From the halls of Montezuma …

What do you do when the world is spiraling out of control?

Many people turn to God, but I already did that.

What do you do when what you love is threatened?

You fight.

And what do you do when you look around at your nation's leaders and see a long line of self-centered, incompetent hypocrites?

In most cases, you try and vote them out. In my case, you join the Marines and put your life in their hands.

In case you haven't heard - yes, I'm leaving. In fact, as you read this, I'm probably on a plane bound for Quantico, Va. I'll spend the next 10 weeks trying to graduate from Marine Corps Officer Candidate School.

During the last few weeks, I've been bombarded with questions about why in the world I'm leaving the paper to join the Marines. Honestly, I found most of the shock to be annoying. I couldn't believe how many people found it unbelievable that someone would want to serve in the military.

Yes, I've heard of Iraq. No, I'm not a President Bush fan.

But since when does an American only support his country when everything is peaceful and someone he likes is in the White House?

At any rate, I had this long - and quite moving, thank you - column about why I'm joining the Marines, but I erased it. Those three questions above are good clues. Plus, there are questions that I think every man ponders at some point, and the answers are not in my office.

I am not in my office.

Goodbye.

I would be wrong to leave without saying thanks and recognizing certain people and organizations.

I'd like to say thanks to the Bigfork Fire Department. Spending time with all the firefighters was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

To all the local organizations we cover here at the Eagle, thanks for your hard work. Bigfork would not be what it is without the dedication of volunteers with a vision.

A special thanks to Coach Buf at CrossFit Flathead and all the CrossFit family. You guys motivated me like nothing else.

And the greatest thanks of all goes out to the readers. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: A newspaper is nothing without an audience.

I should list dozens of other people, but let me simply say that I enjoyed my time here a lot. Thanks.