Seeing our Marine grandson was a dream a few weeks ago but
it became a reality this weekend. It has been truly amazing to see Ben transform
from a high school teen to a muscular Marine.
No wonder this "tough guy" is the Marine mascot.
Last evening Ben shared a video that documents his intensive
survival training by French troops in New Caledonia. While there, among other things, he jumped
from unbelievable heights, learned to hunt and dress a deer, ate live grubs
that had been dislodged from a tree, and mastered multiple water survival
techniques. An unplanned event for Ben was being bitten on the arm by an
“unknown” insect. This resulted in a swollen arm, losing a large patch of skin,
and a big open wound. He has a scar. Lesson learned: Keep arms inside the sleeping
bag. (His mother thinks maybe a Purple Heart. After all, he was deployed and he
was wounded. Never mind that it was by a vicious little critter.)
Additional achievements for Ben while deployed included
earning his black belt in Marine Martial arts and mastering scuba diving.
Welcome home for a while, tough guy!
