<p>GoNavyXC:</p>
<p>That was a cogent, reasoned response. I appreciate what you have overcome and those life experiences have obviously served you well. If you had made that post earlier I would not have felt the need to respond, but some of your earlier posts came across (at least to me) as a bit sanctimonious. Regardless, I do believe you are acting on your own personal convictions and that is an honorable course. I too believe that no one is beyond redemption with the exception of a few rare cases. The habits we practice daily become our character, and even those with the most potential need a course correction on occassion to avoid running aground. My concern is that those who have the “old-school” warrior mentality (and you know exactly what I’m talking about) are sometimes singled out because they may not quite fit the “boy scout” image of the perfect academic student, who may not always offer blind obedience, and who are occassionaly quite rough around the edges. We need those guys too, probably more now than ever before. Where would the Marines and SEALS be without those type of officers? Finally, my use of the term “shipmate” is never used in a derogatory fashion. I realize some here may view it as such but coming from a service family I can never do so.</p>
<p>Mombee:
Great explanation and great post.</p>