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4 Days Until Our 235th Birthday - A Little History

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS FACTS

BIRTH OF THE UNITED STATES MARINES:
The legacy of the United States Marine Corps was born on November 10, 1775, when Congress commissioned Robert Mullan, the proprietor of Tun Tavern, located on Philadelphia's historic waterfront to raise the first two battalions of Marines, under the leadership of Samuel Nicholas, the first appointed Commandant of the Continental Marines. The U.S. Marines have been thefirst branch of the armed forces to serve in every war since that day, and have mounted over 300 assaults on foreign shores, from the arctic to the tropics.

ROOTS OF THE U.S. MARINES:
The United States Marine Corps can trace its heritage to the British Royal Marines. Although the current ranks of the Royal Marines number quite small compared to today's US Marines (7,000 vs. 175,000), both Corps of Marines have stood side by side in conflicts around the globe and maintain their close ties.

Both Corps of Marines frequently have liaison officers on exchange with each other. The USMC emblem was loosely modeled from the Royal Marines.  Neither Corps' emblems incorporates a shield signifying defense, since Marines prefer to be on the offensive and attack the enemy.

During the war of 1812 with England, the British burned nearly every public building in Washington, D.C. (including the White House and the Capital). The Marine Barracks were spared the burning out of respect.

ANCIENT MARINES:
The first documented use of marines as a class of soldier in a standing army belongs to the Greeks and Romans. Themistocles, leader of the Athenians, issued a decree that his navy "enlist Marines,twenty to a ship" to turn back a Persian attack. Rome had special legions of "Milites Classiarri" or "soldiers of the fleet". Roman Marines served through out the remainder of the empire's life, not only at sea but also on land.

CONFEDERATE MARINES:
On 16 March 1861, The Congress of the Confederate States of America established the Confederate States Marine Corps. On 23 May 1861, Col. Lloyd J. Beall, a West Point graduate who resigned his U.S. Army commission to "go south," was appointed as the Colonel-Commandant. Col. Beall served as Colonel-Commandant of the Confederate States Marine Corps until the end of the American Civil War in 1865.

SEMPER FIDELIS:
The Marine Corps adopted Semper Fidelis as its official motto in 1883 (Semper Fidelis is also the title of the official musical March of the Marine Corps). Translated from Latin, Semper Fidelis means "Always Faithful." U.S. Marines use an abbreviated verbal version, "Semper Fi," to voice loyalty and commitment to their Marine comrades-in-arms.

Previous mottos of the Marine Corps were:
(1) "To the Shores of Tripoli," adopted in 1805.
(2) "Fortitude," adopted in 1812.
(3) "From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli," adopted in 1848.
(4) "By Sea and by Land," adopted in the 1850's.

ONCE A MARINE, ALWAYS A MARINE:
Once a Marine, Always a Marine: This truism was adopted as the official motto of the Marine Corps League. The origin of the statement is credited to a gung-ho Marine Corps Master Sergeant, Paul Woyshner. During a barroom argument he shouted, "Once a Marine, always a Marine!" MSgt. Woyshner was right. Once the title "U.S. Marine" has been earned, it is retained. There are no ex-Marines or former-Marines. There are (1) active duty Marines, (2) retired Marines, (3) reserve Marines, and (4) Marine veterans. Nonetheless, once one has earned the title, he remains a Marine for life.

OFFICIAL BIRTHDAY OF THE USMC:
All U.S. Marines are gung-ho. But, few can match the vision and total commitment of the famous 13th Commandant, General John A. LeJeune. In 1921 he issued Marine Corps Order No. 47, Series 1921.
General LeJeune's order summarized the history, mission, and tradition of the Marine Corps. It further directed that the order be read to all Marines on 10 November of each year to honor the founding of the Marine Corps. Thereafter, 10 November became a unique day for U.S. Marines throughout the world. Soon, some Marine commands began to not only honor the birthday, but celebrate it. In 1923 the Marine Barracks at Ft. Mifflin, Pennsylvania, staged a formal dance. The Marines at the Washington Navy Yard arranged a mock battle on the parade ground. At Quantanamo Bay, Cuba, the Marine baseball team played a Cuban team and won, 9 to 8.

