LZ Margo marked us all. What might surprise some is the positive attitude most of us feel. But it's not hard to see why we live our lives in gratitude. We walked together through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. Good men fell all around us, yet we were spared. We try to find meaning in memories of fear, death and courage. And so we wake up each morning and are grateful to be here, filled with the sure knowledge that our time can be fleeting. And as we once willingly did our hard duty as Marines, so now we strive to live lives worthy of our brothers' sacrifices.

Also late (and worn out from grandkids), I wish you all the best in the new year and decade. It's a cliche, but we do appreciate how precious our days and our lives are because we saw how impermanent they can be. May you and all our 2/26 brothers enjoy them.

Well said, Steve. That's the advantage of being older -- we see that the events and circumstances that formed us were often the hardest ones, where we put it on the line... from lining up on the yellow footprints to getting shot at in a war. It was all life-changing stuff, for you and me and all of our brothers.

Steve, my summer's been road trips, grandkids and some great trail running out West. I drove through many states on secondary roads and was taken again with the beauty of our country. A highlight on my first trip was a visit to the Angel Fire Vietnam Veterans Memorial in New Mexico, which commands a sweeping view of mountain ranges and valleys. As you and I have discussed before, that place is an inspiring setting to reflect on people and events from long ago. How about yourself, Steve, or any of the rest of you who read this?

Ron I had no idea Lucky Staggs had been incarcerated or had died. How sad, but as you say let's remember the man we knew. I still have his "business card". PFC Dan Staggs' "business card".

Young guys tolerate that kind of abuse better than us older folks Steve. It's really amazing what we endured physically in malaria-ridden jungles on poor diets and steady exertion, without even considering that people were trying their best to kill us. But I know you agree that older guys who went through that adventure when young can outlast older guys that didn't. "Outlast" not just physically but especially when mental toughness is needed. You only learn that the hard way but the lessons are good ones. And you're right about bonding. Nobody gets us but us.

Great memory Ron. Everybody that survived a year in the Nam "celebrated" a birthday someplace there (mine was at a relatively safe Con Thien). What a spot for Captain Dewey's! Kent Wonders took a photo of the command group on LZ Margo that included Capt Ken Dewey scanning the ridgelines around LZ Margo with his binoculars. The first mortar attack came shortly afterward. Capt Ken Dewey looking for trouble on LZ Margo.

Beans and Weenies weren't bad. Felt about right considering we were kind of on a camping trip. That's what it was, right? Everybody complained about Ham and Lima Beans, but I thought they were OK, sort of what you'd expect when you open a can marked "Ham and Lima Beans". The only meal that really disappointed me was Spaghetti. You open a can with that name and you expect a meaty sauce, some good pasta and a touch of Mediterranean spices. Instead no matter which end of the can you hack open with your P-38, you get a layer of congealed nastiness covering some limp noodles and a taste that only the lowest-bidder on the canned-spaghetti government contract can give you... Pound Cake though, that was nice. It actually tasted pretty good and had a lot of heft. And, as Steve pointed out, it's good to start your day with a pastry that pairs well with warm C-ration coffee heated in an old fruit can over a bit of C4.

Steve, I think of them too, what they gave up forever when they laid down their lives for their country.