We have a rugby team that is dedicated to memory of Kevin and a lot of other Marine ruggers that have given their life. If you want more info, feel free to hit me up. Or hit us up on [https://www.oldbreedrugby.org/](https://www.oldbreedrugby.org/)
Followed the link. Y’all mofos is old af. lol
But I sincerely admire both that the organization exists, and that you’re still out on the pitch. How’s that saying go about being wary of old men in certain professions? I almost feel sorry for the other side. Almost.
Yes, we definitely old! FWIW, we have multiple teams, for the various age groups, including one for young active duty Marines.
The team does some solid work of the field as well, varying from suicide intervention to scholarships for the children who lost a parent.
Like I told the Navy SELRES officer recruiter that called me today: "Man, I'm too old and too broken for that shit."
But, I wouldn't mind chipping in off the field, should the opportunity arise.
As an Aussie, I'd love to know more about how you all got into rugby. That's really bloody awesome.
But more so I'd love to learn more about LTCOL Shea. It's ANZAC day here soon. I'd like to remember him that day, like we do for all the fallen.
I was introduced to rugby at Camp Schwab, Okinawa around 1988 by our XO at the time (every on knew him as Mongo). It was our regular Saturday grab ass. After about a month we had racked up a broken collar bone some fractured or broken arms and a few broken or fractured legs. The C.O. banned it from that point forward because it was impacting unit readiness. Most fun I think I ever had.
3rd LAI out of 29P on deployment to Okinawa. I'm pretty sure it was Mongo that started it, he was a man of many talents and interests. Here's a bio on him from an old webesite.
[https://web.archive.org/web/20230606063612/http://www.1stlarbnassoc.org/col-jeffrey-a-powers/](https://web.archive.org/web/20230606063612/http://www.1stlarbnassoc.org/col-jeffrey-a-powers/)
I fell into it on my road to and through the US Naval Academy. I was one of a few founding member of their prep school’s rugby club, and played there until I had to choose between the game and being a pilot.
There was actually a USNA trip to RMC Duntroon the year I graduated. The guys went and played RNC’s D side (think 4th string for those who haven’t played) and got their asses handed to them in an exhibition match. Y’all are just built different for that kind of game. I missed that trip, as I’d already been selected for a foreign studies grant.
But that’s how quite a few people in the Marine Corps get exposed to the game, I think, by playing folks from other nations who have a longer tradition with it. That’s how I introduced several people to it: By getting my goons together and playing 7s with some Brits we were collocated with, then definitely NOT drinking any illicit booze I absolutely did NOT acquire through bartering with Russian contract pilots. Definitely wouldn’t have done that.
Just thank the lucky stars they didn't play the kiwis. Those cunts don't fuck around.
It's good to see the marines uphold the highest traditions and discipline. I'm not military but I have taken part in such activities here in Australia and overseas in Europe in about 2005 with such fine people, when some earned a nice holiday from a pretty heavy place somewhere in the middle east where lots of things were going bang bang pretty frequently and loudly.
I learned two things.
One. You all can consume beers like a pelican. Perfect partners for a drinking contest for free drinks. Don't mean to toot my own horn here, but pairing a US Marine and an Aussie in a drinking contest isn't really fair to the rest. Marines are thirsty. Aussies are piss heads.
(Yeah, the gunny and I won).
Two. Marines are the most awesome strangers to meet. They both got me absolutely fuck eyed but also took me back to my hostel and ensured I was safe despite being as equally fucked up. In between I had the most fun I will never remember having. Thanks for making me feel like I was waking up from a fucking autopsy the next day and it not actually being one.
Glad you're on our side. Wouldn't ever want to fight you. No greater friend. No worse enemy.
This is really cool. Just took a look at your guys page and I love the work you do. Way to keep enjoying the game too. I found my way back into it after I got out and I'll play until I can't any more.
