I had my 1 year review with Navy LtCmdr P. down in Newport this morning. He was excited to see how well I’m doing and is going to put me on a 6 month “limited duty” status. I now have a 6 month window to keep training and prove to the Marines that I’m fit to return to OCS and become an officer. At the end of the 6 months, my case will appear in front of a medical board in DC to determine if I should return to full duty or be permanently separated.

Read Trip to Newport Naval Hospital, part I.

Sasha and I braved the super long line and the fierce temperatures to see the USS JFK on its last trip to Boston before decommissioning on March 23rd.

See the whole set.

Sasha and I were on a 57 MBTA bus going out on Commonwealth Ave right before the Brighton Ave split when another bus crashed into the back of us. We got hit twice, I’m not sure if both times were the bus or if the car hit us once. I was standing in the rear of the bus when it was hit. We got hit really hard and a couple people who were standing fell down but weren’t hurt. I thought it was really exciting. We pulled over and got out for a couple minutes before another empty bus pulled up to take all the passengers (2 busses worth) to their destinations. The people in the car were hurt and ambulances and firetrucks came. Some pictures:

Had a small milestone yesterday, I ran for the first time since my surgery. Not sure if you can really call it a run, it took me 11 minutes to go 1 mile. Regardless, it made me feel real good. I’m going to start slow and build a solid foundation before I start pushing myself. It was more uncomfortable than painful, it felt like I was re-learning how to run. Hopefully it won’t be too long before I remember. I’ll keep you updated on my progress.

I will never forget my Platoon Commander Captain R. walking into my hospital room the day after my surgery, I was so surprised to see him. He sat in I-95 traffic for half a day so he could see how I was doing in person. I remember the look on his face when he realized how bad things were. He told me he sat the whole platoon down and had a long talk with them about what had happened to me. After a brief visit Captain R. went back to Quantico, but I wish he’d have stayed longer. That was the last time I saw anyone from my platoon.

I wonder sometimes that if I ever do see Captain R. or anyone else from the 4th Platoon staff again, if they’d remember me. Regardless if I ever make it back to Quantico, my life was changed more in those 5 and a half weeks by those Marines, than in my 24 years prior.