The most brilliant writing I have found on the internet (and believe me, I have read a LOT on the internet because of this job) is not done by a journalist from New York or a pundit in DC. It is the work of a Marine.
His name is Jeff Edwards, author of the consistently entertaining and insightful blog called “Unprecedented Mediocrity.” He first came to my attention with an article called, “Top 5 Reasons General Mattis Should Be President.” It was funny and deep at the same time, and really resonated with me.
So I read more. There were lots of choices. Here are some that I particularly enjoyed.
“Veteran Eyes Are Not Here to be Mocked”
“Pat Tillman and The Human Fascination with Shadows”
“Don’t Worry, Mr. President, The Marines Got You Covered.”
The more I read, the more I liked his style. He is unabashedly patriotic and all-American, and he is funny. He writes what I wish I had thought to say, usually before I even thought to say it.
His biography is self-effacing and hints at his experience and passions. “I joined the Marine Corps when I was 17 years old, served in the reserves while attending college at Union University, and deployed to Iraq in 2003 with the greatest platoon in the history of the Corps. I have worked for the past 12 years for a non-profit serving emotionally disturbed youth and have had the opportunity to travel a few other areas of the world.”
Here is a picture of him (I think) from his web page:
I contacted Jeff and told him that I wanted to let others know more about his site. He answered, “The idea of Unprecedented Mediocrity as the title of the blog, was basically my way of conveying that this blog would be both serious and absurd at times. I don’t in anyway look at it as selling myself short, but simply that there is a certain amount of joy to be had in just being rather than chasing some arbitrary standard that someone else likely made up.
“So with that being said, I enjoy writing about a variety of issues although Veterans issues are certainly at the heart of who I am. But after all, this is a blog stuff, so going forward it will include all sorts of matters of News, Politics, Veterans issues, humor, faith, family and so on.”
I signed up for automatic emails whenever he runs a new article now, and I recommend you do the same. He is proud to be a Marine, and the Marines can be proud that he can be counted among their number.
Semper Fi, Jeff. I’m already looking forward to the next article.
