Coincidence?

Alright, I don't believe in coincidence. However, Albert Einstein said, "Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous." --Albert Einstein (The World As I See It)

I don't believe in God, but let me tell you this story...

I have a new Marine, that will be referred to as the Idiot from this point on. He is the most inept Jarhead I have ever experienced in my career (hence, retirement).

Moving on...this young lad had mistakenly received an email from a Gunny somewhere in 29 Palms, CA. It was regarding a band trip they were coordinating. My young idiot received this email and decided to reply to it but not attempting to be tactful and explain that he probably received it erroneously, he decided he would flex his "power" (?) and explain to this senior Marine that he works for a General in 3rd Marine Division and, " why in the hell would he care about his band's plans" (add whatever expletives you desire). This is the most amazingly idiotic and disrespectful thing I have seen in my career; let alone the first utilizing email.

The Gunny, being the professional, decides to contact me to find out what is going on. I reply to him and his officer in charge that they can be assured, it will be handled. The idiot is now going forward with non-judicial punishment or "NJP" (the military utilizes this to enact swift and just punishment and to avoid long legal delays.)

Now, on to the story. It starts the day I drove Lubi to the Naha Airport...

For some reason, I started talking about an old girlfriend that I had dated on Okinawa in 1999 (Diana); she worked with the Marine band on island. I happened to log onto Facebook and she started chatting with me. We start catching up on the past and how we are all doing in our lives. I then tell her about my retirement and backpacking trip. She explains that she lives near Chicago in MI. I ask if there is anything to do there (duh) . Of course, she says there is plenty and that actually this upcoming weekend, she is going to see a Marine band that is performing. WHAT? I had to ask, "The 29 Palms band?" She says, "yes." Holy shite! So I then ask about the Marines that I had spoken with via email in regard to the case previously mentioned. She knows all of them and she plans to see them this weekend! What are the odds? ASTRONOMICAL!

Now, add to this that Lubi and I also talked about a young Marine Sergeant that I worked with way back in 2001 that helped her repair her old junker car (it needed a C boot and U joint.) This young lad, Sgt Henry, helped out and fixed all for some beer and pizza, if I recall correctly. Anyway, on our drive to the airport, I mentioned his name and I hadn't thought of him in years. The same day I spoke with Diana about the band, I received a phone call from a Gunnery Sergeant Henry. While I was driving Lubi to the airport, he called asking about me!

I don't know what any of this means. Probably nothing, but "coincidence is god's way of remaining anonymous."