THE MARINE CORPS BALL:
The first "formal" Birthday Ball took place on Philadelphia in 1925. First class Marine Corps style, all the way. Guests included the Commandant, the Secretary of War (in 1925 it was Secretary of War, not Secretary of Defense), and a host of statesmen and elected officials. Prior to the Ball, General LeJeune unveiled a memorial plaque at Tun Tavern. Then the entourage headed for the Benjamin Franklin Hotel and an evening of festivities and frolicking.

Over the years the annual Birthday Ball grew and grew, taking on a life of its own. In 1952 the Commandant, General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., formalized the cake-cutting ceremony and other traditional observances. For example, Marine Corps policy now mandates that the first piece of cake must be presented to the oldest U.S. Marine present. The second piece goes to the youngest Marine. Among the many such mandates is a solemn reading of the Commandant's birthday message to the Corps.

Like the U.S. Marine Corps itself, the annual Birthday Ball has evolved from simple origins to the polished and professional functions of today. Nonetheless, one thing remains constant, the tenth day of November. This unique holiday for Marine warriors is a day of camaraderie, a day to honor Corps and Country.Throughout the world on 10 November, U.S. Marines celebrate the birth of their Corps -- the most loyal, most feared, most revered, and most professional fighting force the world has ever known.

ABOUT THE U.S. MARINES:
The United States Marine Corps is a force in readiness; always prepared to fight, anywhere, anytime.

There is a special aura surrounding the word "Marine." It means something different from a soldier, a cut above, and more can be expected from this person. Pride and cockiness are the trademarks of Marines, the strongest brotherhood in the world. To serve in the Marine Corps is to serve in an organization that demands and delivers excellence beyond all others. Service in the Marines leaves a lasting impression upon the innermost being of everyone who is privileged enough to serve. "Once a Marine, Always a Marine." To dispute this is to invite a brawl.

Marines enjoy a reputation of prowess in battle, that was earned "in every clime and place" throughout the world in our nation's history.

U.S. MARINES THE WORLD'S GREATEST WARRIORS:
Why are U.S. Marines considered the world's premier warriors?
What puts the Marine Corps above the rest? Other military services have rigorous training and weapons of equal or greater lethality. So, why do U.S. Marines stand head and shoulders above the crowd?

The truth lies in each person who wants to be a Marine. They did not just join the Marines. They must prove that they are Marines. Many have tried and failed. Only those who survive the crucible of Marine basic training, have been sculpted in mind and body into a Marine. They have become and proven they are Marines.

Once they have earned the title and entered the Brotherhood of Marines, then the new warrior can draw upon the legacy of his Corps. Therein lies their strength. In return, the strength of the Corps lies in the individual Marine. The character (often defined as "what you are in the dark") of these warriors is defined by the three constant Corps Values: honor, courage, and commitment.

HONOR: Honor requires each Marine to exemplify the ultimate standard in ethical and moral conduct. Honor is many things; honor requires many things. A U.S. Marine must never lie, never cheat, never steal, but that is not enough. Much more is required. Each Marine must cling to an uncompromising code of personal integrity, accountable for his actions and holding others accountable for theirs. And, above all, honor mandates that a Marine never sully the reputation of the Corps.

COURAGE: Simply stated, courage is honor in action -- and more. Courage is moral strength, the will to heed the inner voice of conscience, the will to do what is right regardless of the conduct of others. It is mental discipline, an adherence to a higher standard. Courage means willingness to take a stand for what is right in spite of adverse consequences. This courage, throughout the history of the Corps, has sustained Marines during the chaos, perils, and hardships of combat. And each day, it enables each Marine to look in the mirror -- and be proud.

