The Awesome might of the US Military is built on its troops. The American Military machine is nothing but a bunch of cool equipment without the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen to bring it to life.
When most of us think about the military, we might picture the heroes, the salty old dogs with lots of stripes, the commanding officers we watch on movies, etc…but any of those senior members will tell you that the real heart and soul of our military is the new recruit. After all, each of them was once a fresh young “boot”, arriving at boot camp for the first time, a little scared but ready for the adventure. Today we salute a brand new Marine. Ricky Lashley. Ricky’s Mom Tisha Lashley asked me to salute her son Ricky. Rick is just beginning his adventure and his career in the Marine Corps.  Tisha could not be more proud of her son. She says, “I am so happy that he has dedicated his life to something so honorable and important. We love him!” Lashley graduated from Boot Camp on November 30th, he went through Marine Combat Training, and will be starting his MOS School soon. Whether this Marine serves for just 4 years, or he makes a career out of the Corps, he will be the human element that keeps our military strong. And that is why we are saluting Ricky Lashley of the United States Marine Corps.