family
Terminal Lance: Dueling Knife Hands
I rocked this past Christmas! Yup, got the perfect gifts for my Marines, “Terminal Lance” a comic for Marines, written by a United States Marine. It just so happened my Lance Corporal son opened his Knifehand comic before his brother, the Corporal. What ensued was quite the scene.
As David opened his present a smirk came across his face. He immediately covered the title and began to tease and taunt his older Marine brother. “You won’t guess what I got, and you can’t have it! It’s awesome!” (said with great possessiveness and gloating)
“You don’t get one. You’re no longer a Lance, so you’re no longer part of the underground” The taunting continues, remember these are men (did I just say that of my sons??) and they are quibbling like six year olds.
After about 30 minutes the Marine Corporal got to his copy of “Knife Hands, Terminal Lance” under the tree.
You can pretty much get the gist of the conversation just by the expression on his face. “I do so rank! I have my own copy of Terminal Lance, so there! HA!”
Terminal Lance is a mature comic written by Lance Corporal Maximilian Uriarte, USMC to poke fun at the various absurdities in the Marine Corps. Both my sons love this comic and my youngest had me send his the weekly editions during boot camp.
Each comic is accompanied by an essay that explains the back story. If you’re a Marine Mom I caution, before you head to the Terminal Lance site, you may not want to read the essays. They may render you blind. But it’s Marine, adult, male humor, and not meant for Mom’s. I made this mistake last summer as I read one particular essay and immediately had a visual image of my youngest son I did NOT want in my brain.
I do read the website, and the Facebook page, because, in a way it’s how I understand my boys. I learn a little of the lingo, a little Marine culture, and thus feel as though I share a part of their lives.
MCRD San Diego at graduation and I’ve watched many YouTube videos with several drill instructors getting in a boot’s face with several knife-hands.
Terminal Lance Sample Comics
- Boot Camp: The Swarm
- Knife Hand Anger Gauge
- The Might Knife Hand (additional blog)
Related Marine Corps Articles
- Marines Engage In Reckless Behavior Due To Lack Of Safety Brief (duffelblog.com)
- Just don’t call him Mad Dog (utsandiego.com)
- Required Reading for Marines
Don’t forget to visit my CafePress Marine and Military store if you are looking for custom Marine Corps gifts. Just click on the image below and it will take you right there.
Christmas Family Games on the 9th Day of Christmas
Playing Christmas Family Games Brings Back my Childhood
Talk about getting excited? While having our second Christmas at my in-laws I spotted a favorite childhood game in the cabinet. Mattels “Tip It!“!
Oh, how I remember this game and how this wobbly little circus man on top made me laugh. Everyone in the room thought I was slightly crazy, and I thank them for not laughing at me. They even indulged me with a game!
While I remember playing the game, I couldn’t remember how to set it up or the rules. So, for those who have forgotten. The short stick goes under the yellow base, place the yellow coins on the pegs and then the long stick in the middle hole.
Don’t forget the little black gravity ring that slides onto the stick. This is VERY important! If you leave it off the result is a very difficult game with a very wobbly man on top. Slide the doughnut closer to the base and it’s a little easier. Note where our gravity doughnut is placed? Last, balance the nose of the little man on the top of the stick.
Now comes the playing. After selecting who goes first (person who spins red first) spin the spinner and remove the appropriate coin from the peg without the little man falling off the top. One by one each person is eliminated as the circus man tips off his perch. Seems there is always one color which doesn’t get selected and the tower becomes heavy on one side. Then players start praying “Noooo not blue!” because you just know you’re going to TIP IT!
You can still buy Mattels Tip It from Amazon and although it more modernized, and harder with more pegs. The little man has been replaced, which is disappointing, but I’m sure it will result in the same feeling of silly laughter.
I read the directions online and they have changed a little, but feel free to make up your own “house rules”, kinda like UNO, which we also played.
Who won? My son David who was home on leave from the Marine Corp. He also won three games of UNO, and two out of three games of the card game speed.
Humanity Hates the Holidays (80 White Cards, 30 Black Cards) – The Adult Card Game For Christmas, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving, Kwanza
Christmas TriviaChristmas Charades Board GamePass The Ugly Sweater Card Game
WWII Peace At Last
“Peace at Last” . Three words in a WWII edition of Stars and Stripes. My Dad holds a copy Stars and Stripes from 1945 for someone to snap his picture of this historical occasion. It was a momentous decisive event, one he wanted to record it for posterity. I also find it humorous that the camp dog also holds the honor of being in the photo.
I didn’t know who this was at first, but as I have researched and compared other photos this is my Dad. I never saw this photo, there wasn’t any writing on the back but I am now sure this photograph is my Father.
There are no other photographs from this time period, I found one I believe of him just before he left, but then there is over a ten year gap between when he was 16 and twenty years old.. I would like to believe is my Dad, in many ways it doesn’t look like him, but in some ways it does.
I had four relatives that served in World War II as part of the greatest generation. Back then almost everyone could say they had a relative in the war.
My Dad, Leo Tyrrell, served aboard a destroyer in the Pacific around this time. This shot bears a family resemblance to his nephew Michael Morrill who has a similar nose, slight build, and dark complexion. In various pictures of my Dads youth, he often had a dog with him. This article has been posted on Twitter numerous times and I’ve asked for help in getting more information.
Here is what I learned about the photo:
- This is a field hospital, note the bandage on the right hand (how did I miss that)
- The uniform is a general issue given to anyone at the base
My other relatives that served in WWII were my Uncles Otis and Herman Faries, and my Great Aunts Gussies’ husband Master Sgt. Grover Hale.
I would like to find a copy of this Stars and Stripes and hang it next to the photo next to my son’s Marine Corps photographs. Haven’t found any of this issue yet (that I can afford) but I did find someone on Amazon that does sell the original WWII Stars and Stripes along with several books about this iconic newspaper.
Great GERMANY SURRENDERS Nazis Quit V-E Day 1945
The Stars and Stripes: Story of World WarStars and Stripes: World War II and the5 U.S. OCCUPATION OF JAPAN Stars & StripesRare FRANCE EDITION Stars and Stripes Post D-DAYThe Stars and Stripes, Mediterranean, Vol. 1, No.The Stars and stripes: World War II front
Related articles
- Missing WWII Ace Located After 71 Years (history.com)
- Member of secret WWII Navajo code talker Marine unit dies at 90 (givemeliberty01.com)
My Boxer, No Longer a Puppy
My dog Leah, is no longer a puppy as she officially turned a year old in August. She has gained that regal Boxer look, and she is still very sweet. Thinks she’s a lap dog and owns the couch, I don’t even know why I own a couch for us to sit on, my husband and I sit on the lazy boys and the two dogs take the couch.
Unlike Brody, my Jack Russell, Leah doesn’t chew and destroy her squeaky toys, nor does she jump on people or bark like crazy when the doorbell rings. Leah babies her stuffed animals and loves them. Maybe it’s the difference between the sexes as she is a female (bitch) and Brody is a male. Or maybe it’s just Brodys’ terrier nature of a hunter.
If you’re wondering, she was not named after the Star Wars character, Princess Lei, but after a boxer, we knew named Princess, and a derivation of my Leo, my Dad’s name who loved Boxers.
Related Boxer Articles
- Gifts for the Boxer Lover (squidoo.com)
- Dog Beach Boxers (trailblazer1.wordpress.com)
