Tom Spence is a retired Marine Corps officer. He is an ordained minister in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He is husband, father, and grandfather and returned to live in his native Oklahoma in 1999. As a Marine Tom served in the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Marine Divisions; as a student and instructor in profession level schools; as a series commander and staff officer at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina; as the Inspector-Instructor on Independent duty in Des Moines, Iowa; and as a Program Manager in Orlando, Florida. He also served a year with the United Nations as Patrol Base Commander, Sector Operations Officer, and Deputy Commander of the Southern Sector in Iraq and Kuwait (UNIKOM). He has degrees in political science, biblical studies, theology, and counseling. Beyond his Marine Corps experience, he has been an independent trainer, counselor, and newspaper manager. He is currently the Pastor of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Burns Flat, Oklahoma. Tom recently published a play based upon the 9th chapter of John's gospel. It is titled: 9 Encounters of John 9. His two most recent books are Christianity for Marines and ReBaselining America: Setting a foundation of liberty for the next 200 years. His other books include Sea Stories, Even the Elect, Tough Day at the Plate, The Best of Out of the Box, and First Steps Towards Eternity. Tom first began publishing in the late 1980's with a concise article called "MarineSpeak-the modern language of our Corps." That short article in the Marine Corps Gazette spoke to the unique language of those called Leatherneck. He later published articles in the U.S. Naval Proceedings. They were "Lighten the Load" and "Analog Grunt Confronts a Digital World." Tom publishes hundreds of articles online each year as a freelance author, including two blogs and the local paper.