Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Reveille!!! Reveille!!!

If I asked you about what Charlie Sheen did recently, you probably would give me a well informed answer. The Kardashians, you probably have kept up with them. Maybe more than your own family.

What if I asked you, who was the Navy Seal who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Afghanistan. You would probably have no clue. Some of you probably think a Navy Seal is marine mammal and say "What the hell is it doing in Afghanistan?".

It just annoys me about the what makes news and what doesn't. There are so many untold stories out there that have not been told. Stories of honor, courage, and love of country. We may never hear them. That's the part that saddens me. These stories will do more for us spiritually than Charlie Sheen's drug crazed escapades. Who gives a damn he lost his job? You would lose your job if you did what he did.

My name is Joseph Zoleta. Formerly Corporal Zoleta from the United States Marine Corps. I was an infantry rifleman with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion 5th Marines (Oorah!). I served two combat tours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and served my active duty time from 2002-2006. Since my return to the 1st Civ Div (Civilian World), I have had many feelings of coming back to "normalcy". As quickly and as much as I wanted my active duty time to end, I found it very difficult and still continue to do so. I imagine the difficulty service members have when they have been pulled from a battlefield on a stretcher only to wake elsewhere and find out you almost didn't make it. I imagine the feeling cannot be put in words. The emotion can not be expressed.

There is an organization out there though that is helping. The organization is called "The Wounded Warrior Project". It is a non-profit organization. Its purpose stated
  • To raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members.
  • To help injured service members aid and assist each other.
  • To provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members.
My mission is to help this organization succeed. This is my first time organizing something like this. But, when you're behind something with all your heart, there's no stopping you.

How? How am I going to help? What can little ol' me do that can make a difference? Doing something is better than doing nothing. I have taken the model of other great organizations, such as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the American Heart Association, and wanted to be sponsored to participate in a sporting event. Not just any event, a triathlon. Not alone either, Marines work better as a team. Awareness and strength comes in numbers. So I have been recruiting and still am looking for any members to participate.

Why the name "Team Zombie"? A friend thought of it. Because we keep on coming. A zombie can fit into many analogies in life. Many will be reflected further on in this blog. It just fits! The name just fits!

I will be honest with you in that the idea of doing a triathlon snowballed into doing numerous triathlons. Numerous battles win a war, not just one. We are looking into participating in adventure races.

The first event we are participating in will be the Queens Biathlon on May 15th. It is a 3 mile run, 18 mile bike, and another 3 mile run to put a cherry on top. Let me tell you, I'm a paramedic. We are not the healthiest people out there. In other words this is not going to be a breeze for me. It is the path that draws me. Better myself, help my brothers and sisters is the personal game plan.

Stay tuned! There will be updates on how our training is going, personal stories from the battlefield. I will make sure you know these heroes names. You will learn their story and hopefully use it to learn about yourself.

Semper Fi and Retreat Hell

1 comment:

m said...

its Time to go running