"Appreciation of the Marine Corps Infantry in Haiku Form"

By Ben Fortier

0302 (Infantry Officer)
Leading from the front
Restrained war hounds on their leash
They sharpen the spear

0306 (Infantry Weapons Officer)
Chief with bursting bomb
Bona fide weapons guru
Proud title: Gunner

0311 (Rifleman)
Movement to contact
The harsher environments
Make them more vicious

0313 (Light Armored Reconnaissance)
Within the armor
They conduct reconnaissance
Bushmaster ready

0317 (Scout Sniper)
Long range surveillance
Patience, waiting for hours
Target marked—headshot

0321 (Reconnaissance)
Swift - moving by sea
Silent - undetected op
Deadly - suppressed shot

0331 (Machine Gunner)
Interlocking fields
Chattering guns, cyclic rate
Barrels briskly changed

0341 (Indirect Fire)
“Hanging on Gun Three!”
The mortar lingers, waiting
Raining steel and death

0351 (Assault)
Stacked on the door
The breaching charge is in place
Dynamic entry

0352 (TOW Missile Gunner)
Armor is in range
Wire-guided rockets launch
Metal on metal

0369 (Infantry Unit Leader)
Infantry Marine
Deemed by our congress to be
Mentors and leaders

0372 (Critical Skills Operator)
Elite warrior
Highly skilled, direct action
The Raiders return

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Native Rhode Islander and proclaimed Renaissance Man, Iraq veteran Benjamin Fortier is a multi-talented writer, musician, and technology geek. He is currently in school (again) studying computer networking and cybersecurity. His day job is in service to his rescue dog, Princess Peppa Pig the American Bully. He is the author of Stones of the Wooded Valley and The Silent Whispers of Omens. This poem was taken from his latest book PHANTOMS, covering his deployment to Iraq in '06-'07.

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VetRep is proud to present Michael Frayn’s “Chinamen” for one final performance tomorrow night, closing out our 2023 parlor season. This legendary British farce has five characters and only two actors, and you won’t want to miss the final, hilarious performances of the season. We have enjoyed sold out shows all year, and while there are worse problems we could have, we want to encourage you to get your tickets to “Chinamen” before they disappear!

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If you didn’t catch it live, you can still watch the recording of our December Write Loud by going to the VetRep Instagram page.

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Our Acting for Beginners class is now being offered weekly every Saturday from 10am-12pm. Scholarships for qualifying veterans, as well as multi-class passes are available. Registration details can be found here.