He lives and breathes his service.
Via Daily Caller:
Secretary of Defense James Mattis turned 68 this weekend.
The legendary Marine chose to celebrate his birth in a stereotypically Mattis way: by visiting troops in a dangerous war zone. Mattis made a surprise trip to Afghanistan on September 7th, just a day before his birthday. The purpose of the unannounced visit was to meet with troops and commanders on the ground in the war-torn capitol of Kabul.
The Department of Defense announced the trip, coinciding with Mattis’s birthday weekend, via Twitter. Mattis made the trip as part of a larger Department of Defense tour of countries in the greater region.