..::MixMasterMatt's Inside World::..

Below, you will find an email from a friend and former carpooler from my high school days. Her response, regarding the job that we do in the military, is why I serve.

It's been so nice to get your updates. Thanks for taking the time to give us such an informative and interesting glimpse into your adventures! Seriously, I so appreciate your service and all that you're doing to serve those of us back home. Since becoming a mom, I have been even more aware of the incredible gift of safe soil, and so grateful for everyone who is working to make sure that Benjamin grows up in a secure place. It's incredible to me that the only "background noise" he has to grow up with is noisy neighbors, yappy dogs, and poorly-timed lawnmowers. So many kids all over the world have a soundtrack that's much more disturbing and gut-wrenching. Thanks for everything you're doing.

Sarah, thank you for the email, and we'll keep doing the best we can to keep Benjamin safe back home.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; August 28, 1963; Washington, D.C.: I strongly urge you to take a moment to read, in its entirety, the "I have a dream" speech that follows. I keep a copy in my wallet to remind myself of the value of freedom and the price we all have to pay to forward the cause of freedom for all.

---

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "For Whites Only". We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

We have made it to Kuwait.

We were just ahead of the USS Hopper and her run in with the Iranians, as we steamed through the Persian Gulf. We debarked our amphibious aircraft carrier via Land Craft Units (LCU), which are much like the boats seen in the D-Day invasion of Normandy movies. We came ashore in Kuwait at a lovely little outpost with incredibly clear water.

Now, we are set up in a nice camp with many amenities. It is cold here, but the living is otherwise very good. Thus far, I've put in a 22 hour day and I'm working on a 14 hour day now, to which I need to get back.

I hope all is well, and I look forward to posting more in the near future.

2008-01-10 02:15 - Kuwait

We are in Bahrain, and I don't like it. I don't understand how this City/State works. Everything appears to be new-ish, but on torn up lots. The place is a mix of dilapidation and new construction.

In more chipper news, I have released the latest installment of my WestPac '08 Newsletter (Save the link target to download the newsletter).

Today, about 40 Marines and Sailors headed out to Paula Ubin to do a beach clean up. The island was a quick boat ride, ~15 mins, from Changi Village. We then spent a good 3 hours cleaning up the beach, before stopping for some lunch, and heading home. The island had a cute little village with a dramatically different feeling from the island of Singapore. It was far more laid back, absent of technology, and only a few motorized vehicles...none of which we saw in use.

After the beach clean up, we headed back to the ship to clean up. Then, we headed out to Sembawang, another Singaporean military base, for a unit function. I was able to ship off some gifts & holiday cards. We had some lunch/dinner at the Terror Club - named after the HMS Terror, an old British vessel.

Johnson and I promptly headed out of there for less militaristic climes. We headed down to Marina Bay, a bad choice since there's NOTHING there. Then, we hit up Raffle's Place...um, cool if you need a gym or a mall. Then, we headed toward Boat Quay (pronounced 'key'), where I had a beer or two while catching up on all this Internet stuff. Pics have been posted on my Facebook account.

Singapore is clean & fun, but very far from what I thought an authentic Asian experience would be.

We're in Singapore. It's great to be off ship. I can barely type right now because my hands got totally thrashed during the obstacle course that we ran today, on the Sembawang School of Infantry base. I ran the course 7 times, which was 6 times too many. I'm now missing much of the skin from my right hand and a decent chunk from my left hand.

Tonight, I posted a bunch of pictures from our float on my Facebook. If you would like to get regular updates via email, then please email me at holzmannmj@11meu.usmc.mil.

I miss you all an wish that we could all be living it up in Singapore, because it seems to me that this is either a place to make your name in international business or party like a college kid.

UPDATE: We are somewhere off the coast of Hawaii...I have no idea which direction or how far away we are. I thought I saw lights off in the distance last night, but when I woke this morning...we seemed to be back in the middle of nowhere. I had more written, but it all got lost.

In the mean time, I leave you with a way to contact me. Via email: holzmannmj@11meu.usmc.mil

Cpl Holzmann, Matthew J
1/5, H&S Co., Comm, Data
Unit40320
FPO AP 96610-0320

NO FedEx or UPS. Only send via US Postal Service (USPS). Use Nylon Filament Tape for boxes. If you want to send letters for free - via the Internet, then you can use MotoMail (www.motomail.us).

