REPUTATION IN my line of work is a huge issue and plays a large role in your successes and position in your platoon/team. For example, if you go to a school to train and cry, complain, or give up then the people who see it remember. Your reputation precedes you and rank, though respected, doesn't mean a thing when you're a solid, hard working individual who goes out looking for initiative.

        Why am I telling you this? Well my reputation has been set as well. I have been in this Battalion for a little over 2 years and so my face is known, but I was not aware of how well my name was. Though Vandekar is an uncommon name, I don't particularly crack jokes with the guys who work in the other offices or other platoons. So I had assumed I was more of a gray man.

        My aviators however, have made me famous. I've attached two pictures so you can see how ridiculously AWESOME they were. "Were?" I hear you procure. Yes, I've misplaced them while we were last out in the field and I believe they aren't coming back. I told one person, the Chaplain and since that day people have been stopping me and commenting. I was at the chow hall eating quietly when an officer I've seen around the battalion stops at my table and says:

"I heard about your casualty," says Capt Weber.

"Casualty? Huh?" I respond quizzically.

"Yeah. Your aviators. I'm sorry to hear you lost them. They were awesome."

"Thank you, sir. Yes they were."

        Another time, I went to a class with an officer I was unfamiliar with and he was teaching me alone about specific equipment and started right off with, "Ok, Vandekar..." Afterwards I said, "Sir, I've never met you. How did you know my name?" His response:

"I saw you around the Battalion once with your aviators and I thought that guy is cool. So I asked and they said, oh that's Vandekar."

        A final example is another officer got a set of aviators and immediately his colleagues found me and informed me that I had to correct him. Apparently he was wearing them wrong and I was the sole guardian of the correct way. In fact I was told to tell him to just take them off altogether.

        So now we get to the point of the email. I've got to have aviators. I refuse to wear the issued Oakleys because I'll have to turn them back in when I check out of the USMC and if I lose them, I'll pay. Plus, more importantly it's not my style. I don't like asking for anything but I'm asking you all to send a pair of aviators. You pick ‘em. When you see a pair that says, "I am aware these sunglasses are obnoxious and make me appear blind, but I'm too cool to care" then that's the kind I want. Call it a Christmas present. Don't go spending $60 on a pair of nice ones, go to a thrift store as I did and spend $3 on a cheapo stylish look.

Trendily,

    Jeremiah

Sgt Jeremy Vandekar

2d Recon Bn, B Co, 1^st Plt

Unit 76678

FPO, AE 09509-6678