Happy Birthday Marines
Fellow Marines,
I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment and wish all of you a happy birthday. Each one of us have our own story but at some point, our paths crossed directly and for that, I am eternally grateful. We are share a kinship similar to what we share with all Marines past, present, and future but it’s the intersection of our particular lives and careers that make the memories we all cherish.
I was recently discussing my time in the Corps and the person (not a Marine, of course) said “you only have one more year to go.”
My response was “I only GET one more year.”
It has been a very one-sided honor to serve as a Marine for 19 out of the 231 years the Corps has existed. That means that for over 8% of the time it has existed, I have been honored to wear the Cloth of our Nation as a United States Marine. For me, that is very humbling.
But I have not been alone. I have not been “An Army of One” and I know that any success I have enjoyed has been a direct result of many if not all of you. I cannot fathom a future without the quality of people that have surrounded me for my entire adult life.
Every day I see young Marines (the youngest this year was born while I was going through bootcamp) and I see senior Marines. We wear the same uniform, show the same professionalism, and share the same feelings about serving our Corps. I see them graduate every week and while my throat gets a lump when I think that many of them will be going the war soon, I see the gleam in their eyes and know they are up to the challenge. And I know that those more seasoned Marines that have gone before them are ready to share with them the secrets of staying alive and winning.
So happy birthday, Marines and for what it’s worth, know that I have first hand knowledge that the Marines we are making today are every bit as Hardcore Marine Corps as we were (or thought we were!).
I honor you and thank you for your service. I thank you for being the very fiber of the institution the world knows as the finest fighting force that ever existed.
Semper Fi.
Jason D. Grose
http://www.grose.us
"And of course you can't becomeif you only say what you would have done..."
If You Steal My Sunshine
Len
I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment and wish all of you a happy birthday. Each one of us have our own story but at some point, our paths crossed directly and for that, I am eternally grateful. We are share a kinship similar to what we share with all Marines past, present, and future but it’s the intersection of our particular lives and careers that make the memories we all cherish.
I was recently discussing my time in the Corps and the person (not a Marine, of course) said “you only have one more year to go.”
My response was “I only GET one more year.”
It has been a very one-sided honor to serve as a Marine for 19 out of the 231 years the Corps has existed. That means that for over 8% of the time it has existed, I have been honored to wear the Cloth of our Nation as a United States Marine. For me, that is very humbling.
But I have not been alone. I have not been “An Army of One” and I know that any success I have enjoyed has been a direct result of many if not all of you. I cannot fathom a future without the quality of people that have surrounded me for my entire adult life.
Every day I see young Marines (the youngest this year was born while I was going through bootcamp) and I see senior Marines. We wear the same uniform, show the same professionalism, and share the same feelings about serving our Corps. I see them graduate every week and while my throat gets a lump when I think that many of them will be going the war soon, I see the gleam in their eyes and know they are up to the challenge. And I know that those more seasoned Marines that have gone before them are ready to share with them the secrets of staying alive and winning.
So happy birthday, Marines and for what it’s worth, know that I have first hand knowledge that the Marines we are making today are every bit as Hardcore Marine Corps as we were (or thought we were!).
I honor you and thank you for your service. I thank you for being the very fiber of the institution the world knows as the finest fighting force that ever existed.
Semper Fi.
Jason D. Grose
http://www.grose.us
"And of course you can't becomeif you only say what you would have done..."
If You Steal My Sunshine
Len
posted by Viper @ 11/10/2006
5 Comments:
At 2:46 PM,
O! said…
My homey Coley and I celebrated the Marine Corps birthday by singing "Happy Birthday" at the top of the Empire State Building at night and then toasting to haggis. IN UNIFORM.
No joke.
At 9:01 PM,
Viper said…
I'm sure Chesty is smiling.
At 6:18 AM,
O! said…
What?!
Stop with your esoteric, high-falutin' "I'm smarter than you" language. I'm only a Midshipman.
At 10:23 PM,
Viper said…
Um, Hermione, that's a reference to only the most revered Marine hero of all time: Chesty Puller.
Way to show your ass.
At 9:55 AM,
O! said…
Thanks for the encouragement. I'm going to go fail my wrestling class too.
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