A man decided to write a book about famous churches around the military.
 

He bought a plane ticket to Fort Jackson, SC thinking he would start by working his way across the USA.
 

On his first day he was inside the Base Chapel taking photographs when he noticed a golden telephone mounted on the wall above a sign that read "$10,000 per call."
 

The man, being intrigued, asked a soldier who was strolling by what the telephone was used for.
 

The solider replied that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 you could talk to God.
 

The man thanked him and went on his way.

  
Next, he stopped at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, DC. There, at a very large Chapel, he saw the same golden telephone with the same sign under it.
He asked a nearby Airman what this phone's purpose was. She told him that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 he could talk to God. "O.K., thank you," said the man, and left.
 

He then traveled to Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, Wright Patterson AFB, OH, Annapolis, MD, and Naval Air Station Oceana, VA. In every chapel he saw the same golden telephone with the same "$10,000 per call" sign under it.

Upon leaving Oceana, he decided to travel to a Marine base to see if he would find the same phone. He arrived onboard MCB Camp Lejeune, NC and while waiting to visit the base chapel, he was invited into the Enlisted Club.
There was the same golden telephone. This time, however, the sign under it read "40 cents per call." The man was surprised.

   
Just then, a Gunnery Sergeant walked in and he asked about the sign.
"Gunny, I've traveled all over America and I've seen this same golden telephone in many chapels on many different military installations. I'm told that it is a direct line to Heaven, but in the Army, the Air Force, and even the Navy, the price was $10,000 per call. Why is it so cheap here?"
 

The Gunny smiled and answered, "You're on a Marine Base now son, it's a local call."
 

Incident in Basra

 

A Marine squad was marching north of Basra when they came upon an insurgent soldier badly injured and unconscious.  Nearby, on the opposite side of the road, was an American Marine in a similar, but less serious state.

The Marine was conscious and alert.  As first aid was given to both men, the Marine was asked what had happened.

The Marine reported, "I was heavily armed and moving north along the highway and coming south was a heavily armed insurgent. Seeing each other we both took cover.  I yelled to him that Saddam Hussein was a miserable lowlife scumbag, and he yelled back that Teddy Kennedy is a rich, good-for-nothing fat drunk." ..."We were standing there shaking hands when a truck hit us."