Semper Fidelis: Always Faithful, Always Dependable

I didn’t know I wanted to join the military until I was a junior in high school. I had big life goals, but I lacked the drive and direction to get me there. I started to see the military as an option for growing up and earning a bit of money in the process. Looking back, I had no idea how pivotal my decision to join the Marine Corps would be — how it would teach me the concept of “always.”

Always Faithful

Too many years have gone since then and life has been a great adventure! But one over-arching theme has followed me ever since: “Semper Fidelis.” That Latin phrase – meaning always faithful – is not only the Marine Corps motto, but I’ve adopted it as my own. I love the absolute dependability of the word “always.” On the other hand, while “faithful” is a firm companion, that word comes with more nuance. Together, those two words make up an aspirational anthem that I try to live by in all aspects of my life. If I can be “always faithful” to my God, my family, my friends, my community and country, then I can look back on life as a success.

Forgive me if this comes across as too personal, but this bit of background might shed some light on why it was so natural for me to become a sponsor of a 5k run benefiting “22 Too Many.” You may already know that “22 Too Many” was founded to help prevent the way-too-many instances of veteran suicide.

“Recent reports released by the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) show that every day approximately 22 military service members take their own lives.”
– www.22TooMany.com

How You Can Help

That’s an astounding and sad statistic that must be acknowledged and remedied! I can only imagine what haunts the hearts and minds of the brave service men and women who decide there is no other option. While I am fortunate to not be in the same predicament, I feel a sense of responsibility to help in some way. So, on November 4, 2017, my family and I are going to run alongside some of you in the hopes that we will make a difference. I hope you will join our team or donate to our cause by clicking this link. You can also click the flyer image to download a PDF copy. Thank you!