All posts by Jim

Left HS before report cards came out. Enlisted in the Marines for four years. By the time those years were over, I was hooked - they had me for life. Spent nearly ten years as enlisted. Received a Silver Star, Bronze Star w/V, Purple Heart as a Sgt during first RVN tour. Upon returning to the State's received a combat commission to 2Lt. Retired after 36 total years as a Colonel. Book follows my career, but is more about the heroes with whom I served, the great mentors I had, and the leadership principles they instilled in me.
Recent Posts

TAKE OFF YOUR HAT!!!

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This Marine said NO!

Alex at DMVToday Alex went to the DMV to renew his license. When he was told to go have his picture taken he noticed there were some men having their pictures taken wearing turbans. Alex was asked to take his hat off to have his picture taken. He said “no”, and “no” again when asked the second time. When asked why he would not remove his hat he said, “those men didn’t remove their head wear, I shouldn’t either.” It was explained that this was their attire and their religion. Alex told the DMV person that what he had on was his attire, and when he entered the Marines he declared an oath to the USA, and one nation under God, so that his oath was under God—just as good as his religion. The DMV people didn’t know what to do, they spoke to supervisors and called Sacramento. Alex was told, after an hour, that he could wear his hat for the picture and if there were any problems they would let him know and he could appeal their decision. He told them if there was a problem he WILL appeal. Alex feels no one has more right to display their head-gear then a veteran or active duty service person. When he left several employees at the DMV clapped quietly for him. He has spoken to few other Veterans and they plan to do the same.

 

Originally posted 2015-12-16 23:27:05.

Recent Posts

Radio Interview

The below link will take you to a radio interview conducted by Mr. Jay Douglas Barker of Toginet Radio for IUniverse—the publisher of the book. I must warn you; however,  it is long—personally, I believe too long– 25:42—so you may want to grab a big cup of coffee, or maybe even a stiff drink. Of course, I jest. Reducing the size was beyond the reach of this electronically handicapped Marine Grunt. Therefore, I added some photos throughout to perhaps relieve some boredom. Readers of the book will recognize some of the photos; however, there are many more that were not in the book. Listeners will learn the true genesis of the book

:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k8VLFz_17c&feature=youtube_gdata&noredirect=1

Originally posted 2015-12-16 14:44:39.

Recent Posts

A Soldier’s Pledge

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In case you were not old enough to have heard this speech, or perhaps more recent times and events have caused you to forget what it is like to listen to someone who truly loved his country and believed in its abilities. When he spoke, I sincerely believed he was talking to me! Where are the real patriots today, those who truly believe in the strength of every American and in our once great nation. God help us . . . please!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=rKsW6c_CgFY%3Ffeature%3Dplayer_detailpage

Originally posted 2015-12-16 13:14:18.

Recent Posts

Females in the Infantry

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As one may expect from my background, I have some rather strong opinions on this subject that are based on experience in combat, not some academic, institutional, gender biased, bigoted slant. So, unless you have been there, unless you have had to “locate, close with, and destroy an enemy by fire and maneuver or repel his assault by fire and close combat,” which by the way is the mission of the Marine Infantry, I’m sorry but I do not believe you have a voice in this matter. We are talking about killing human beings as a primary reason for existence.

Our inexperienced decision makers have opted to totally disregard the recommendations of some* of our senior military officers and enlisted. I have read so much from both sides of the aisle trying to ascertain why someone would be doing this to our military. There must be an underlying reason for such idiocy as, “this will make our military more effective due  diversity. . . . . . .” What? You have to be an idiot to believe that.

Anyway, forgive me for going off on a tangent, this whole issue boggles my mind. I believe the move is meant to degrade our military to near ineffectiveness, to weaken us to the equivalent of a third world country.

The following link will take you to a very well written article on the subject of women in the infantry published by a prominent and respected national magazine. The author is certainly qualified to have an opinion since he has been there and lived it.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/428303/women-marine-infantry-politically-correct-integration

  • I used the word “some” since there are generals, particularly in the Army and Air Force who seem to actually believe it to be a good move. In fact, the Army even cheated in Ranger School to bolster their agreement with the administration.

 

Originally posted 2015-12-14 12:39:14.

Reviews

From the “US Veterans’ Magazine”

SPRINGFIELD, IL. – Many military memoirs can be inaccessible to civilians unfamiliar with the armed services. They can contain confusing acronyms, assume the reader already understands rank structures or can often be written in a self-flattering light; the book being a means to an end in a political race or similar motivations.

This is not so with retired Marine Col. Jim Bathurst’s new memoir titled “We’ll All Die as Marines.” Bathurst painstakingly re-wrote the initial draft after realizing that the military lingo can be very confusing to laymen. He did not write this for himself, but rather to try to instill the qualities of leadership that he has learned throughout his career from a troubled private who had just dropped out of high school all the way to a colonel with incredibly demanding assignments.

“I wrote this in the hopes of guiding young marines, both enlisted and officers, so that they can consider my advice about the demanding requirements of leadership and possibly to learn from the mistakes I made and the successes and opportunities I’ve worked toward,” Bathurst said. “I hope to continue guiding future leaders on any kind of career path.”

High-ranking officers are not well-known for their artistic endeavors, but Bathurst chose to write a more abstract memoir than is usually found in a military post exchange. He wrote about every rank with shifting perspective.

“The chapters are written from the perspective of my rank during the time I’m discussing,” Bathurst said. “I wanted each ‘me’ throughout my career to be able to speak for themselves. I tried to tell about my time as a private through the eyes of a private.”

“We’ll All Die as Marines” sounds like a morbid title, but it is not. It is about the Corps, not corpses. It is about the love and commitment to the organization and people to which Bathurst freely gave his time, blood and spirit. Filled with humor, advice, tragedy, frustration and all the triumph that Bathurst was able to experience in his nearly thirty-six-year career, he says he did not once think about retirement until the day, thirty-six years after boarding a bus for boot camp, he felt that he had done his duty.

 

Originally posted 2015-12-12 11:35:50.