One Warrior Remembered

[CR McDivot]

One Warrior Remembered

Stan Mullica was one real man.

I first met him back in 1969. Stan was the stepfather of the beautiful young lady I was courting as a young buck. Stan was a USMC lifer, a drill instructor at Pendleton at the time. Stan was of the age that he could have served in Korea, though he never spoke to me of it.

I was informed by the sweet young lady that I would be required to ask Stan's permission to take her out (yep, old school even for that era), and I readily complied. That first interview occurred in Stan's makeshift gym in his garage where after introductions Stan explained a bit of what he expected of acceptable young men.

Of course, this was nowhere near what Stan expected of the recruits entrusted to him. Rather, a bare minimum measure of character and stamina one might ask of a teenage male of the day who desires to court one's female charge.

As I recall, Stan continued his workout while asking a few quite blunt questions as to my intentions towards the lady in question, always referring to her in the most respectful tones, and to me as a more than likely defiler of her virtue (obviously Stan was a student of human nature).

After considering the forthrightness and truthfulness of my responses (youthful boldness sometimes pays off, plus Stan knew the lady's affection towards me) Stan proceeded to lay down the rules by which I may call upon her. Stan then had me strip to my shorts and spent the next two hours supervising my work on the weights.

He was not impressed! But, allowed my tired carcass to take the lady to a movie (with a set curfew) stinky, sweaty, exhausted and all.

Gradually, over the next year, Stan worked me into pretty good physical shape. I actually enjoyed the time we spent together, both the physical training and the discussion of life issues.

One of those issues was Stan's dissatisfaction with "being stuck" training young men to war, when he felt he could be more effective afield. Stan was no spring chicken, but was about 40 and in great physical shape. After numerous requests the Corps finally reassigned Stan to duty in 'Nam.

While "in country" Stan served with honor, but suffered an injury which sent him back Stateside. I married the lady, and we had two children.

Stan was eventually forced to take a medical discharge, but had already served 25+ years. It broke his heart, the Corps was his first love. It offended his sense of honor to be found medically unfit to continue to serve.

Stan loved and served his family, his country, and his fellow Warriors.

Stan Mullica was one real man.

[mchepp]

Is this your personal story or one you read? It's quite a good one either way. 

[Yukari]

On June 25, 2016 at 11:56 PM, mchepp said:

Is this your personal story or one you read? It's quite a good one either way. 

He is using first person narrative. It's his personal tribute to his father-in-law. 

[CR McDivot]

On 6/27/2016 at 7:29 AM, Yukari said:

He is using first person narrative. It's his personal tribute to his father-in-law. 

Yeah, Stan was my FIL. He was not perfect... but none of us are.

However, Stan was a man that faced the challenges presented to him in the time he lived. He stood to those challenges in a manner, that I for one, would desire to emulate.

Though Stan never professed outwardly to me Christian faith, he surely displayed such in his life as much as my own father (who served in Africa and Europe) - to both of whom I owe a great debt in the building of character.

Good men have always been scarce!

I thank God that I have been blessed to have known a few, and have been directly influenced by a couple.

May God grant that I neither fail Him nor them!