A good friend of mine passed away 9-14-2012.
GSgt. Paul Galbraith, USMC, ret.
He said he entered the Corps because the Drill Sergeants treated him better than his family, and said combat was better than his family, because at least he was allowed (even encouraged!) to shoot back.
He died of multiple metastized tumors. Looks like Agent Orange finally did what the VC could not do. Although the last he checked, the VC reward of $20k USD, for his head, had not been rescinded.
He left me a great many stories and bits of wisdom. When he suggested a copy of the US Army survival manual in my bugout bag, he concluded his remarks about it with a caution, that if I ever tried any of the traps in it, I should be careful, because they all Work!
One of his funniest stories was about the time the XX SWAT team had permission to play among a group of buildings just outside the base fence, buildings due for demolition.
The team got to feeling very happy with themselves, and decided to test their skills by infiltrating the base. They picked a location that happened to be just opposite the armoury.
The responders, pretty much the majority of the Marines on base, found black dressed men carrying exotic weapons, coming over the fence in the dark.
I understand there were no actual deaths, but the Mayor and the Chief of Police had to come identify and claim their men, who were trussed, naked, to cots, in an empty hangar, with a lot of Marines walking around, very alertly. Moral: Be realistic in your assessment of your skills, and the skills of others.
My gf says he scared her a little, but that he also made her feel safer.
I sure miss him. It seems every week I run into something he would have thought was neat, or something I would like his opinion on.
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