A few days early before 10 November 2005

[MillRatUSMC]

Some us might not be around to celebrate our beloved Corps 230th Birthday.
I'll be going to a Veteran's home to celebrate with any Marines that live in that Veteran's home.
So here my Marine Corps Birthday celebration in cyberspace a few day early.

http://www.geocities.com/millrat_99/mcbirthday2005.html
To celebrate our beloved Corps 230th Birthday here in cyberspace.
Click on the words to see my little celebration...WARNING MUSIC

To a Marine
Honor is loyalty and dedication to God,
Country, Corps, Family, and Self.

"They were the best you had, America,
and you turned your back on them".
~ Joe Galloway ~ Speaking about Vietnam Veterans

TO THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES
THAT OTHERS MAY SAY PROUDLY
I AM A MARINE

Semper Fidelis/Semper Fi
Ricardo

[yellowwing]

We would like to close with this

Dear Heavenly Father,
Please look over,
Our "Brothers and Sisters,
Who are now stationed in far away places,
Facing danger,
In your precious, holy name,
We pray,
Amen

Oustanding and Amen!

[thedrifter]

The 230th Marine Corps Birthday
By Col. Jeff Bearor (USMC)
Special to World Defense Review

On November 10, Marines around the world will pause to celebrate the birthday of our Corps. Some things never change - it's been this way for 230 years.

No matter where Marines are serving, from the Pentagon and Marine Barracks in Washington, to the loneliest outposts in Iraq and Afghanistan, Marines will stop, shake hands, say happy birthday, sing the Marines' Hymn and, if it is available, have a piece of cake. It doesn't matter to us if its an elaborate cake from some big hotel, a smaller cake from the great cooks aboard ship, or a cookie from an MRE, we're going to celebrate!

While the ceremony, the camaraderie, and the opportunity to turn out in your best dress uniform are important to Marines, that isn't why this day is so meaningful to us. Quite simply, it gives us the opportunity to reflect on the debt we who serve today owe our country, our Corps and, especially, to those Marines who served before us and to rededicate ourselves to the Corps and country which "we are proud to serve."

There really is a tie between Marines, our history and our Corps that is, in some sense, mystical. It starts in boot camp and Officer Candidates School with Drill Instructors regaling recruits and officer candidates with the stories that make up our history and with a few chosen stories of their own detailing their small part of the whole. They talk about the first "Continental Marines," the Barbary pirates, Archibald Henderson (who was Commandant for 30-plus years), landings across the globe, the Boxer Rebellion, Dan Daley, the Philippine Insurrection, Smedley Butler, Belleau Wood, "Chesty" Puller, Nicaragua, "Manila" John Basilone, Wake Island, the Montford Point Marines, Iwo Jima, the Chosin Reservoir, Lebanon, Viet Nam and - from their own experience - Kuwait, Somalia, the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Almost magically, the most junior recruits and candidates begin to believe they can be like those heroes and have the opportunity to add to our history. More than that, these newest Marines begin to understand the burden of living up to expectations - the expectation that they will never quit, never give-up on themselves or another Marine, that they'll never leave a fellow Marine behind, and never disgrace the Corps. It may be hokey, but there can be no doubt it works.

From my perspective, as a Marine about to attend his last Birthday Ball in uniform after more than 30 years of service, the Marines of today are more than a match for any group of Marines in our storied history. In fact, I am in awe of the young Marines and officers of today's Corps. These young people (the average age of a new Marine graduating boot camp is just over 19 years) prove themselves each and every day in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan and in hundreds of other places Marines serve around the world. They are tremendous leaders dedicated to each other and their mission.

Sergeant Jim Wright, who lost both hands to an RPG in Iraq tells the story of his combat wounds matter-of-factly: As a 22 year-old corporal, his Recon patrol was hit by an IED and ambushed. He was quickly wounded by an RPG, which mangled both his hands and most of an arm and punctured a major artery in his leg. When asked how he avoided going into shock from the loss of blood he said, "Sir, I couldn't go into shock, I was in charge." Sergeant Wright is now an instructor at the Marine Corps Martial Arts Center of Excellence in Quantico. Missing parts of his body is no handicap to this Marine!

There are thousands like him. We are blessed by their service. As a matter of fact, we live in a new time of heroes. These young Marines are smart, fit, dedicated and - when need be - ruthless. "No better friend; no worse enemy than a U.S. Marine" is ingrained in their collective psyche. Our enemies should never, ever underestimate the dedication and fierceness of a 19-year-old American Marine! I am proud to hold the same title - U.S. Marine.

So to every Marine, former Marine, and friends and families of Marines around the world, from an old colonel who loved every minute of the past 30 and one-half years, Happy 230th Birthday, Marines!

