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Posts Tagged ‘Marine Corps’

Magic “pixie dust” helps regrow soldiers limbs

21 May

This is an amazing new accomplishment in military science. It amazes me, the advancements our military is able to make. Scientists have been able to use a powder made from pig bladders nicknamed pixie dust to regrow limbs of soldiers wounded in Afghanistan.

A powder nick-named “Pixie Dust” is being used to save the limbs of war heroes who have been wounded in Afghanistan.

Surgeons have already used the dust to save several soldiers so badly mutilated that they were at risk of amputation.

Made from pig bladders it has the ability to help the human body grow new tissue to replace large areas of a leg or arm destroyed by blast damage.

… Professor Steve Wolf one the US’s top plastic surgeons -is carrying out a trial in Houston, Texas on victims of the Afghan fighting and has already treated several young soldiers whose limbs were so badly damaged they were unable to walk or faced amputation.

He said: ‘The word has got around about how this substance from pig bladders has got this magic ability to grow new tissue. Then one day one of the patients used the phrase ‘pixie dust’ to describe it and the name stuck

‘We don’t quite know how it works which adds to its magical qualities. We think that it attracts cells in the body that have the ability to multiply and gives them a chemical signal to make new tissue.’

A Marine was one of the first to see results.

Corporal Hernandez, a 25-year-old marine, was wounded in 2008, in an incident in which a colleague died.

He said: ‘The surgery that Dr Wolf performed has been fantastic. Within a few weeks of the operation last year I was doing things with the leg I hadn’t done for months.

‘It was so quick that you could almost see it growing and filling the hole where I was blasted.

‘Before I had the sheets made from pigs bladder put into my leg I could barely use it. I had to crawl upstairs or take the elevator and I was either on sticks or in a wheelchair. It was pretty much useless.
‘I had only 10 per cent strength in my injured leg compared to my good leg which was one reason why they’d wanted to amputate.

‘After the operation it was up to 25 per cent. Now my leg is back to 35 per cent strength and I’m able to get out on my mountain bike and I can walk as far as I want.
‘The Extra Cellular membrane had not only made muscle but also built nerves. I could feel my limb tingling as the new tissues grew.’

‘Professor Wolfe has said there’s a good chance I might be able to go back to active duty.’

Who could have ever imagined that we could have the ability to regrow limbs destroyed from combat, and well enough that a Marine could return to active duty? Who knows how far this could go over time? It’s incredible, really amazing. Our military is just unbelievable in what they are able to accomplish.

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Posted in Military Science

 

Since when did pajamas become suitable to wear in public?

19 May

There is a strange phenomenon I’ve noticed here in Jacksonville, NC. For some reason, women find it appropriate to wear primarily sweat pants and pajamas out in public. I’ve never seen it happen anywhere else but here. I know that there are always the strange people who will do that in various towns, but I’ve never seen it happen as often as I see it here. It is literally everywhere: grocery shopping at the commissary, going to the mall, going to the movies. Girls literally leave their houses here looking they rolled out of bed in their pajamas and just got right into the car and didn’t even bother to change, much less take a shower. The funny thing is that these girls always seem to have “USMC” or “MARINES” plastered on their sweats or pajamas. Does having “USMC” embroidered onto your pajama pants make them suitable to wear in public? I certainly don’t think so.

I understand not wanting to do your hair and put on a bunch of make-up just to go to the grocery store or something, but is it really such a hassle to put on a pair of jeans and some flip-flops?

What’s really sad is that you’ll see these girls dressed like this out on dates with their Marine husbands. The husbands will be dressed pretty normally, with their wives looking like utter slobs. I will go to the movies with Matt wearing jeans, heels, and a nice shirt and feel over-dressed compared to the other women there. You see women walking around in sweat pants and house slippers here, and you barely even raise an eyebrow, because it’s such a common sight. The concept of taking pride in your appearance seems to be foreign around here.

What is it about this town that makes women dress like such slobs?

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Posted in Marine Corps life

 

Today in Marine Corps history

19 May

Lt. Col. John Bolt was born on May 19, 1921 in Laurens, South Carolina. He is famous in the Marine Corps for being the only jet aircraft ace in the Corps. He also was one of only seven pilots to be named an ace in both World War II and the Korean War. He was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroic service in the Korean War.

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Posted in Marine Corps History

 

Hello, empty house

18 May

At about 1:30 this morning, I dropped Matt off for training that will take him away for over a month. We had advance notice, we’ve known for months that this was coming, but somehow, it always seems to still creep up on you. Before you know it, the day has come and you’re spending your last night in bed with them, weeping.

I always feel bad about that, the crying. Is that an overreaction on my part? I feel like it’s my duty to him to stay strong enough to at least hold it in until he’s gone. After all, I know that he doesn’t want to leave me anymore than I want him to go. It can’t make it easier on him, seeing me cry as he kisses me goodbye and walks away. I wish I could be one of those stronger women who can hold it all in. I feel like its a weakness on my part, that I should be strong enough to make the separations as easy as possible for him. It feels near impossible, though. I do the best I can — it isn’t like I spend the entire night before he leaves sobbing hysterically — but sometimes, I just can’t hold it in and feel terrible. When you picture a Marine Corps wife, you don’t picture some blubbery, hysterical woman. You picture someone strong, and stoic, able to handle anything. Is that something I learn, or is this normal and I’m feeling guilty for no reason?

