On November 10, 1775, the United States Marine Corps was founded by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Fittingly, “Tun Tavern” was the place where history was made, with the first Marines enlisted under the command of Major Samuel Nicholas.
Since that date, the Marines have been in the uninterrupted service of our nation and have distinguished themselves “in all climates and places”, in distant lands and on distant and remote beaches “from the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli”, in France. during the First World War in Belleau Wood, on Iwo Jima and all the Pacific Islands during the Second World War, in Inchon and the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War, in Khe Sanh and the city of Hue during the War of Vietnam, all over Iraq in outposts like Fallujah and Anbar province, and in bloody fighting in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan, just a few of the many locations, scant mention of the many battlefields on which Marines from the United States has been called to service.
The Marines have responded heroically, without hesitation, to the call of our country, without wavering in their dedication or deviating in their loyalty. “Semper Fidelis” (Always faithful) is the motto of all Marines, and “Once a Marine, always a Marine” his creed.
The Marine Anthem proclaims “… if the Army or Navy ever looks at scenes from the sky, they will find that the streets are guarded by United States Marines.”
Competently like this.
To formalize the founding of the Marine Corps, on November 1, 1921, Major General John A. Lejuene, Commandant of the Marine Corps at the time, issued MARINE CORPS ORDERS No. 47 (1921 Series) , part of which read the following:
In every battle and skirmish since the birth of our Corps, the Marines have earned the highest distinction, earning new honors each time until the term “Marine” has come to mean all that is highest in military efficiency and virtue. military. This high name of distinction and military reputation, those of us who are Marines today, have received it from those who preceded us in the Corps. With him we have also received from them the eternal spirit that has animated our Corps from generation to generation and has been the hallmark of the Marines throughout the ages.
In WWII, on one particular island in the Pacific Ocean, Iwo Jima, the iconic 1945 photograph of six Marines raising a United States flag over Mount Suribachi during battle was taken by Associated Combat Photographer Press Joe Rosenthal. That photo later became the most recognized symbol of the United States in the world, and is the base of the Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial), a national monument in Arlington, Virginia. Admiral Chester Nimitz reflected on the incredible sacrifice of the Marines who fought on Iwo Jima saying: (Among the men who fought on Iwo Jima) “Uncommon courage was a common virtue”, words inscribed in the granite at the base.
Like all Marines, active duty, retired or former, wherever they may be today, November 10, I silently pay tribute to those who came before me and after having given so much in service to their Corps and their country. Now decades older, I clearly remember the faces of those with whom I served, then steadfast young men and women, unselfish in their devotion, unwavering in their loyalty, never questioning their solemn duty to defend our nation from all enemies. , foreign and domestic.
Always showing a Gung ho attitude, the Marines have been willing to fight our country’s battles “on land, in the air, or at sea” for two hundred and forty-one years where and when necessary.
And so, on this special day, I will toast all the Marines, past and present, who have risked their lives for their country. I will pay a special tribute to the Marines who have made the ultimate sacrifice. His memory strengthens my faith in our nation’s youth, our steadfast values, and our blessed United States of America.
Happy 24th birthday, Marines!