COMMITMENT: Total dedication to Corps and Country. Gung-ho Marine teamwork. All for one, one for all. By whatever name or cliche, commitment is a combination of selfless determination and a relentless dedication to excellence. Marines never give up, never give in, never willingly accept second best. Excellence is always the goal. And, when their active duty days are over, Marines remain reserve Marines, retired Marines, or Marine veterans. There is no such thing as an ex-Marine or former-Marine. Once a Marine, always a Marine. Commitment never dies.

THE THREE CORPS VALUES: Honor, Courage, Commitment. They make up the bedrock of the character of each individual Marine. They are the foundation of the Corps. These three values, handed down from generation to generation, have made U.S. Marines the Warrior Elite. The U.S. Marine Corps: the most respected and revered fighting force on earth.

U.S. MARINE MASCOT:
Thanks to the German Army, the U.S. Marine Corps has an unofficial mascot. During World War I many German reports had called the attacking Marines "teufel-hunden," meaning Devil-Dogs. Teufel-hunden were the vicious, wild, and ferocious mountain dogs of German Bavarian folklore. Soon afterward a U.S. Marine recruiting poster depicted a snarling English Bulldog wearing a Marine Corps helmet. Because of the tenacity and demeanor of the breed, the image took root with both the Marines and the public. The Marines soon unofficially adopted the English Bulldog as their mascot.

At the Marine base at Quantico, Virginia, the Marines obtained a registered English Bulldog, King Bulwark. In a formal ceremony on 14 October 1922, Brigadier General Smedley D. Butler signed documents enlisting the bulldog, renamed Jiggs, for the "term of life." Private Jiggs then began his official duties in the U.S. Marine Corps.

A hard-charging Marine, Pvt. Jiggs did not remain a private for long. Within three months he was wearing corporal chevrons on his custom-made uniform. On New Years Day 1924, Jiggs was promoted to Sergeant. And in a meteoric rise, he got promoted again -- this time to Sergeant Major -- seven months later.

SgtMaj. Jiggs' death on 9 January 1927 was mourned throughout the Corps. His satin-lined coffin lay in state in a hangar at Quantico, surrounded by flowers from hundreds of Corps admirers. He was interred with full military honors.

A replacement was soon on the way. Former heavyweight boxing champion, James J. "Gene" Tunney, who had fought with the Marines in France, donated his English Bulldog. Renamed as Jiggs II, he stepped into the role of his predecessor.

But there was a big problem. No discipline! Jiggs chased people, he bit people. He showed a total lack of respect for authority.The new Jiggs would have likely made an outstanding combat Marine, but barracks life did not suit him. After one of his many rampages, he died of heat exhaustion on 1928. Nonetheless, other bulldogs followed. During the 1930s, 1940s, and early 1950s they were all named Smedley, a tribute to General Smedley Butler.

In the late 1950s the Marine Barracks in Washington, the oldest post in the Corps, became the new home for the Corps' mascot. Renamed Chesty to honor the legendary Lieutenant General Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, Jr., the mascot made his first formal public appearance at the Evening Parade on 5 July 1957. In his canine Dress Blues, Chesty became an immediate media darling, a smash hit.

After the demise of the original Chesty, the replacement was named Chesty II. He became an instant renegade. You name it, he did it. He even escaped and went AWOL once. Two days later he was returned in a police paddy wagon. About the only thing he ever managed to do correctly was to sire a replacement.

In contrast to his father, Chesty III proved to be a model Marine. He even became a favorite of neighborhood children, for which he was awarded a Good Conduct Medal. Other bulldogs would follow Chesty III (bulldogs don't live long). When Chesty VI died after an Evening Parade, a Marine detachment in Tennessee called Washington. Their local bulldog mascot, Lance Corporal Bodacious Little, was standing by for orders to Washington.

Upon arrival at the Marine Barracks in Washington, Lance Corporal Little got ceremoniously renamed Chesty VII. He and the English Bulldogs who followed him epitomize the fighting spirit of the U.S. Marines. Tough, muscular, aggressive, fearless, and often arrogant, they are the ultimate canine warriors.

