The family

A funny thing has happened since Robert became a Marine: I care a lot more about the Marine Corps, individual Marines, and the military in general.
"Look around you," the officers at Robert's boot camp graduation in San Diego said. "See all those people? They're all family members of Marines.
"Well, they're your family now, too."
I wondered how that would work. After all, I'm a short, fat, gray-haired white guy who teaches college - media! - in the Upper Midwest.

This doesn't exactly fit the stereotypical demographics of your typical U.S. Marine Corps recruit.
But that doesn't matter.
Long ago, the Corps made the decision that where a Marine came from didn't matter. It didn't matter who your grandmother was. It didn't matter where you grew up. It didn't matter how rich or poor your family is. You're a Marine, and that's all that matters.
I grew up in the Vietnam era. There was an attitude, largely unspoken but still there, that the only people who served in the military at that time were people who were too dumb to dodge the draft.

A lot of very bright baby boomers managed to not serve in the military, despite the fact that the Selective Service was determined to get as many young men into uniform as possible.
The military ended up troubled. It took more than a decade to fix that mess.

The Marines weren't immune to this. But along the way - and the First Gulf War and 9/11 had a lot to do with this - it became respectable to serve. "Thank you for your service," became something Americans said, and Americans actually meant it. 

The Corps now comprises nearly 180,000 enlisted Marines, along with nearly 22,000 officers. Each has a family. Obviously, I've never met most of them, and I won't.
But we've all got something in common. Someone we love is a Marine, and that makes us family.

A house close to the land

The Eastman homestead at 2954 County Road 405, Old Engadine Road, Newberry, Mich.

It's the house where Kissy Missy grew up. This is a home about 7 miles outside of Newberry in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and it's a really cool place. It features 20 acres, woods and fields, a two-bedroom house and outbuildings.
It has definite signs of the family history here. It was built largely by Kissy Missy's father, who lived close to the land, and it's the perfect place for someone who also wants to live close to the land. It's now up for sale. Take a look.

The living room of the Eastman homestead.

It's a snug house, and kept the family warm during cold Upper Peninsula winters.

The kitchen of the Eastman homestead.

The rear bedroom features plenty of closets and built-in storage.

The front bedroom has great cross-ventilation. New carpeting also has been installed since this photo was taken.

The entire Eastman homestead features plenty of closet space and built-in storage.

The lower-level den.

The barn at the Eastman homestead features enough clearance to park a recreational vehicle or a tractor with a tall stack.

That's in addition to a two-vehicle garage and shop - and there's even a root cellar.

A total of 20 acres of land, a combination of woodland and fields.

The Eastman homestead includes an orchard, where apples, plums and other fruit trees grow.

 While the orchard is old and needs work, it still could be productive.

The price? $69,000. More photos and details here from Realtor.com.
The MLS ID is 14-592

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Newberry

(906) 293-5055

Agent:LuAnn Scheerer

If you've ever considered an up-north place, or a place to get close to the land, you might have found it. Call LuAnn.

Mobil comes to Mount Pleasant

A sign company crew updates the pylon sign to reflect Mobil fuel at the 7-Eleven store at Mission and Bluegrass in Mount Pleasant.

Mobil gasoline - or as it once was known, Mobilgas - has returned to Mount Pleasant.
The brand has been absent from most of central Michigan for many years, but recently has begun returning. The 7-Eleven store at Mission and Bluegrass has been rebranded from Citgo to Mobil. Numerous other Saginaw Valley 7-Elevens that sell fuel also have undergone the rebranding recently.
Two stations in Remus recently were rebranded as Mobil and its sister brand, Exxon.
Will it make a difference in price in Mount Pleasant? Doubtful. It's a major brand with the additional overhead that goes with the brand. It's a great, high-traffic location with a solid co-brand in the 7-Eleven convenience store, and no nearby competitors. From a retailing standpoint, there's no reason to be aggressive on pricing.
Sorry.

Military Occupational Specialty 5534

 Robert, the rookie clarinetist, practices in the kitchen in Lake Isabella. He was in seventh grade, and didn't even have a music stand at that point.

PFC Robert Ranzenberger has come a long way from the band room at West Intermediate School. This week, he began his formal training at the U.S. Navy School of Music in Virginia Beach, Va., for his Marine Military Occupational Specialty 5534 - Musician-Clarinet.

It's not easy to get that MOS. Eight years of playing clarinet in junior high, high school and college, two years as a drum major of the Mount Pleasant Oiler Marching Band, two more years playing with the CMU Marching Chippewas, qualified him to go through multiple auditions before learning he had been accepted.
Then he had to become a Marine. Thirteen weeks of boot camp - the longest and toughest in the military, followed by Marine Combat Training. Every Marine is a rifleman, and each of the Marine bands also is a rifle platoon. PFC Ranzenberger is rated "expert," and says he loves to shoot the M16A4.

Now, he'll undergo another 30 weeks of intense music training at the Navy's music school, preparing him to perform in a variety of different ensembles and genres. Eventually, he's likely to end up in one of the 10 Marine bands stationed around the United States and the Pacific.
He's got the passion for it. I saw the same passion for music in Robert that I saw in myself for journalism - and rock'n'roll. He's taking a very different path, but it's the right one for him. Semper Fi. 

