50th Gamer Spotlight: USMC BEANS 
USMC BEANS and his prizes.
Here he is: The 50th Gamer Spotlight, USMC BEANS. He’s also known as Sgt. Adam Bienas from Lockport, New York. Adam won a limited-edition TriXie Xbox Live™controller and a T-shirt signed by TriXie, Major Nelson, and Xbox® Vice President J Allard.
TriXie: I had hundreds of amazing gamers send in nominations for themselves or their friends. Some were meticulously detailed, some were funny, and a few were just weird. The vast majority of them had correct spelling—thanks! You all had great stories and great reasons I should choose you. Check out some of the standouts. Unfortunately, in the end, I could only pick one. I chose USMC BEANS because he’s a longtime gamer, he’s addicted to Xbox Live, he’s smart as a whip, and he’s done some amazing things. I spent about 90 minutes on the phone with him, and he’s a real good guy. I know you’ll agree that he was a great choice for the 50th Gamer Spotlight.
TriXie: So tell me how you ended up in Iraq. Were you an active duty Marine?
USMC BEANS: No, I was in the reserves. I went to boot camp at Paris Island, then Camp Lejeune for Marine Combat Training, and then Fort Knox for tank school. I was actually on a drill weekend when we were activated. We spent two weeks at Camp Lejeune getting integrated with the rest of 2nd Tank Battalion before we left for Kuwait.
TriXie: Honestly, when you found out you were going, did you freak out?
USMC BEANS: No, we were like, “Hell yeah, bring it on.” It was the chance to finally prove what we were worth.
TriXie: How long were you in Kuwait?
USMC BEANS: We were there from February 1st until March 20th. President Bush issued the 48-hour ultimatum on March 18th. We woke up at two in the morning and moved to a staging area 20 miles from the border.
TriXie: Was it scary?
USMC BEANS: When the Iraqis were shooting rockets at us it was kinda surreal. It was nerve-wracking because you didn’t know if there were chemical weapons in there. But we were more angry than scared. When you’re there, you’re not thinking about politics, you’re thinking about yourself and your friends … and someone’s trying to hurt your friends. The first time we took machine gun fire it was weird. It was just bouncing off the tank. How stupid, a machine gun isn’t going to do anything to a tank.
TriXie: What did you do on the tank?
USMC BEANS: I was a gunner. I fired the big cannon. Actually, the controls for the original Star Wars arcade game are identical to the controls for the turret.
TriXie: I wonder if they planned it that way? So tell me about what you wrote on your tank … I LOVE this picture! 
Sgt. Adam “Beans” Bienas, LCpl Gamez, and SSgt Woodley.
USMC BEANS: I was in Iraq and my girlfriend sent me a copy of OXM. I saw the MechAssault™ ad with the Mech just stomping on everything, so we decided to write ‘Gave peace a chance’ on the tank. We did it with chalk and it took forever to fill in the letters.
TriXie: What’d you do after you left Kuwait?
USMC BEANS: We crossed the border into Basra and we did a hammer and anvil thing with the 1st Tank Battalion out of California. We were blocking them, and the 1st Battalion was driving the Iraqis towards us, so we could pinch the Iraqis between us.
TriXie: So you were the anvil. Then what?
USMC BEANS: We were in sporadic firefights, we took Baghdad University and some air defense bases. We were just down the street when they pulled down the statue of Saddam. Then we detached and headed north into Samawah.
TriXie: Did you have much contact with Iraqi civilians?
USMC BEANS: We saw civilians all the time. We were expecting them to resent us, but they’d come out and cheer us on, blowing us kisses and saying ‘God bless the U.S.’ We gave them food and candy. They are very educated people over there. Almost every Iraqi spoke some English and some spoke it very well.
TriXie: When did you come home?
USMC BEANS: We came back to Camp Lejeune on June 1st.
TriXie: Was it weird adjusting to your ‘real life’?
USMC BEANS: Over there you have the adrenaline pumping from the time you wake up until you pass out 20 hours later. It’s a combination of fear and excitement. It’s hard to come down off of that.
TriXie: So you work and go to school?
USMC BEANS: Yeah, I’m doing a double major in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Buffalo, and I work in a lab doing research and development for steel companies.
TriXie: What are you going to do when you’re done with school?