English Bulldogs. "Teufel-hunden." "Devil Dogs." They symbolize the ethos of the Warrior Culture of the U.S. Marines.

For more info and definitions of U.S. Marine Corps terms check out the following website: USMC Dictionary. 

5 Days Until Our 235th Birthday

Here is a classic recruiting video ...

6 Days to Our 235th Birthday

Check out our Marines in Afghanistan - most in America don't even know we're fighting a war. My hat goes off to todays Marines!

7 Days to Our 235th Birthday - USMC

A different twist on the Marine Corps Hymn in this tribute.

A Very Meaningful Look at Immigration and World Poverty

Check this video out and listen to this Professor who makes quite a position statement regarding the worlds problem with poverty and immigration. An intriguing look at the challenges storming over the horizon.

8 More Days Until the USMC 235th Birthday - OOHRAH!

The US Marine Corps changed my life at a difficult time and without it I'd have been nowhere. Semper Fi lives and will always live on!

America Still Stands

Check out this great video on America and a message to Obamanation. Hope enough people follow it today!

US Marines Celebrating 235 Years on November the 10th

Being a former Marine I want to honor Marines past, present and future. Here is a video that discusses their contribution to the Korean War - which is the real forgotten war. Worth the watch.

Lets Start Out this Important Week on a High Note

Check out Diamond Rio and one great song about America

Is Anyone Out There Feeling the Economy is Better

I talk to people all the time and they ask the same question ... what is Washington talking about? Is the economy better? I haven't met a single person that really thinks it is. Watch this interview with a Boston Professor of Economics who takes bankings own studies and predicts the US is headed for bankruptcy. Remember next week when you cast your vote and ask yourself if you really think all these dollars Obamanation and His Henchmen are spending are doing anything?

Welcome Sharia Law to America - Thanks Minneapolis and Target

Check this one out. I am written here before that we do have freedom of religion but we don't have freedom of law. Well  the danger of this 'tolerance' going on is front and center in this news report ... watch it and reap and vote accordingly ... you have two weeks. And by the way, think about Target next time you go shopping. What BS that they bow to the pressure.

Tours in DC that Obmanation would Benefit from Attending

Here is a quick video tour of the nations capital that might teach everyone a few things - including his Highness in DC ... that is our Muslim President. Check it out!

As November Approaches Check this Out - Our First Chance to Fix Our Problems

I ran across this video the other day and it is moving and right on concerning the state of our Nation. Watch it, pass it on and vote in November accordingly.

Some not so Friendly Comments from our Friends in Islam

The clip here was sent to me from both Canada and England ... worth your eight minutes to check it out.

Tolerance: Where does it lead us?

I read and hear daily of the argument for tolerance. Of course that is primarily aimed at our need to be tolerant of Islam; Muslims use our freedoms against us and we are encouraged to be tolerant of others. It all takes me back to my youth when I grew up racing track rabbits, then go-karts, mini-bikes and motorcycles.

When you grow up on the tracks as a kid you learn about engines and how they operate. I used to know a lot of things about engines then worked a decade in trucking and ran shops and learned about the diesel engine. One thing you learn about all those intricate parts and what makes the engine work. One of those things is the 'tolerance' allowed in building the parts.

You see if you want a high performance engine the tolerance allowed in each of the component parts is very little. In other words, if you want the engine to produce at its prime level then the piston you place in the cylinder and the cylinder itself must meet optimum designed for 'tolerance' or it will not perform as desired. It is just a fact. When the engine gets where you might need to replace a cylinder liner or the piston or other worn parts to 'maintain' the required 'tolerance' to insure performance.

Now think about this great nation. It is built on immigrants and we have always had open doors and we tolerated many religions, languages and increasingly, behavior. Why? Because that is what we, as Americans, do. Now introduce Islam. I have no problem with people being Muslim and worshiping their 'religion' any more than I care that people worship as Jehovah's Witnesses, Catholics, Seventh Day Adventists or anything else.