- Colonel Jeff Bearor is a career Marine Corps officer who has served as an operations officer with the CIA's Counterterrorism Center. A graduate of Britain's famed Royal Marine Commando course and a recent commanding officer of the Recruit Training Regiment at the U.S. Marine Corp Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C., Col. Bearor's most recent assignment has been that of chief of staff, Marine Corps Training and Education Command, Quantico, Virginia. He retires this fall after more than 30 years in the Corps.

Ellie

http://p089.ezboard.com/bthefontmanscommunity

[thedrifter]

Utah Governor Commerates Marines Birthday as State Observance
12th Marine Corps District
Story by Sgt. T.L. Carter-Valrie

SALT LAKE CITY (Nov. 3, 2005) -- Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. signed an official proclamation, proclaiming Nov. 10, 2005 as the U. S. Marine Corps Birthday Celebration Day for the state.

Marines from three Utah-based commands, Recruiting Station Salt Lake City, Company F, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment and Company C, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and former Marines, now members of the state House of Representatives, gathered in Huntsman’s office at the state capitol to witness the signing.

"I couldn't be more proud of you," said Huntsman as he addressed the Marines about their valiant efforts both on the home front and overseas.

The governor spoke of the significance of the 230 years that Marines have protected the U. S., and other countries, and guarded freedom often at the cost of their own lives. Huntsman noted that the Marine Corps was founded even before the nation itself, and that since that time, the Marines have proven themselves as dedicated professionals willing to defend the American way of life.

The governor asked the Marines, both active and former, to surround him at his desk as he then signed the proclamation, asking that Utah residents call attention to the courageous deeds of Marines, across the state and nationwide, while honoring the legacy of valor and distinction exhibited by Marines throughout their 230 year history.

He then turned and gave the proclamation to State Representative Lorie Fowlke, in honor of her father, Ted Lofgreen, a Marine pilot who fought in World War II and died shortly thereafter in a training accident.

Traditionally, Marines gather together worldwide on Nov. 10 each year to celebrate the recognized birth date, Nov. 10, 1775, when the Second Continental Congress resolved that two battalions of Marines should be raised. Formal commemoration of the birthday began on Nov. 10, 1921 and traditionally includes a cake-cutting ceremony and the reading of historical, and current, birthday messages from the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

As the Marines reflected, Maj. David Bradney, RS Salt Lake City commanding officer, said, "It's our (230th) birthday and there are Marines deployed worldwide. We are thankful for those who have chosen to serve their country over the past 230 years and that it is important that there are citizens who are ready to step forward and do what needs to be done."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines cut the cake
Corps marks 230th birthday
By MICHAEL NEWSOM
mmnewsom@sunherald.com

BILOXI - The Marine Corps detachment at Keesler Air Force Base commemorated the Corps' 230th birthday Friday, as a Marine brandished the ceremonial Marmaluke sword and cut a slice of the cake.

After the traditional birthday cake was cut before the official party, Maj. Byron King, commanding officer of the Keesler detachment, told the Marines they are the reason U.S. citizens live free.

"Marines, I stand here today to tell you that freedom isn't free," King said. "It is the sacrifice that you make that makes freedom seem free."

Cake escorts parade it out on the serving cart and then a Marine cuts a piece with a sword and it is given to the oldest Marine present, who takes a bite and passes it to the youngest Marine. On Friday, Master Gunnery Sgt. Gordon Y. Yamashiro, 43, ate a piece and then passed the cake to Pfc. Matthew Ebert, 18.

Yamashiro is assigned to Keesler as the staff non-commissioned officer in the Test Measurement and Diagnostics School. Ebert is enrolled in the General Calibration and Maintenance School.

The Keesler detachment is a training center for technical skills mostly related to meteorology and maintaining equipment. At any given time, an average of 120 Marines are with the Keesler detachment.

The Keesler detachment, like the rest of South Mississippi, has had to adjust after Hurricane Katrina. Marines usually don full dress uniforms, but on Friday they wore desert fatigues instead of coats and white gloves.

Usually to commemorate the birthday, the Marines have their annual ball to cut the cake, but this year, they had to cut cake on the base because Grand Casino Biloxi, former site of the ball, was ripped from its foundation and moved across U.S. 90.

The Marine Reservists of the 4th Amphibious Assault Battalion based in Gulfport will have a ball in Gulf Shores, Ala., because like the Keesler detachment, their original site was destroyed.

First Sgt. Thomas Sherwood of the Keesler detachment said his group entertained the idea of going to the ball in Gulf Shores with the 4th Marines on Nov. 12, but the unit does not have the resources.

The establishment of the Marine Corps followed battles at Lexington and Concord, Mass., on Nov. 10, 1775, when the Second Continental Congress ordered the establishment of two Marine battalions to act as a landing force for the expanding Continental fleet.