I did the best I could to make it a good last night for him. I cooked him a big meal, baked lemon garlic chicken with my famous cheesy garlic mashed potatoes, corn, and croissants. I made chocolate chip cookies filled with caramel for dessert, and made sure there was plenty leftover for him to take with him into the field. He packed while we watched a movie, and he got to spend earlier in the day playing with Ripley. Ripley’s a total mama’s boy, is much closer to me than he is to Matt, but he still loves his daddy and will be whining for the next week while he tries to figure out where Matt went, guaranteed. It’s sad, because even the dog can tell the difference when Matt isn’t here.

It’s like all of the life has left our house. I think that might change once we have kids, but for now, it’s just me there alone (me, my rottweiler, and the shotgun anyways). It’s tough, but then, I knew what I was signing on for. I certainly don’t want to throw any pity parties. I love my husband and I’m so proud of what he does. My heart beams with pride at the thought of him, but it’s a difficult life. You can adjust and adapt, but being without your husband and your best friend never gets easy. The key, I’ve learned, is to stay busy. I’ve decided, for example, that I’m going to finish painting the house to surprise him when he gets home. I also get to take advantage of this time to watch all the chick flicks I want, because God knows I won’t get to otherwise. (Letters to Juliet, here I come!)

This isn’t the first time we’ve had to be apart in our relationship, and it certainly won’t be the last. And just like all the other times, we’ll make it through.

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Posted in Marine Corps life, Training

 

Family Guy mocks Vietnam Vets

17 May

I used to find Family Guy mildly funny. I never went out of my way to watch it, but I could get a few chuckles out of it here and there. The show has become increasingly liberal, though, and I ultimately stopped watching it. They take cheap shots at Republicans, conservatives, the Palin family, and anyone else they apparently feel isn’t appropriately toeing the liberal line. I don’t think there’s necessarily anything wrong with that — if they want to mock politicians and notable Republicans then be my guest — but some lines shouldn’t be crossed. Like mocking Trig Palin, for example. And mocking our men and women in uniform? Not funny.

No, I found nothing about this to be funny or entertaining at all.

Here’s what happens: On a search to find the source of all dirty jokes (which eventually leads them to Virginia) Peter, Quagmire, and Joe pass through Washington, DC where they see the Washington Monument, the Obama Monument (it’s black) and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This is the part that is going to ruffle some feathers. Standing in front of the Memorial are two Vietnam Vets and a Vietnamese man who calls the Memorial a “scoreboard” and says “aw, what happened to your friends? Hey I know that guy, I killed him, he cried like a bitch. Vietnam! Undefeated!”

Here’s the video.

Real classy. Let’s make fun of Vietnam vets who gave their lives in service to their country. That’s pretty sickening, and not even remotely funny.

Seth McFarlane should apologize. He won’t, but he should. The man is completely ungrateful for the sacrifices of men and women who ensure that he has the freedom to make fun of them. Maybe he should go spend some time in Cuba, China, or Venezuela. Maybe then he’ll be more appreciative of the freedoms kept safe for him and all Americans by our heroic men and women in the military.

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Posted in Media

 

First week in life as a Marine Corps wife

16 May

Matt and I have been married for a grand total of eight days now, and not too long after we got married, I decided to delve into the world of milblogging.  Its only natural, considering I’ve been blogging for three years now.  Military life is so completely different from civilian life, and it only seemed natural to start a new blog-venture.  It should be interesting, to say the least.

Our first adventure came when it was time to get registered into DEERS.  We called ahead, and were told that the DEERS office would be open until 1600 at Camp Lejeune.  We pull into the parking lot at about 1400, and it’s rather busy.  We expected nothing less.  But when we walked into the office, we stopped short.  It was empty. We were the only two people there, with the exception of two civilians, leaning against the counter, looking bored, resting their chins in their hand, watching TV. The first one to speak was a blonde woman, who asked if she could help us. We told her we just needed to get enrolled into DEERS. “Well,” she said, “we’re too busy to help you right now.”

Did I mention that Matt and I were the only two people in there?

When we pointed that out to her, she said that they had special visitors from DC there, and that they weren’t helping anyone get enrolled into DEERS that day. Apparently, this was our fault, because there was a sign on the door that morning. There wasn’t one there now, and there was nothing on their automated voicemail system about not helping anyone, but we were apparently supposed to be using our ESP powers to figure it out on our own. She told us that they could help us the next day. I informed her that I work full-time, from 8:00 – 5:30 and had to get special time off to get this done.

She looked at a calendar, and said, “I have an appointment open at 9:00 tomorrow morning.”

‘Mentally hilarious’ would be the kindest term I could come up with to describe this woman. I’m still not sure how, if they were open for another two hours and we were the only people in the office, they were somehow too busy to help us. It’s beyond my comprehension. But the bitch was just completely unwilling to help us. Apparently, she was too busy leaning against the counter looking bored, while watching TV.

We were directed to instead go to Courthouse Bay or MCAS New River. By the time we got to New River — which closes at 1600 — it was already five til closing. We got lucky, and a nice man there unlocked the door and let us in. The staff stayed about 45 minutes late to help us.

When all of this was finally done, three hours later, and Matt and I were walking through the parking lot back to the car, he looked over at me and said, “Welcome to the Marine Corps.”

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Posted in DEERS

 
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