What I have a problem with is that their 'religion' comes with Sharia Law which violently conflicts with any behavior in a democratic country or even common sense. You see no other religions that bring with it their own laws and expect the society in which they now live to 'conform' to their beliefs and not become part of their 'new home'. That is where we are expected to be 'tolerant'. And this great country will not be as productive or as civil as it once was.

There are two ways to have the tallest building in town. One way is to build the tallest building; the other is to knock everyone else's building down but yours. That is Islam in action. They live with laws of the dark ages or even before. Their behavior and beliefs are in the stone age. And I say more power to them if that is what they believe. As long as you stay in your country and 'worship' as you will. But don't bring those 'laws' to my country - we do not believe as you do, and, this is our country.

The so called Nation of Islam believes in cutting the clitoris out of their daughters at pre-school age.  They believe in demeaning women to the point that they are mere property. They believe in segregation, which we did away with decades ago. They believe in selling their daughters into marriage at any age. Where is our vaunted defenders of womens rights the National Organization of Women?  The believe in mercy killings. Where is the American Civil Liberties Union?

If you think about it we went after David Korash in Waco for his off shoot organization and burned it to the ground. We went after Warren Jeff's and his polygamist group for 'raping' children and having more than one wife, bigamy, a law we sometimes enforce. Then we have Islam moving into our country under our noses doing many worse things than Korash or Jeff's and we are to be tolerant.

We are a nation that better get educated on Islam and better question the meaning of the word tolerant or our great nation will soon be a very underperforming engine headed for the scrap heap.

Worth reading from www.RenewAmerica.com - The War Within

Islam Is Not A Religion, It Is Foreign Law

By JR Dieckmann Wednesday, September 1, 2010

The time has come to question if Islam is protected under our First Amendment rights to freedom of religion. Yes, everyone in America has the right to freedom of religion, but Islam is not a religion. Religious faith is only a part of Islam. The rest is a socially engineered society with its own laws and customs that seriously conflict with American law.

Is Great Britain a religion because they have the Church of England? Of course not. Britain has an established charter, civil and criminal laws, and a society that respects those laws. Islam has the Qur'an that provides the governing charter, complete with laws, punishment, and social behavior for its people in addition to its religious teachings. If Islam is a religion, then Britain is also.

We must recognize that religion is only one aspect of Islam's Qur'an. The rest of this charter advances ideas, social behavior, and laws that are in direct conflict with American and western laws and values. Teddy Roosevelt once said that to live in America, immigrants must have undivided loyalty to America and to no one else. How is that possible for Muslims who swear loyalty to Islam where their governing laws are found in the Qur'an?

What legitimate religion would demand that its members either kill or convert people of other faiths? What legitimate religion is intent on imposing its own laws on the rest of the entire world? If Islam were just about praying to Allah and worshiping Mohammed and nothing more, we would not be having a problem with Islamism and Islamic terrorists. Islam has a global mission to take over and run the world according to Islamic Shariah law. How can we call that a religion?

What legitimate religion in this country comes with its own civil laws that take precedence over national, state, and local laws? No, Islam is not a religion. It is a governing doctrine that not only dictates religious beliefs, but also social behavior that includes laws, penalties and punishments, not by God, but by people if the laws are not obeyed. Islam is a form of government, not a religion. It does not belong here. We already have government under our Constitution (sort of).

As Muslims build their mega-Mosques in our nation - financed by Saudi Arabia - they laugh at the stupid Americans who are selling out their fellow citizens by allowing Islam to take over our country a little bit at a time. It is the same method used over decades by the Marxist Progressives who now have control of our government - take away our liberties one little piece at a time until full control and submission is achieved.