The Ranzenhaus at Easter

It was a rare occasion - all four of the Ranzenberger kids were in one place at one time. It was Easter at the Ranzenhaus.
With friends and significant others, there were nine people around the table. That was magic.
The meal was a mix of tradition and new stuff - spiral-sliced ham, scalloped potatoes, asparagus, peas and tomatoes in herb butter, salad, and strawberry shortcake for dessert.
But with four kids all in their 20s, all with their own lives, it's challenging to get them into the same place. It happened for Easter.

The family. Front row: Deb Hoseit, Ashley Bailey, Kissy Missy and The Old Man. Second row: Andrew and Robert. Back row, Katherine, Matthew, and Amanda Cooper.

Amanda, Katherine and Matthew share a laugh.

The meal was a mix of tradition and new recipes - including asparagus, peas and tomatoes sauteed in herb butter, prepared masterfully by Robert.

It's spring. It's Easter. It's family.

Playing tourist in southern California

Pfc. Ranzenberger had spent three months in southern California.
But those three months weren't exactly a vacation. It was Marine boot camp, after all.
"I saw a lot of dirt," he said. "I did see the ocean once."
We decided to fix that. Kissy Missy and I took an extra day, and decided to explore just a taste of the place that really is the center of everything. We took the rental car, locked the radio on Classic Rock KGB-FM, and we unashamedly played tourist.

First stop: Coronado beach, on beautiful Coronado Island in San Diego Bay. It's one of the most beautiful beaches on the West Coast.

Up I-5, we stopped at Oceanside, a beautiful resort community.

Robert and Kissy Missy posed in front of the Wyndham Oceanside Pier Resort.

A young boy plays in the Pacific surf at Oceanside.

We headed out on the 1,954-foot-long Oceanside Pier, the longest wooden pier in the world.

On the pier, we met this pelican. He had an attitude.

And the pelican wasn't the only bird with an attitude out there. We enjoyed lunch at Ruby's Diner on the end of the pier, and kept exploring.

We met a young girl celebrating her Quinceañera. The pier is a beautiful place for photos.

On the way back, we took the Pacific Highway - Historic Route 101 - and stopped at The Flower Fields in Carlsbad. It's 50 acres of beautiful color up on a hill. We declined to pay the $12 admission fee - but treated ourselves to strawberry lavender sundaes.  They are to die for.

Back in San Diego, we made our way to Old Town San Diego. Things were hopping after dark.

The Cafe Coyote's mariachi singers serenaded the guests, and we enjoyed some really excellent Mexican food.

Soon enough, Robert will be back in Southern California. That's Camp Pendleton in the background - the hill called "The Reaper." But he knows now there's more to that place than just M-16s and drill instructors

Flight simulator

Immediately after graduation, we headed from MCRD San Diego to the USS Midway naval aviation museum.
The aircraft carrier served the fleet for 47 years, and now is the most-visited naval ship museum in the world. It's remarkable, indescribable, powerful.
On the hangar deck are flight simulators that allow visitors to see what it's like to fly a high-powered jet fighter. The young Marine took his mom for a ride.

The canopy is lowered, and the flight is about to begin.

Robert takes the stick. This is responsive!

Want to fly another mission, Mom?

Perhaps we see why he didn't choose aviation.

Boot camp graduation

Platoon honormen prepare to retire their platoons' guidons, or flags, as part of the graduation ceremony.

The day marked the conclusion of 12 of the toughest weeks of any Marine's life: It was boot camp graduation. For Pfc. Robert Ranzenberger and the other members of the 2nd Marine Recruit Battalion, Hotel Co., Platoon 2173, it was the day to tell their families, friends and the world that they were Marines. They would always be Marines.

Members of Hotel Co. Platoon 2173 stand at attention at the start of the ceremony.

 Pfc. Robert Ranzenberger is at the back of the row on the right.

He was all smiles the day before graduation from boot camp, the toughest 12 weeks of his life.

Members of Marine Corps Band San Diego were a major part of the event. The band is under the leadership of Band Officer Chief Warrant Officer Stephanie Wire and Bandmaster Master Sgt. Raoul Caldera, led on the march by Staff Sgt. Jared Riggs, the drum major, and was under the direction of Gunnery Sgt. Gary Robinson.

Cpl. Bella, the unit mascot, was in attendance, along with her handler, Lance Cpl. Tyler M. Viglione.

Platoon 2173 Honorman Pfc. G.T. Mugica of Anaheim, Calif., carried the guidon.

The Marines pass in review, displaying discipline, self-reliance, military bearing, espirit de corps, devotion, enthusiasm,  pride, initiative, teamwork, aggressiveness, determination, moral courage, integrity, camaraderie, and the burning desire to work with and for others towards excellence in common goals.

The Southern California sun warmed the celebrations at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.

Newly minted Marines stand at parade rest.

Six platoons of Marines - a total of 321 graduates - produced serious pride among the family and friends watching in the bleachers overlooking the parade deck.

The Marines were resplendent in white dress barracks covers with gold Eagle, Globe and Anchor devices affixed.

And as the band played, the celebrations began.