sunday morning,…It’s all
just a crock…” and so forth. Some are
downright arrogantly defiant in their responses. Others are merely indifferent. I thought it odd (and still do) when hearing
that sort of stuff; so I always make it a point of suggesting that perhaps they
may want to try it out in the upcoming weekend, if nothing else it’s, another
opportunity to get out of the barracks for a while. Inspiring. What struck home in my mind most of all was
the concept of the MEPS pyramid. MEPS
stands for mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual. The two upright portions of the pyramid are
the mental and physical aspects of life.
In the center, trying all the others together is the emotional side of
our existence. The base of the pyramid,
the foundation for the whole thing, is the spiritual. A balance MEP’S pyramid is absolutely
necessary if we truly expect to live personal lives and lead Marines, guided
and inspired by our core values, of honor; courage, and commitment.
It is no coincidence that the base of the
MEPS pyramid, the foundation upon which our existence stands, is
spiritual. Consider the obvious
analogies. The finest bridge in the world
would quickly collapse were it not build upon a solid foundation. The same holds true for any building or
skyscraper. The base of the structure
must be solidly established before construction of the remainder of the
building can ever commence. Notice also
that once completed, that critical foundation upon which the rest of the
building stands is, more often than not, invisible – totally hidden from
view. We marvel at the wonder of the
completed project, not even thinking about the massive and complex base
foundation below.
Marines are not unlike those remarkable feats
of engineering. Without that solid
spiritual foundation, they are at risk.
They wobble and sway when the winds of temptation blow.
But even when those dirty dishes are we
really getting all the nourishment we require? The shelves of our markets and
groceries are full of the best food money can buy. Restaurants and eateries of infinite variety
are conveniently located within a short drive of just about anywhere nowadays,
Ubiquitous vending machine flourish.
Food is everywhere. The answer
seems clear. We have the dirty dishes to
prove it, right?
Wrong.
There is a famine of alarming proportions in our Corps today. Marines are starving all around us. Most of them don’t even know it.
I see hungry Marines every single day. Before the expiation, however, some
background is in order. I
enjoyed the honor of commanding Headquarters and Service Battalion, Marine Corps
Base Quantico. I am told, per the number
of personnel administratively assigned, it is the largest battalion in the
Corps. Whether that is in fact the case
or not, it is nonetheless a very large organization. Among my numerous responsibilities as the
commanding officer is the necessary yet dreadful task of administering
discipline. Dreadful in the sense that
punishing a loved one is painful business.
Ask any parent. Don’t scoff
now. The analogy is a perfectly valid
one. Any commander who does not
genuinely love Marines has no business in the job. As for myself, I have had the genuine fortune
of commanding and leading Marines throughout my entire career at every rank,
years of leadership in both peacetime and conflict. As a commander, more Marines thank I care to
number have stood in front of my desk at several venues over the years for
disciplinary infractions of one sort or another. Accept this; the raison d’ etre for this particular article is solidly based on
years of empirical evidence. All of
those many troubled Marines, with one notable exception, had one thing in
common. They were malnourished.
Now to the explanation. In my experience, one of the most effective
punishments that can be awarded, short of confinement, is that of
restriction. For the……
I am neither a chaplain nor a trained
spiritual counselor. As far as I am
personally concerned, truth is truth and it can be found in more than one
place. Rather, I refer the Marine to the
chaplain for professional advice and assistance in this matter. What I do suggest to the young transgressor
is that perhaps there may be a direct correlation between the absence of
apparent spirituality and his or her current disciplinary problems.
To illustrate the point, I usually take a few
moments toward the end of the disciplinary proceedings to describe the human
being as a complex creation of interdependent systems. For example, the physical body requires
regular sustenance to keep it functioning and healthy. A body that is not fed properly begins to
wither, languish and fail. The same
principle applies to the mental side of our existence as well. To become and remain keen, the human mind
must be regularly exercised with intellectual stimulation. Daily reading is probably one of the best and
easiest ways to feed the mind and keep it healthy. Human emotions are another facet of our
existence that must be fed to remain healthy.
Wholesome, regular human interaction is in my mind the simplest way to
feed the emotions and stay balance. And
finally, there is the spiritual side of the human experience. This is where you will find all of those
starving Marines. I tell you this,
Anorexia of the spirit flourished within our Corps Today.
I recently had the distinct pleasure of
hearing MGen. T. S. Jones, former commanding
general of Training and Education Command, speak at a graduation ceremony for
the Marine Corps. Martial Arts Program Instructor/Trainer Course. Although the general covered a number of
topics briefly, more than a couple of which involved humorous anecdotes, the
principle focus of his talk was the subject of character development and its
relation to MCMAP and the Corps as a whole.
Presented in the general’s altogether unique rapid-fire delivery, it was
riveting, profound, and genuinely more likely to engage in wrongful
behavior. The finest physical specimen
without a moral compass risks getting lost. The same holds true for that exceptionally
intelligent Marine or the emotionally healthy, popular, and well-like Devil
Dog., Without that spiritual roadmap, they too can easily find themselves going
in the wrong direction. They are
spiritually malnourished. By the way of
contrast, a Marine with a strong spiritual base is far less likely to engage is
questionable behavior. He or she is
better able to discern between right and wrong.
He or she is less likely to do drugs, hurt others, steal, or violate the
law. He or she rarely visit the “old
man” under adverse circumstances. The
bottom line is this: Marines who sits in
the pews don’t stand in front of the desk!
All of that said, how exactly does one feed
the spirit? Well, I certainly don’t have
all the answers on that particular subject, although regular worship, prayer,
and contemplative meditation are probably good starts. Acts of charity and kindness towards others
are pretty good things to do, also.
Doing one’s best to live in accordance with our core values can
certainly help. Staying away from the
trouble makers and malcontents will definitely reduce the risk. Instead, make a
pint to hang around with good Marines. Trust
me. There are plenty of them out
there. Their admirable qualities will soon
begin to rub off. I’m sure there is a
lot more to it. I am just an amateur on
this. For comprehensive personal
guidance, the command Chaplain is the real expert. Start your spiritual journey there. Perhaps the greatest challenge facing us all
however is getting Marine to even acknowledge the existence of their own
spirituality in the first place. That I
don’t know how to do.
Some readers will undoubtedly dismiss this
entire article as idle conjecture, wishful thinking, or just plain crummy journalism
on my part. Where is the proof of this
spiritual malnourishment, you ask? They
easy! Come visit, on any given day, it is standing right in front of my desk!