We are extending a welcoming hand to the enemy of our country and western
culture under the pretense of religious freedom

Islamists know they cannot destroy us militarily, but they also know that they can do it with political correctness and insisting that we respect their freedom of religion, even though they have no respect for ours. We are extending a welcoming hand to the enemy of our country and western culture under the pretense of religious freedom.

What religion recruits killers and terrorists in their place of worship, then sends them off to foreign training grounds to become proficient at mass murder? I know of only one. They are taught to kill in the name of God, but this is not the law of God who commanded "thou shall not kill" - it is the law of Mohammed who commanded "kill them all who will not convert."

The Qur'an blurs the lines between religion and government and teaches that Islamic government is God's law. It certainly is not. Why do we tolerate this abomination in America where our laws maintain a separation between church and state? To accept Islam in America is to accept Islamic law as well.

Are we out of our minds? Did anyone notice that we are at war with these people? Terrorists feed on the same rule book as other Muslims who have so far remained peaceful. Will they be making the same decision that Barack Obama made when he wrote in "Dreams Of My Father" - "When the political winds shift in an ugly direction, I will side with the Muslims?" It is always nice to know that our president is on our side when America goes to war. Too bad this one is not.

Muslim worship is protected under the First Amendment, Islamic law is not.
Until Muslims - and our own government - can accept that, then Islam cannot be considered a religion and Islamic culture does not belong here in North America.
________________________________________

De Je Vu All Over Again - Yogi was Right After All

I was reading an article just yesterday that reminded me of our problem in Vietnam. We were supporting and shoring up a corrupt government. Now that shouldn't be surprising in view of Iraq's history but the politicians just keep on keeping on that there are no comparisons between Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lets look at some recent corruption. The US Government decided to win some hearts and minds by donating a few computer laptops to some schools in a specific Iraqi town,  Babil. It was 8,080 to be exact. But it seems they were held up in 'customs' for months. Then unknown to anyone the shipment was 'mislabeled' and sent to Umm Qasr, a notorious bad place. What are the odds?

Of course of the five most corrupt governments in the world include Afghanistan and Iraq. Of course that is where we are changing hearts and minds. The other three by the way are the Sudan, Somalia and Myanmar. That's a real race of pigs there.

As for the laptops they turned up missing until the US Military got involved. The American military General in charge demanded an investigation into key people in the Iraqi government and was quickly censured and silenced. Seems his outspokenness was seen as troublesome to our Diplomats who were having to deal with the fallout of his accusations, which of course were correct. The kids still have no computers. The military had actually traced the laptops down in Iraqi Customs but couldn't get them released. Then the Iraqi government auctioned off 4,200 of them netting someone over $45,000 and the rest remain missing.

It brings back memories of my Mom sending my sniper team socks because Marine supply had none. And she provided us face paint from archery stores because we couldn't get it. Why? They say the 'black market' in Da Nang where our supplies flowed through. Then there was the case of the missing 'bouncing betty' mines in Da Nang. We provided our allies, the South Vietnamese, with 10,000 of these life enders only to have them go missing.

It wasn't long before elements of the 1st Battalion 9th Marines guarding some of the hills surrounding our massive air base in Da Nang, were encircled with bouncing betty's. When they ran patrols and ambushes, which you must, they suffered over 50% casualties in one month without ever seeing the enemy. The scene was so ugly, since these American designed mines would blow a person in half, that the survivors were later sent to different units and they had to start over for that company. I am sure those guys are heavy on the PTSD to this day. All because of our wonderful partners in war, the Republic of Vietnam.

Are they similar? They are the same.

Lest We Forget ...

I am a voracious reader most of the time. I read a lot of Nam books and our current situation in Afghanistan and Iraq. I read a lot of special op's books and am always struck by the fact of what these men do for our country and so few even know of their commitment and actions. We're all somewhat familiar with the overall role of our Armed Forces but we also get complacent and forget. I know the video below has been around awhile. It is of Ollie North speaking to a dinner on the state and readiness of today's forces. Well worth the two and a half minutes.