Ellie

[MillRatUSMC]

Dear Lord,
As a young man, we never really understood the honor given to us by joining brotherhood on a distant parade field.
Now that we're older, and many Marines have past, and we know that soon, we will be joining those Marines, who have past on.
We come to understand what we accomplished and what an honor it is to bear the title of a United States Marine.
Its not the prompt and frills that some think what the Marine Corps is all about.
No Lord, its men and women doing their duty, be it in war or peace.
Some duty is in the infantry, some duty is in support of the infantry.
Which is more worthy in your eyes my Dear Lord?
We come to understand that both were as worthy as the other.
Soon we will celebrate the 230th Birthday of of our beloved Marine Corps, so its fitting that we look to the past, to honor the present Marines, here to all who has worn or are wearing the title of United States Marine, there no distinguishing between Officers or Enlisted, we're all Marines.

"Here they faced an enemy,
who held terrain entrenched in holes and tunnels.
Success weighed on a balance,
Tipped by the courage of Marines--
youngsters just out of their teens--
Whose valor would take them
Well beyond those measures
That determine the call of duty."

In Memory of all my friends and fellow Marines;

Lt. Col. Archie Van Winkle USMC

1st. Lt. Frank S. Reasoner USMC

MGySgt. Bill Robinson USMC

MSgt. L.G. Buddenhagen USMC

SSgt. Steve Daly USMC

Sgt. George H. Morrow USMC

Sgt. Ray Reed USMC

LCpl Randall Kenneth Campbell USMC

Pfc Nihil D. Benuche USMC

Pfc Raymond Mike Clausen Jr. USMC

Pfc John Raymond USMC

Pfc Carl R. Wenzel USMC

W. Ray Thomas USMC

And the countless Marines who have worn or are wearing the Uniform of a United States Marine.

To a Marine
Honor is loyalty and dedication to God,
Country, Corps, Family, and Self.

"They were the best you had, America,
and you turned your back on them".
~ Joe Galloway ~ Speaking about Vietnam Veterans

TO THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES
THAT OTHERS MAY SAY PROUDLY
I AM A MARINE

Semper Fidelis/Semper Fi
Ricardo

[MillRatUSMC]

We're about an hour in the East from The Marine Corps 230th Birthday.

With that thought in mind, we wish to offer these few poems by Edgar A. Guest in memoriam of many fallen Marines

A Patriotic Wish

I'd like to be the sort of man the flag could boast about;

I'd like to be the sort of man it cannot live without;

I'd like to be the type of man

That really is American:

The head-erect and shoulders-square,

Clean-minded fellow, just and fair,

That all men picture when they see

The glorious banner of the free.

I'd like to be the sort of man the flag now typifies,

The kind of man we really want the flag to symbolize;

The loyal brother to a trust,

The big, unselfish soul and just,

The friend of every man oppressed,

The stong support of all that's best—

The sturdy chap the banner's meant,

Where'er it flies, to represent.

I'd like to be the sort of man the flag's supposed to mean,

The man that all in fancy see, wherever it is seen;

The chap that's ready for a fight

Whenever there's a wrong to right,

The friend in every time of need,

The doer of the daring deed,

The clean and generous handed man

That is a real American.

Edgar A. Guest

---

Our Duty to Our Flag

Less hate and greed

Is what we need

And more of service true;

More men to love

The flag above

And keep it first in view.

Less boast and brag

About the flag,

More faith in what it means;

More heads erect,

More self-respect,

Less talk of war machines.

The time to fight

To keep it bright

Is not along the way,

Nor 'cross the foam,

But here at home

Within ourselves—today.

'Tis we must love

That flag above

With all our might and main;

For from our hands—

Not distant lands—

Shall come dishonor's stain.

If that flag be

Dishonored, we

Have done it—not the foe;

If it shall fall,

We, first of all,

Shall have to strike the blow.

Edgar A. Guest

---

Follow the Flag

Aye, we will follow the Flag

Wherever she goes,

Into the tropic sun,

Into the northern snows;

Go where the guns ring out

Scattering steel and lead,

Painting the hills with blood,

Strewing the fields with dead.

But in each heart must be,

And back of each bitter gun,

Love for the best in life

After the fighting's done.

Aye, we will follow the Flag

Into benighted lands,

Brave in the faith for which,

Proudly, our banner stands.

Life for her life we'll pay,

Blood for her blood we'll give,

Fighting, but not to kill,

Save that the best shall live.

But, when the cannon's roar

Dies in a hymn of peace,

Justice and truth must reign,

Power of the brute must cease.

Aye, we will follow the Flag,

Gladly her work we'll do,

Banishing wrongs of old,

Founding the truth anew.

What though our guns must speak,

What though brave men must die,

Ages of truth to come

All this shall justify.

Men in the charms of peace,

Basking in Freedom's sun,

Some day shall bless our Flag

After our work is done.

Aye, we will follow the Flag

Wherever she goes,

Into the tropic sun,

Into the northern snows.

Fearlessly, on we'll go

Into the cruel strife,

Gladly the few shall die,

Winning for many, life.

Tyranny's wrongs must cease,

Brutes must no longer brag,

This is our work on earth,

So we will follow the Flag.

Edgar A Guest