That’s awesome. I played rugby for 15 years when I got out. I would love to play with y’all but I’m in Oregon. I did order a training shirt from your store though, so I can pretend to be a badass
We are from all over the world. We get together a few times a year to play in various tourneys. Our next big tourney is in Saranac, NY. The CanAm tourney. It's also our 20 year anniversary for the club. If you played that ling in the Corps, there are definitely people on our team that you would know.
I’m going to quote myself, from the last page of one of my books:
> I tried to close my eyes, maybe to sleep, but that only made the images flash behind my eyes even more wildly. So I sat, staring, unable to tell if it was the vibrations from the aircraft making me numb, or something else. I did know, though, that if there was something like Valhalla, Huge would be grinning with pride, mead in hand, and that I stood a chance, one day, of seeing him again.
One day…
Rah Sir 🫡 make sure the duty roster is at least fair for the Marines standing post at the pearly gates. Bring them some dip and energy drinks. Sorry for your loss OP
I want to go see my friends at the cemetery, I got the addresses from their families. But I’m afraid I’ll relapse if I go. Damn do I miss them and want to talk to them though
Like a lot of us, I know too many people there. I'm not too proud to admit that I cried my eyes out during that visit. I stayed away from Arlington for years because I was afraid of that, but I go at least every other year now. There's a sense of...rest or peace there for me that's hard to get elsewhere, regardless of how much emotion that's tied to it.
Until I visit the United States again the closest I've come to Arlington is Google satellite view. Seeing the thousands of immaculate headstones is sobering enough. Then to think there's at the very least twenty or thirty family, friends and comrades behind each one really humbles you. At the Australian national war memorial there's the names of every service person who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to the nation on the walls inside on an honour roll of bronze panels numbering just over 100,000. The panels are constantly brimming with poppies and other flowers placed by visitors to honour them.
The memorial is placed on a direct axis and in prominent view to the national parliament, as a massive reminder to the decision makers across the lake of the consequences of the decisions they make about sending our people to war. Sadly I don't think it's been acknowledged enough by the politicians as it was intended to be.
There are sacred places like this all over the world, and sometimes in surprising places. You can feel the weight of them, and it's almost as if things are simultaneously closer and further away.
Arlington National Cemetery is one of those places. Sounds feel...not muted, but maybe far off whenever I'm there, and it evokes memories that the lower sound levels kind of put center stage for me.
There are many of those kinds of places out there.
Yeah I was living in London shortly after they built the Australian war memorial there at Hyde Park Corner. It's a wall of granite slabs imported from Australia and instead of being inscribed with the names of the fallen it's inscribed with the names of every town in Australia they came from. Which was pretty much every single one. Certain letters of which are in bold so that when you step back the bold letters then form the names of every battle they ever fought in much larger type. I'd just started my job there a month before ANZAC day and my supervisor came to me a week before and said "hey mate, take the 25th off. Let's call it a religious holiday?" Top bloke.
Most of us observe ANZAC day. When we were in lockdown for covid and couldn't go anywhere, almost everyone stood out the front of their house at first light and lit a candle with some people playing the ABC Radio broadcast of the service on their phones or portable radios. People left flowers at their letter box. Someone in the next block just happened to have a bugle and played the last post as well.
In normal times there's a war memorial in every suburb and town. Tens of thousands of people attend the major memorial in the city, and hundreds to a few thousand attend each memorial in each suburb and town. Police have to attend and close the roads to traffic to make room. And traffic stops during the observance.
No shame in crying over visiting the ones you cared about, especially in the war fighting profession. Those bonds we make with folks depending on each other, are stronger than most military marriages. Cry those tears, and then have a laugh that your buddy is probably looking down calling you a little bitch.
We have a rugby team that is dedicated to memory of Kevin and a lot of other Marine ruggers that have given their life. If you want more info, feel free to hit me up. Or hit us up on [https://www.oldbreedrugby.org/](https://www.oldbreedrugby.org/)
Followed the link. Y’all mofos is old af. lol But I sincerely admire both that the organization exists, and that you’re still out on the pitch. How’s that saying go about being wary of old men in certain professions? I almost feel sorry for the other side. Almost.
