A number of times, people have asked me why I joined the Marines. I am sure I was qualified for any of the services, though I may not have finished Navy boot camp. I am a mediocre swimmer at best. At any rate the reason is simple. The basic training in the Marines is very tough. I know. I went through it. The physical part was very difficult. However, it was easy compared to the mental part.

Bottom line, the reason is simple. If I am stuck in a fox hole with another man and my life depends on him, I would really like to know he went through the same training as I did. No offense, Army, Navy and Air Force, but when my life depends on the man next to me, I prefer that he earned the right to wear the eagle, globe and anchor.

There were other things I learned in the Marines, things I never figured on. One of them was simple but it was drilled into my mind from the time I put my feet on those yellow foot prints to the time I finished Infantry Training Regiment. No excuses. They had a saying for it. However, I will not repeat it here. Needless to say, the meaning was simple, all people have excuses. Everyone has someone else to blame. No one wants to accept responsibility.

Maybe Gov. Cuomo should have joined the Marines. Maybe they could have taught him that lesson. It seems all he knows how to do is blame others and invent excuses. I definitely would not have wanted to share a fox hole with the likes of him.

By the way, he just might have learned a few other things too.