Tommy Maddox, former Pittsburgh Steeler, brought his family to Camp Lejeune to participate in the Marine Corps Celebrity Classic golf tournament which is held here to support charities such as the USO and Hope for the Warriors (Wounded Warriors). He wrote this letter afterwards and sent it out to his family and friends. It's a bit long, but well worth the read.
(From Tommy Maddox)
To Everyone,
This past weekend my family and I had the opportunity to spend five days at Camp Lejune in North Carolina.
It was a trip that our family will never forget.
We were able to watch as the Marines went through several exercises that would blow you away.
To see them handle the equipment is amazing.
Colby particularly liked the tanks.
He even got to sit in one.
But this is not about our weekend.
This is about the young men and women that serve our country.
I wish that each and everyone of you could look into the eyes of these Marines.
This is about Sgt. Jones, who I had the privilege to play golf with.
He has lost both of his legs and so proud to be an American and a Marine.
This is about all the men and women that call the Wounded Warriors barrack their home because of the wounds that they have suffered giving us the freedom that we take for granted each and every day.
To see these Marines wanting to get back in the fight, wanting to do their job, even after suffering an injury that had taken a leg or an arm is amazing.
There is a wall of Marines that have been injured and are now back in Iraq serving this country.
It is also about all the wives that I met this weekend that are here alone because their husbands are overseas.
The pride that they have in them and the pride that they have in this country is amazing.
One night, we got to watch a training exercise that involved a convoy getting ambushed, helicopters giving air support, and having to fight their way out of danger.
After this we got to join the Marines at mess where a former Marine that was injured during Vietnam gave a talk.
He talked about sacrifice and suffering for the cause of freedom.
He talked about what it took to be a Marine and to be a good citizen, but he said something that will ring in my ears forever.
He said that we are ALWAYS called to be loyal, we are ALWAYS called to be faithful.
He said that this is true in every walk of life.
We were put on this earth to be faithful to one another, faithful to our wives, faithful to our friends, and most importantly faithful to our GOD.
Semper Fi means always faithful, but he put the emphasis on always and not faithful.
I have heard this many times before, but never quite like this.
To sometimes be faithful does us no good.
It is black and white; we are either faithful, or we are not.
We either serve God in all that we do, or we do not all.
We are not called to serve God some of the time, but all of the time.
We are not called to be good husbands and friends some of the time, but all of the time.
To see this played out in everything that they do was amazing to me.
I was able to go through a training exercise that included M-16's loaded with paint cartridges(yes they hurt).
As we stormed a building the Marine that I was with only said two things.
Stay with me, and when we go -- we go.
No matter how many bullets are flying when we say we are going -- we are going.
I thought of my relationship with Jesus.
Am I that way?
I have said that I am going, but do I hesitate when the bullets start to fly?
How do they keep going?
They have trained for it.
They are more worried about the Marine in front of them and in back of them than themselves.
I want to train myself for that.
I want to spend time daily so that I am more concerned with the people around me than myself.
I want to keep going when the bullets fly.
I want to serve God in everything that I do, even if it is hard sometimes.
We live in a great country.
Anyone that does not believe that needs to go spend a week at a Marine base and they would come away feeling so much different.
I wish that we all had to spend time serving our country the way these men and women do every single day.
I just want to say thank you.
I want to say thank you to the young man that sat next to me at dinner.
The helicopter pilot from Vietnam that I got to play golf with.
To General Dickerson, for allowing us to see a glimpse of what it is that they do.
I want to say thank you to all the Marines that I met this weekend, and to all the ones that I didn't.
I am more proud to be an American than I ever have been.
God has blessed this country with more than we deserve and more than we could ever imagine.
If we will stop looking at ourselves and start looking to serve and protect others, it will continue to be the greatest country in the world.
One person at a time, I believe that we can make this happen.
I thank God for this weekend.
I thank God for each one of you.
And I thank God for this country.
-- Tommy.
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