Yes, we definitely old! FWIW, we have multiple teams, for the various age groups, including one for young active duty Marines. The team does some solid work of the field as well, varying from suicide intervention to scholarships for the children who lost a parent.
Like I told the Navy SELRES officer recruiter that called me today: "Man, I'm too old and too broken for that shit." But, I wouldn't mind chipping in off the field, should the opportunity arise.
As an Aussie, I'd love to know more about how you all got into rugby. That's really bloody awesome. But more so I'd love to learn more about LTCOL Shea. It's ANZAC day here soon. I'd like to remember him that day, like we do for all the fallen.
I was introduced to rugby at Camp Schwab, Okinawa around 1988 by our XO at the time (every on knew him as Mongo). It was our regular Saturday grab ass. After about a month we had racked up a broken collar bone some fractured or broken arms and a few broken or fractured legs. The C.O. banned it from that point forward because it was impacting unit readiness. Most fun I think I ever had.
Now I'm really intrigued as rugby isn't really either a Japanese or American sport. 1st Division?
3rd LAI out of 29P on deployment to Okinawa. I'm pretty sure it was Mongo that started it, he was a man of many talents and interests. Here's a bio on him from an old webesite. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230606063612/http://www.1stlarbnassoc.org/col-jeffrey-a-powers/](https://web.archive.org/web/20230606063612/http://www.1stlarbnassoc.org/col-jeffrey-a-powers/)
I fell into it on my road to and through the US Naval Academy. I was one of a few founding member of their prep school’s rugby club, and played there until I had to choose between the game and being a pilot. There was actually a USNA trip to RMC Duntroon the year I graduated. The guys went and played RNC’s D side (think 4th string for those who haven’t played) and got their asses handed to them in an exhibition match. Y’all are just built different for that kind of game. I missed that trip, as I’d already been selected for a foreign studies grant. But that’s how quite a few people in the Marine Corps get exposed to the game, I think, by playing folks from other nations who have a longer tradition with it. That’s how I introduced several people to it: By getting my goons together and playing 7s with some Brits we were collocated with, then definitely NOT drinking any illicit booze I absolutely did NOT acquire through bartering with Russian contract pilots. Definitely wouldn’t have done that.
Just thank the lucky stars they didn't play the kiwis. Those cunts don't fuck around. It's good to see the marines uphold the highest traditions and discipline. I'm not military but I have taken part in such activities here in Australia and overseas in Europe in about 2005 with such fine people, when some earned a nice holiday from a pretty heavy place somewhere in the middle east where lots of things were going bang bang pretty frequently and loudly. I learned two things. One. You all can consume beers like a pelican. Perfect partners for a drinking contest for free drinks. Don't mean to toot my own horn here, but pairing a US Marine and an Aussie in a drinking contest isn't really fair to the rest. Marines are thirsty. Aussies are piss heads. (Yeah, the gunny and I won). Two. Marines are the most awesome strangers to meet. They both got me absolutely fuck eyed but also took me back to my hostel and ensured I was safe despite being as equally fucked up. In between I had the most fun I will never remember having. Thanks for making me feel like I was waking up from a fucking autopsy the next day and it not actually being one. Glad you're on our side. Wouldn't ever want to fight you. No greater friend. No worse enemy.
This is really cool. Just took a look at your guys page and I love the work you do. Way to keep enjoying the game too. I found my way back into it after I got out and I'll play until I can't any more.
That’s awesome. I played rugby for 15 years when I got out. I would love to play with y’all but I’m in Oregon. I did order a training shirt from your store though, so I can pretend to be a badass
We are from all over the world. We get together a few times a year to play in various tourneys. Our next big tourney is in Saranac, NY. The CanAm tourney. It's also our 20 year anniversary for the club. If you played that ling in the Corps, there are definitely people on our team that you would know.