More later, when I have time. Also, there may be a site redesign in the near future.

It's been a LONG time since I've written, and since then MANY things have changed quite a bit.

• I'm married (to the wonderful woman I used to write about, Maira - 3 July)


• We've our respective in-laws


• I've 'sold' my Vespa to Jonathan, for safe keeping


• I've been to FL to visit my mother, and up to NoCal to visit my father


• I've purchased a Mac


• My wife will be moving out to San Diego this weekend


• I've been in the field* since 3 Aug


• I've turned 30

**Field: Currently a hellish part of the Mojave Desert known as Ft. Irwin. We sleep in refugee style tents, work in a portable command center, enjoy temperatures in the 110's, fly kites (namely us) in the nightly windstorms (a.k.a. sandstorms that coat EVERYTHING in a thick cloak of sand), go without bathing for weeks, and try to maintain network connectivity over several satellites and through several hops of another force's gear (ahem). Oh yeah...and our battalion plays GI Joe everyday in a 'notional' campaign against desert-going insurgents. This is practice for some desert-like place, in which we may be expected to perform our duties. Gee, wonder where that could be?

Getting married was great, but I'm really looking forward to our ceremony in San Diego, 27 Oct, 2007...yes VERY soon. Turning 30 was kinda a non-event, but I was fortunate enough to live the day for 39 hrs before finally getting to sleep - we moved our unit out of the 'rear' and into the field the day after my birthday.

Currently, I'm typing through a satellite connection w/ downloads of glacial speeds, which seems to impact the loading of pages to the point that simple buttons, like Reply and Delete, often don't work. So, if I haven't replied to your email, it's b/c I haven't been able to do so.

I love and miss my wife. I miss talking to friends and family. I can't wait to take a shower.

THIS WILL BE THE LAST ENTRY CATEGORIZED UNDER 'DATING'!!!

On Nov 23, 2006, I wrote "Touchscreen On Steroids: Interfaces Gone Wild" in reference to 'new' technology for interfaces. The technology has been used in Apple's iPhone for image resizing and menu manipulation. But now - an I HATE to say this - Microsoft has stepped up with the Surface.

This thing gets gold 5 stars for cool. I wish I could be on the sales team for this thing. The Surface is a table with a 30" touchscreen that interacts with multiple inputs from multiple users, devices & objects that are placed on the screen, and potentially even payment methods on the tabletop. Users can set down a Bluetooth enabled camera, which automatically syncs, drops the photos for immediate display & manipulation onto the Surface, and then permits multiple users to sort, edit, and share photos to other devices - i.e. PDA. Alternately, the table could be used commercially as a cocktail table that permits guests to order food & beverages, (of course) receive advertisements, and split the bill by pulling their items to their credit/debit cards that are placed on the table. - very cool. The tabletop tool can also used to plan waypoints for a trip and then have them submitted to a PDA for later recall. With a GPS enabled device, the PDA could direct users through their day.

Popular Mechanics had a great video review of the product and the supporting technology.

I'm engaged. Maira and I have chosen to get engaged with one another, this past weekend. As part of the engagement, we are working through the process of Imago Therapy, which we both feel is bringing us into a far more mindful relationship.

During the weekend, we went sea kayaking around the La Jolla Caverns (Hike, Bike, & Kayak Tours - great military discount available) where we saw sea lions and seals at play, to the batting cage at North Island Naval Base, ate great food at Fogo de Chao with my future sister-in-law - Michelle, enjoyed the Japanese Tea Garden, and found a wonderful engagement ring made by a local artist (pics soon).

All-in-all, a wonderful weekend.

It's been a long damn time since I checked in, so...now's as good a time as any.

Yesterday, I was awareded Marine of the Quarter for my Company, and now I move on to a Battalion level board in a couple of weeks. If that comes through, then I will potentially receive a meritorious promotion to Corporal. As a Corporal, I will be considered a Non-Commissioned Officer...which is a big damn deal (pay raise and more responsibility).

