Semper Fidelis
Odd way to start a self description title of myself, but not if you know me. You would understand it encompasses all that I strive to be, as so many other Marines before and after me will. It is not just a bumper sticker, it is the motto of the USMC and is branded on our hearts and minds. To always be faithful, is our decree. Faithful to God, country, Marine Corps, family, friends, job and yes, to our customers in day-to-day life. Before I was a Marine, I was a small town Boy Scout. Later I served in the Army Reserve with the teachers and police who watched me grow up during the first Gulf War. I was raised in a small community where a man has to look another in the eye, and all deals are done by a man’s word. I learned as I fought in the first Gulf War that this belief should always go with me whether I’m in small-town Missouri, or in the sands of Iraq.
First to fight for right and freedom, and to keep our honor clean…
After the tours of duty in Saudi, Kuwait and Iraq I remained on active duty, and re-enlisted in the Marines along with my younger brother. He became more than a brother to me. He now held the title of Marine along with me, and held me to my rigorous honor and faithfulness more than any other Marine I would ever meet. Marines defined a way of living, a belief structure that I will always hold. It is ingrained in my psyche to this day.
“Once a Marine, always a Marine …”
… is taught to us as we enter the base, and is enforced daily until we leave the Corps. From the moment I placed my feet on the foot prints, to the day I was pinned with my Eagle, Globe and Anchor, to the day I die, I will enjoy the honor and title, but also the way of life that is being a Marine. Always faithful to someone you have never met, take a bullet for someone you have only met once. How can those who do not belong truly understand? Even in the Army I did not fully understand the importance of this. I had honor while in the Army, but I was Honor upon becoming a Marine.
Why, might you ask, do I go on about my USMC time, and not about my time as ACIC engineer, at Wal-Mart, Tyson or other IT jobs? Because I want you to understand who I am, not what I do. What I do comes naturally to most all technicans. It is the military service, from the moment of placing my boots on the ground in Ft. Dix, New Jersey with the Army to stepping on the sands of the Middle East, the jungles of Asia, the fog of Europe and beyond, that defines me and how I work. It is this that I bring from the Corps to the table when I work for you. It is these qualities that I promise to uphold. It is my goal that by bringing these qualities to the Information Technology market, I can support my customers, co-workers, and family with the qualities I demonstrated in the Boy Scouts, U.S. Army, and later in the Marine Corps. From small-town America and back, these are the values I hold. Please, as you read my resume, keep all I have said in mind.
Thank You, Al Videtto, CEO – Arkansas IS
