MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

Happy 231st Birthday, Marines!

• Posted by Beth on November 10th, 2006 filed in Afghanistan, General, Iraq, Support the Troops, Support this, The War    

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Message from General Hagee, Commandant of the Marine Corps:

On November 10th, 1775, our Corps was born as the Continental Congress raised the “first and second battalions of American Marines.” Each year as we celebrate our birthday, we pause to reflect on the marines of yesteryear who fought in our touchstone battles and forged the modern Marine Corps with their courage, integrity, and undying commitment to their fellow Marines. Each of our storied battles is a link in the long chain that binds all Marines together — from the Continental Marines at Bunker Hill to the teufelhunden crossing the wheat fields of Belleau Wood. This chain binds us to the Marines on the crest of Mount Suribachi; it passes through the ice and snow of the Chosin Reservoir and the steaming jungles of Vietnam, and it anchors firmly today in the desert sands of Iraq.

This year’s celebration again finds many from our ranks serving with distinction in harm’s way. As we have for the past 231 years, our Corps is answering the nation’s call. I can report first hand that our Marines fighting on the front lines of the long war on terror are performing brilliantly, acquitting themselves with honor, dedication, and dignity in difficult and dangerous environments.

All Marines are making a difference. Regardless of where you are serving, you are adding new chapters to the legacy that was earned with sweat and blood on old battlefields. Just as previous generations of Marines shaped today’s Marine Corps, your deeds are molding the Corps of tomorrow. Our Corps has never been stronger, and all Americans are extremely proud of your magnificent performance and unwavering commitment to serve our Corps and country. With high caliber Marines like you, our future has never been brighter.

Another irreplaceable element of our success as Marines is the terrific support we receive from our families. Through the long hours, the exercises, and the combat deployments, their support is unconditional and firm. They give us love and devotion, providing us with the strength to drive on when duty calls. Today we should all acknowledge our loved ones for their patient, steadfast service.

To all who have earned the title Marine, to the superb sailors who serve with us in every clime and place, and to our precious families — I wish each one of you a heartfelt Happy 231st Birthday.

Semper Fidelis and keep attacking!

M. W. Hagee, General, U.S. Marine Corps

Thank you to each Marine, past and present, for all you do. You are America’s heroes.

And of course, special thanks to Larry. I am so humbled, stunned, honored by what he wrote yesterday, I’m not even sure what to say. I so don’t feel worthy of such words. Honestly, I’d have quit blogging a LONG time ago, but right when I was ready to quit for real, I got an email from Iraq from him. How could I quit blogging when I knew there were people in Iraq reading (and actually enjoying!) this blog? That IS the thing that keeps me going. I mean it’s nothing, reading a silly blog like this one, but if it gives someone in Iraq a snicker here and there, it’s worth it to me. Sure, Larry’s back from Iraq, but I figure if he and the guys he worked with were reading it, someone else there probably is too.

I didn’t serve in the Marine Corps; I was in the Air Force. If I had been a little older when I enlisted, I may well have gone in the Marines. I was an 18 year-old former University of Alabama sorority girl; I didn’t think for a second I could hack it at the time, and maybe I was right–my mind and spirit are far stronger than my body. It wasn’t really until the Gulf War that I regretted asking for a desk job (accounting/finance/budget), and since then I tried for the remainder of my career to retrain into something different. By that time, I was married to a guy in the Air Force, so changing services wasn’t really an option if we wanted to be stationed together. I don’t regret anything; I just wish I could go back in the military now–any service, any job–so I could serve in some way. When I think of what those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan do, I want be there to help so badly my heart aches. I think about it every single day, and I know countless other veterans/retirees who feel the same way. So when I hear nitwits like Jon Carry and other morons who say servicemen and women were “duped” into serving, it irritates the hell out of me–but mostly it makes me laugh. They have NO CLUE.

I wasn’t one of you Marines, but I’m with you in spirit, always faithful. Semper fidelis, Marines.

I’d be shamefully remiss if I didn’t mention the Project Valour-IT fundraiser. Please honor the Marines and all those who serve by making a donation. Today’s the Marine Corps’ birthday, so let’s put the Marine team over the top before the end of the competition (tomorrow!). Also see this post from Cassandra (the Marine team leader) and pass it on!