A few weeks ago, Maira was out in San Diego for a conference. It was a big deal for her, because she got the opportunity to present. And, it was great for me, because we got to be together. I might even get to see her next week, if I get leave approved to go back to Denver.

Ahhh...I finally have a renter for my condo! Yeah!!! Guess that's about it.

In the words of Ice Cube, "I gotta say, today was a good day."

Today, I received several awards upon graduation from the Marine Corps Communications and Electronics School (MCCES) 0656 Tactical Data Network Operator's Course (TDNOC).

• 1st in class - Meritorious Promotion to Lance Corporal


• Warrior's Award - Peer award for Marine that most exemplifies Core Values


• Highest PFT (Physical Fitness Test) - 295pts (out of 300pts)


• CO's Challenge Coin, an extra honor received from the Bravo Company Commanding Officer.


• Director's Award - Received by entire class for outstanding academic and physical achievement, community service, and no negative paperwork (Non-Judicial Punishments or Page 11's)

Needless to say, I'm very happy. Additionally, I'm very proud of the class with which I served. They showed outstanding character and commitment by staying out of trouble, studying, and staying physically fit. I also thank them for selecting me to receive the Warrior's Award.

UPDATE: Other big news, my orders were changed this morning. I will still be serving at Camp Pendleton under the 1st Marine Division - the oldest and most decorated Division in the United States Marine Corps. More specifically, I will now be serving a Victor Unit, 1/5, 1st Marine Division/5th Regiment - the most highly decorated Regiment in the Marine Corps.

Did you know that 47 countries' have reestablished their embassies in Iraq?

Did you know that the Iraqi government currently employs 1.2 million Iraqi people?

Did you know that 3100 schools have been renovated,

364 schools are under rehabilitation,

263 new schools are now under construction and 38 new schools have been completed in Iraq ?

Did you know that Iraq's higher educational structure consists of 20 Universities, 46 Institutes or colleges and 4 research centers, all currently operating?

Did you know that 25 Iraq students departed for the United States in January 2005 for the re-established Fulbright program?

Did you know that the Iraqi Navy is operational?

They have 5 - 100-foot patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels and a naval infantry regiment.

Did you know that Iraq's Air Force consists of three operational squadrons, which includes 9 reconnaissance and 3 US C-130 transport aircraft (under Iraqi operational control) which operate day and night, and will soon add 16 UH-1 helicopters and 4 Bell Jet Rangers?

Did you know that Iraq has a counter-terrorist unit and a Commando Battalion?

Did you know that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000 fully trained and equipped police officers?

Did you know that there are 5 Police Academies in Iraq that produce over 3500 new officers each 8 weeks?

Did you know there are more than 1100 building projects going on in Iraq?

They include 364 schools, 67 public clinics, 15 hospitals, 83 railroad stations, 22 oil facilities, 93 water facilities and 69 electrical facilities.

Did you know that 96% of Iraqi children under the age of 5 have received the first 2 series of polio vaccinations?

Did you know that 4.3 million Iraqi children were enrolled in primary school by mid October?

Did you know that there are 1,192,000 cell phone subscribers in Iraq and phone use has gone up 158%?

Did you know that Iraq has an independent media that consists of 75 radio stations, 180 newspapers and 10 television stations?

Did you know that the Baghdad Stock Exchange opened in June of 2004?

Did you know that 2 candidates in the Ir aqi presidential election had a televised debate recently?

OF COURSE WE DIDN'T KNOW!

WHY DIDN'T WE KNOW?

OUR MEDIA WOULDN'T TELL US!

Instead of reflecting our love for our country, we get photos of flag burning incidents at Abu Ghraib and people throwing snowballs at the presidential motorcades. Tragically, the lack of accentuating the positive in Iraq serves two purposes:

It is intended to undermine the world's perception of the United States thus minimizing consequent support, and it is intended to discourage American citizens.
---- Above facts are verifiable on the Department of Defense website.

The following is the text from a website entitled "This Will Make You Proud." It was forwarded to me via email, and I've chosen to post the story to honor an outstanding Marine and his actions.

Those of you who might not know, the man on the left is the Commandant (General Michael Hagee) of the Marine Corps, and he is proud to know the man on the right.

