Private 1st Class Joe Gill

San Jose, NC

I entered active service in 2003 with the Army as an Infantryman. I served in Iraq during OIF I with the 101st Airborne Division. There are two Marines who have had the greatest impact in my life. The first is my brother. He is currently an Infantry Executive Officer at Camp Lejune. He served in Iraq as a Platoon Commander and demonstrated his willingness to do the right thing despite what deemed politically acceptable by his chain of command. He led from the front and never asked his men to do something he hadn't done. Whether it was crawling up to a suspected IED to see if there might be a real threat or driving out of his AO to go investigate a firefight between Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army, he was always ready. Another Marine who greatly inspired me was Major General Smedley Butler. He was one only two Marines in history to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor on two occasions for separate acts of heroism. He served in the Marine Corps for 33 years and is the namesake of the Marine base Camp Smedley Butler and the USS Butler. He showed great personal courage when, after he retired, he published his book "War is a Racket". A brilliant commentary on how and why we wage war in the United States. His ideas are as true and relevant today as they were in 1935. I urge you all to read them.