The Tribe is Strong

This weekend, I got to see something that made every part of me happy. I got to see firsthand that the tribe is strong.As we go through life our metaphorical "cup" gets drained as we pour ourselves into our work, into our personal lives, and into our hobbies. Sometimes very little gets poured back into us. However, seeing what I saw this weekend filled my metaphorical cup and I feel that as the editor of this publication that you all should know this story. It's a great one so please read on.The men and women who serve this nation in the military, are part of a fraternity, part of a tribe, part of the ship, part of the crew. We could go on and on with comparisons, but Sebastian Junger entitled a book called "Tribe" where it explains the relationships formed by those who serve together in the extreme duress of combat, the book has several other key points, and its a great read. That's not the point though. The point we're making here is that there is a sense of belonging and understanding amongst those who've shouldered the burden together.So it was with little surprise and great joy that this weekend a Marine whom I served with, asked his community, most of whom are Marines and other service members, if there was any chance any of them would be willing to donate a kidney to him should the need arise.The response was overwhelming. Yes, so many members of the "Tribe" responded with yes (myself included), and asked for the next steps. As I write this with tears in my eyes I can't help but think to myself, this is why I love the "Tribe". There was no hesitation, there was only a willingness to give.There is so much going on in the world right now, so much that has divided our nation and sometimes even our community of veterans and active duty members. The transformative experience we had overseas where we saw the best in each other, saw the selflessness in each other, seemed to be a distant memory, until that humble post by a brother. The cup fills up.Our tribe is afflicted with many different and unique challenges, but this...this reminded me that none of us are ever truly alone. We belong to something more.The Tribe is strong. This is who we are.Thank you, "Brothers of the Blade" and everyone else who stepped up to take care of my brother. I know this is not unique to our unit, but rather merely the pulse of our great fraternity. Semper Fidelis.The Tribe is strong.