Maybe you'd like to hear about a real American, somebody who honored the uniform he wears

Meet Brian Chontosh
Churchville-Chili Central School
Class of 1991.
Proud graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Husband and about-to-be father. First Lieutenant (now Captain) in the United States Marine Corps. And a genuine hero, the Secretary of the Navy said so yesterday (6 May 2004).

At 29 Palms in California Brian Chontosh was presented with the Navy Cross, the second highest award for combat bravery the United States can bestow.

That's a big deal. But you won't see it on the network news tonight. And all you'll read in Brian's hometown newspaper is two paragraphs of nothing.

The odd fact about the American media in this war is that it's not covering the American military. The most plugged-in nation in the world is receiving virtually no true information about what its warriors are doing.

Oh, sure, there's a body count. We know how many Americans have fallen. And we see those same casket pictures day in and day out.

And we're almost on a first-name basis with the jerks who abused the Iraqi prisoners. And we know all about improvised explosive devices and how we lost Fallujah and what Arab public-opinion polls say about us and how the world hates us.

We get a non-stop feed of gloom and doom. But we don't hear about the heroes.

The incredibly brave GIs who honorably do their duty. The ones our grandparents would have carried on their shoulders down Fifth Avenue.

The ones we completely ignore, like Brian Chontosh.

It was a year ago on the march into Baghdad. Brian Chontosh was a platoon leader rolling up Highway 1 in a humvee. When all hell broke loose.

Ambush city.

The young Marines were being cut to ribbons. Mortars, machine guns, rocket propelled grenades. And the kid out of Churchville was in charge. It was do or die and it was up to him.

So he moved to the side of his column, looking for a way to lead his men to safety. As he tried to poke a hole through the Iraqi line his humvee came under direct enemy machine gun fire. It was fish in a barrel and the Marines were the fish. And Brian Chontosh gave the order to attack.

He told his driver to floor the humvee directly at the machine gun emplacement that was firing at them. And he had the guy on top with the 50 cal unload on them.

Within moments there were Iraqis slumped across the machine gun and Chontosh was still advancing, ordering his driver now to take the humvee directly into the Iraqi trench that was attacking his Marines.

Over into the battlement the humvee went and out the door Brian Chontosh bailed, carrying an M16 and a Beretta, and 228 years of Marine Corps pride.

And he ran along the trench, with its mortars and riflemen, machineguns and grenadiers. And he killed them all.

He fought with the M16 until it was out of ammo.

Then he fought with the Beretta until it was out of ammo.

Then he picked up a dead man's AK4 and fought with that until it was out of ammo.

Then he picked up another dead man's AK47 and fought with that until it was out of ammo.

At one point he even fired a discarded Iraqi RPG into an enemy cluster, sending attackers flying with its grenade explosion.

When he was done Brian Chontosh had cleared 200 yards of entrenched Iraqis from his platoon's flank. He had killed more than 20 and wounded at least as many more.

But that's probably not how he would tell it. He would probably merely say that his Marines were in trouble, and he got them out of trouble. Ooh-rah, and drive on.

"By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, unlimited courage in the face of heavy enemy fire, and utmost devotion to duty, 1st Lt. Chontosh reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service."

That's what the citation says. And that's what nobody will hear. That's what doesn't seem to be making the evening news.

Accounts of American valor are dismissed by the press as propaganda, yet accounts of American difficulties are heralded as objectivity. It makes you wonder if the role of the media is to inform or to depress - to report or to deride. To tell the truth, or to feed us lies.

But I guess it doesn't matter. We're going to turn out all right As long as men like Brian Chontosh wear our uniform.

Things for which I'm thankful:

• My wonderful and supportive parents.
  
• My wonderfully loving extended family.
  
• My brilliant, beautiful, and accepting girlfriend, Maira.
  
• My infinitely patient friends, thanks for putting up with me.
  
• My new life in the Marine Corps.
  
• My health - the mere fact the I'm still alive to see this Thanksgiving.
  
• The Denver Broncos for the deep and endless emotional swings they cause - reminds me I'm alive.
  
• All the things I'm too lazy to type, but still appreciate.
  

Thank you to everyone in my life for making me who I am today. Thank you for your support!