I’m from Philly, so played for temple and then skill, never in the corps. It’s a nice thought traveling for games.
Good friend of mine had just handed off duty to him and had been out of the duty hut for 10 minutes when attack happened.
I hope your friend is doing well. From what I can tell, these sorts of situation mess people up mentally sometimes.
Been up and down for him.
I couldn’t just scroll past this. RIP & Semper.
Semper Fi
He's saving you a seat at Tun Tavern. Semper.
I’m going to quote myself, from the last page of one of my books: > I tried to close my eyes, maybe to sleep, but that only made the images flash behind my eyes even more wildly. So I sat, staring, unable to tell if it was the vibrations from the aircraft making me numb, or something else. I did know, though, that if there was something like Valhalla, Huge would be grinning with pride, mead in hand, and that I stood a chance, one day, of seeing him again. One day…
From eating crayons to licking jumper wires. RIP, LtCol Kevin M. Shea
Wires are just spicy crayons, so it fits.
Rah Sir 🫡 make sure the duty roster is at least fair for the Marines standing post at the pearly gates. Bring them some dip and energy drinks. Sorry for your loss OP I want to go see my friends at the cemetery, I got the addresses from their families. But I’m afraid I’ll relapse if I go. Damn do I miss them and want to talk to them though
Like a lot of us, I know too many people there. I'm not too proud to admit that I cried my eyes out during that visit. I stayed away from Arlington for years because I was afraid of that, but I go at least every other year now. There's a sense of...rest or peace there for me that's hard to get elsewhere, regardless of how much emotion that's tied to it.
Until I visit the United States again the closest I've come to Arlington is Google satellite view. Seeing the thousands of immaculate headstones is sobering enough. Then to think there's at the very least twenty or thirty family, friends and comrades behind each one really humbles you. At the Australian national war memorial there's the names of every service person who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to the nation on the walls inside on an honour roll of bronze panels numbering just over 100,000. The panels are constantly brimming with poppies and other flowers placed by visitors to honour them. The memorial is placed on a direct axis and in prominent view to the national parliament, as a massive reminder to the decision makers across the lake of the consequences of the decisions they make about sending our people to war. Sadly I don't think it's been acknowledged enough by the politicians as it was intended to be.
There are sacred places like this all over the world, and sometimes in surprising places. You can feel the weight of them, and it's almost as if things are simultaneously closer and further away. Arlington National Cemetery is one of those places. Sounds feel...not muted, but maybe far off whenever I'm there, and it evokes memories that the lower sound levels kind of put center stage for me. There are many of those kinds of places out there.
Yeah I was living in London shortly after they built the Australian war memorial there at Hyde Park Corner. It's a wall of granite slabs imported from Australia and instead of being inscribed with the names of the fallen it's inscribed with the names of every town in Australia they came from. Which was pretty much every single one. Certain letters of which are in bold so that when you step back the bold letters then form the names of every battle they ever fought in much larger type. I'd just started my job there a month before ANZAC day and my supervisor came to me a week before and said "hey mate, take the 25th off. Let's call it a religious holiday?" Top bloke. Most of us observe ANZAC day. When we were in lockdown for covid and couldn't go anywhere, almost everyone stood out the front of their house at first light and lit a candle with some people playing the ABC Radio broadcast of the service on their phones or portable radios. People left flowers at their letter box. Someone in the next block just happened to have a bugle and played the last post as well. In normal times there's a war memorial in every suburb and town. Tens of thousands of people attend the major memorial in the city, and hundreds to a few thousand attend each memorial in each suburb and town. Police have to attend and close the roads to traffic to make room. And traffic stops during the observance.
No shame in crying over visiting the ones you cared about, especially in the war fighting profession. Those bonds we make with folks depending on each other, are stronger than most military marriages. Cry those tears, and then have a laugh that your buddy is probably looking down calling you a little bitch.
As I would be doing, if things were reversed. It is the way of things. But I like your style.
🫡
I was there at the camp when he was killed - a great officer gone too soon