USMC BEANS: I’d like to work for the Defense Department designing fighter planes or new weapons or tanks. I’d love to work for a company called Ideo in Palo Alto. They’re really laid back.
TriXie: What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
USMC BEANS: A stock boy in a grocery store in the slums of Lockport.
TriXie: How long have you been on XboxLive?
USMC BEANS: Since launch day. I also got my Xbox® on launch day. I remember I had just taken a thermodynamics exam and I went with a friend to Best Buy. It was an impulse buy. A lady was telling the guy to get an Xbox out of the back room for her and I said, “Yeah, get me one too.”
TriXie: What’s your favorite online game?
USMC BEANS: Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® 3.
TriXie: How about offline?
USMC BEANS: Halo®, Max Payne, and some sports games. I’m really looking forward to EA’s hockey game.
TriXie: Ah yes, NHL® 2005. Are you in a clan?
USMC BEANS: It’s a group of guys called Clan Chowder. We have Diapers vs. Depends. Diapers are the guys under 30, Depends are guys over 30.
TriXie: You want to mention any of your online friends?
USMC BEANS: Sure. Skunk and xdiscostux.
TriXie: What do you think is the best feature of Xbox Live?
USMC BEANS: Just that people all over can cooperate or fight against each other and have a hell of a good time.
TriXie: What’s your favorite TV show?
USMC BEANS: The Simpsons, hands down. Even when I was in the war I had my girlfriend tape them.
TriXie: Best game ever?
USMC BEANS: Halo®. There’s no game that I’ve played that much. Perfect Dark is a close second. AndFar Cry and Operation Flashpoint.
TriXie: Best film?
USMC BEANS: The Empire Strikes Back.
TriXie: Best album?
USMC BEANS: The Tragically Hip’s Phantom Power.
TriXie: Favorite book?
USMC BEANS: Flags of our Fathers by James Brady. It’s about the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima.
TriXie: Who’s your inner rock star like?
USMC BEANS: Dave Brochie from Gwar.
TriXie: Yikes. That freaks me out.
USMC BEANS: Come on, TriXie, they put on the best live show. Have you ever been to one of their shows?
TriXie: Um, no. I’m little. I’d get killed.
USMC BEANS: Do yourself a favor, if Gwar comes to Seattle go see them.
TriXie: I’ll think about it, Beans. Who do you think should play you in a movie?
USMC BEANS: Do you mean who do I look like?
TriXie: Not really. Just who do you think is an actor who could really pull off playing USMC BEANS.
USMC BEANS: Matt Damon. I liked him in Saving Private Ryan.
TriXie: What’s your karaoke song?
USMC BEANS: “Roxanne.”
TriXie: Who’s your least favorite celebrity?
USMC BEANS: All the ones that were against the war while we were in Iraq. Like the Dixie Chicks and Sean Penn and Tim Robbins.
TriXie: What cartoon character is most like you?
USMC BEANS: Homer Simpson. He’s a good guy but he’s lazy.
TriXie: Who’s your favorite superhero?
USMC BEANS: Well, he’s more of a villain, but I’d say Venom.
TriXie: What would you be doing in an alternate universe?
USMC BEANS: I’d be an astronaut.
TriXie: If you could come back in your next life as an animal, what would you be?
USMC BEANS: A housecat. You lay around, people pet you, and people clean up after you.
TriXie: Red or black licorice?
USMC BEANS: Red.
TriXie: What’s the worst food you’ve ever eaten?
USMC BEANS: Some unidentified mush in Iraq.
TriXie: Cameron Diaz, Angelina Jolie, or Halle Berry?
USMC BEANS: You’re going to get me in trouble with my girlfriend. Um, Halle.
TriXie: Gwen Stefani or J.Lo.?
USMC BEANS: Gwen.
TriXie: Britney or Jessica?
USMC BEANS: Jessica.
TriXie: If you could go on tour with any band, which would it be?
USMC BEANS: The Tragically Hip.
TriXie: If you could trade places with anyone for one day, who would it be?
USMC BEANS: Bill Gates. I’d make a one-time deposit of ten billion dollars into the bank account of a guy named Adam Bienas.
TriXie: What would you do with ten billion bucks?
USMC BEANS: Buy an aircraft carrier.
TriXie: Thanks Beans. And take good care of my controller!
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