By Michelle Libby
There are certain things we did growing up that we never want our children to find out about.
Wrong turns, misguided paths and flat out mistakes.
However, there are some things we are proud of and want to share. Choices we made that we
want to explain to our children to help them see the real people behind the titles Mom and Dad. I
found this to be true when I took my children to UMaine, my alma mater, for my sorority’s charity
5K. I was so excited to show them my college and tell them about what I did there.
The message truly hit home on a recent trip to South Carolina where we stopped for a quick
— 4-hour — visit in Quantico, Virginia, home to The National Marine Corps Museum.
My husband served in the Marine Corps from 1989 to 1996, and was deployed in Operation
Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He served his country and lived to share the tale with our two
children and with me. I love to listen to him tell stories about boot camp and his drill instructors.
I was excited to stop at the museum where I planned to buy a sweatshirt and some USMC
memorabilia and be on our way, but it didn’t happen quite that way. I got sucked into the
atmosphere and stories on display.
The National Museum of the Marine Corps opened in November 2006. With it’s gleaming
floors, state of the art theater, electronics and architecture, which replicates the shape of the
raising of the flag on Iwo Jima, it is an engineering marvel.
However, it’s not all about the dioramas, the pavilions, or the replica of Tun Tavern, the
birthplace of the Marine Corps. It was about the words the Marine’s themselves spoke as they told
their stories to my children. It was about the 20-minute movie we watched explaining that being a
Marine was an honor, offering a sense of pride and a sense of brotherhood, and suddenly we all
felt a little more “in the club” through our association with my husband. We were the extended
Marine Corps family.
I watched the face of the retirees retelling stories, looking at life-sized photos while they
recalled their days in the Corps. It was awe inspiring to see the young generation of Marines mill
through the building as they read about 9/11 from a Marine’s point-of-view. In the same room as
the current day battle descriptions there was a table and chairs set up as a place for children to
draw pictures to send messages to troops. My son drew a little flag, then proceeded to draw a
small symbol for every holiday. My daughter drew a girl next to a flag and wrote, “Thank you for
serving our country.” They chose to leave them hanging on the bulletin board for all to see.
My favorite part was called “The making of a Marine,” which took the family through the trials
of boot camp. The kids lined up on the yellow footprints in front of the Parris Island bus, while I
snapped a photo. Around the corner there were two telephone booth-sized sound proof containers
that my brave daughter stood in while a female drill instructor yelled at her. There was a pod for
the men too, but I think my husband was having flashbacks at the time, so he opted not to stand in
it.
The major conflicts involving Marines were separated into their own immersion venues, where
visitors walk through scenes and listen to news footage, each step designed to draw you further
into what it was really like during that time period. There were a few sections that stood out for me.
One was when the Marines got stuck in the cold Russian winter. The room we entered was cooled
so you felt the chill the Marines must have experienced. The floor to ceiling scene depicted
mountainous terrain. Then we went into a helicopter that had been cut open for us to walk into.
Then a man’s voice yelled, “Go! Go! Go!” We ran down the back ramp into a 360 degree theater,
that felt like we’d been dropped into the rice patties of Vietnam. I got chills and my daughter
especially felt the energy in the room, choosing to hand on to me as we crouched and ran for the
door. The museum made the most impact on her.
One night at the dinner table, before we took our trip, our son told his father and I that he
didn’t want to join the Marines because, “He didn’t want to die.” Now, after the trip – he is proud to
tell people that his father is a Marine. My son hasn’t said he wants to enlist, (making his mom very
happy) however, he now understands more of what it means to be called a Marine, because for
Marines it’s not just a title, it’s way of life.
I didn’t get my sweatshirt that day, we barely bought anything just a few glasses to bring back to
our Marine friends, but what we left the museum with and what my children left with, was a sense of
who their father really is and that was the best souvenir we could have given them.
Have you ever been so busy that you don't take the time to stop and smell the roses. I feel like I haven't taken the time to
relax since we went on vacation to South Carolina in February. News keeps happening here in my little hometown.
My editor and I spend all our time chasing after stories and getting the paper out that weeks go by before I realize that I
haven't done fun things with my children.
Not complaining, mind you. I love my job. It was exactly what I said I wanted to do, even when I was in junior high school.
I find that I'm not writing as much fiction as I was, but after last night at the Maine Romance Writers Retreat and at the
NEC conference in March that there a bunch of authors who are willing to kick my butt into fiction writing gear. Thanks
Meg and Cindy!
School's back in. I have a new job writing for the local weekly paper in my hometown. I'm excited, but a little frustrated
that I can't make up my own quotes like I do in my fiction. :)
I've finished my latest novel called "Flashbangs and Nightsticks." Other projects are begging to be done, like washing
and waxing my floors.
Did you check out the cover of "Ghoulish Love". It is really feaky cool. Once you see what's lurking in the iris of the eye
you will never not be able to see the "thing" again.
Have a great month.
M
I've been quiet. Very quiet. I'd like to say I've been writing like crazy, but actually I've been rewriting and editing like
crazy. When I wasn't editing I was lugging kids from here to there, and working as President of the Maine Chapter of
RWA. I'm also the Agent/Editor Chair for the 2006 NEC conference.
My goal is to finish my next book before summer rolls in. I've been busy planning my summer vacation. Vacation is the
operative word. I plan to camp, relax and write like crazy. We just bought a pop-up camper. It's small, but beats sleeping
on the ground with no electricity. I think I'm excited about it because it's like a house that takes two minutes to clean up
and isn't cluttered with the trappings of every day life.
I'll be at the NEC conference on the conference committee. I'll also be signing Kidnapped and Dog Days at the book
signing on Saturday evening. Hope you'll stop by because it's open to the public.
Natick, MA. 4:30 PM Crowne Plaza Hotel
Michelle
"Ghoulish Love", my novella for "Haunted Attractions" from Champagne Books is finished. My editor has it and I'm off to
work on more projects at camp.
When I say "at camp" it doesn't mean the tent and campfire type of place. Camp to me is actually a building with real
beds, toilet and shower. There's an old microwave and a stove. The only thing we don't have is a dishwasher. I've
explained to my children that's why we have them...
I took pictures of the lake from the book. We'll add those to this page soon. See if you can figure out where in the book
the pictures are from.
Yesterday, my nine-year old and I went to a Girl Scout camp for a leader/daughter day. We swam, played games, and
did arts and crafts. We ate dinner with two romance novel fans and their daughters. Can't beat good food and good
company.
M
