Posted on 11/10/2009 3:44:17 AM PST by freedumb2003
Happy Birthday to the USMC!
Semper Fi and God Bless to all of you!!
OORAH! Semper Fi.
TC
May the Lord Jesus bless the United States Marines and all the military personnel that serve in all our branches. Please Lord keep your angels around them and protect them always. Amen
Amen!
234th Marine corps Birthday
Oh man! I can’t meet my carpool with tears in my eyes!
THREAD BUMP.
It’s the two gentlemen in that picture that this country is still the greatest country in the world.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY USMC!
Happy Birthday.
Semper Fi my Brothers and Sisters!
The oldest and youngest Marines at FR get the first pieces of cake. Now, where’s the cake? Here it is -
http://donmac.org/Iraq/MarineCorpBDCake10NOV7.JPG
Speaking of where things are, here’s a bit of USMC folklore:
Background: When British troops invaded Washington in the War of 1812, the commandant at the Marine Barracks ordered two Marines to hide the Marine Corps money. The Marines dutifully did so and went out to engage the British in combat. Both were killed in the battle. They were never able to relay where they hid the money. To this day, it’s believed that a cache of gold coins lies hidden somewhere in the Marine barracks.
Another USMC legend.
-- The True Birthday Of The Marine Corps 11 July 1798 THE MARINES! SINCE 1775... OR 1798? THE TRUE BIRTHDAY OF THE CORPS! From MarineLINK "... When the peace treaty with Britain finally was signed in 1783, only the Continental frigate Alliance was still in commission. A small Marine guard commanded by Lieutenant Thomas Elwood stayed with the frigate until Congress decided to sell the vessel in September. With the sale of the Alliance, the Continental Navy and Marines went out of existence." From, The United States Marines A History, by BGen Ed Simmons... "...As for the Marines, only the slenderest thread of continuity can be claimed by virtue of "marines" serving in the Revenue Cutter Service...There were to be Marine "quotas"...not "detachments" for there was no corps from which they could be detached... ...on 11 July 1798, the true birthday of the Corps, President John Adams approved...establishing and organizing a Marine Corps." -Dick Gaines ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Customs and Traditions Marine Corps Birthday Celebration "The U.S. Marine Corps begins preparations for its "birthday party" every summer. Activities become more feverish as the fall hues arrive. By early November, every Marine is either rehearsing his role in the "party" or pressing, polishing, and spit-shining in order to appear at his or her best for the Birthday Ball. This has not always been the case, however. In fact, Marines have not always celebrated their founding on November the 10th. Formal commemoration of the birthday of the Marine Corps began on 10 November 1921. That particular date was chosen because on that day the Second Continental Congress resolved in 1775 to raise two battalions of Continental Marines. Until 1921 the birthday of the Corps had been celebrated on another date. An unidentified newspaper clipping from 1918 refers to the celebration of the 120th birthday of the Marine Corps on 11 July "as usual with no fuss." It is doubtful that there was any real celebration at all. Further inspection of documents and publications prior to 1921 shows no evidence of ceremonies, pageants, or parties. The July date was commemorated between 1798 and 1921 as the birthday of the Corps. During the Revolution, Marines had fought on land and sea, but at the close of the Revolution the Marine Corps and the Navy were all but disbanded. On 11 July 1798, President John Adams approved a bill that recreated the Corps, thereby providing the rationale for this day being commemorated as the birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps. On 21 October 1921, Major Edwin McClellan, Officer-in-Charge, Historical Section, Headquarters Marine Corps, sent a memorandum to Major General Commandant John A. Lejeune, suggesting that the original birthday on 10 November 1775 be declared a Marine Corps holiday to be celebrated throughout the Corps. McClellan further suggested that a dinner be held in Washington to commemorate the event. Guests would include prominent men from the Marine Corps, Army, and Navy, and descendants of the Revolution. Accordingly, on 1 November 1921, General Lejeune issued Marine Corps Order No. 47, Series 1921. The order summarized the history, mission, and tradition of the Corps, and directed that it be read to every command on 10 November each subsequent year in honor of the birthday of the Marine Corps. This order has been duly carried out. Some commands expanded the celebration during the next few years. In 1923 at Fort Mifflin, Pennsylvania, the celebration of the Marine Corps' 148th birthday took the form of a dance in the barracks that evening. Marines at the Navy Yard, Norfolk, Virginia, staged a sham battle on the parade ground in commemoration of the birthday. The battle lasted about twenty minutes, and was witnessed by Portsmouth and Norfolk citizens. At Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the birthday was celebrated on the 12th, since a special liberty to Santiago had been arranged on the 10th. The morning activities included field and water sports, and a shooting match. In the afternoon the Marines won a baseball game, 9-8, over a Cuban team. In the evening, members of the command put on a variety show followed by four boxing bouts. The first so-called "Birthday Ball," such as suggested by Major McClellan, was probably held in 1925 in Philadelphia. No records have been located of one prior to 1925. Guests included the Secretaries of War and Navy, Major General Commandant Lejeune, famous statesmen, soldiers, and sailors. The principle event was the unveiling of a tablet on the site of Tun Tavern. The tablet was a gift from the Thomas Roberts Reath Post, American Legion, whose membership was composed exclusively of Marines. The celebration was held in conjunction with the annual convention of the Marine Corps League. A parade included Marines, Regular Army, and Navy detachments, National Guard, and other military organizations. The evening banquet was held at the Benjamin Franklin Hotel and a ball followed at the Bellevue-Stratford. It is not possible to determine precisely when the first cake ceremony was held, but the first on record was held at Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., in 1937. Major General Commandant Thomas Holcomb presided at an open house for Marine Corps officers. Ceremonies included the cutting of a huge cake designed after the famous Tun Tavern in Philadelphia. From 1937, observances of the Marine Corps Birthday appeared to develop spontaneously throughout the Corps as if they had a life of their own. The celebrations were publicized through every media. Newsreels, motion pictures, and displays were prepared to summarize the history of the Corps. In 1943, standard blank Marine Corps scrap books were forwarded to all districts to be filled with 168th anniversary clippings, scripts, pictures, programs, and other memorabilia, and returned to Headquarters. Unfortunately none of these scrapbooks remain in official files. In 1951, a formal Birthday Ball Pageant was held at Headquarters Marine Corps. Similar to the pageant today, the script described the Marines' period uniforms and the cake ceremony. Although this is the first substantive record of a pageant, Leatherneck of 10 November 1925 pictures Marines at a pageant in Salt Lake City, Utah, which had taken place "several years ago." On 28 October 1952, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., directed that the celebration of the Marine Corps Birthday be formalized throughout the Corps, and provided an outline for the cake ceremony, as well as other formal observances. This outline was included in the Marine Corps Drill Manual, approved 26 January 1956. Traditionally, the first piece of Birthday cake is presented to the oldest Marine present and the second piece to the youngest Marine present. When and where this tradition began remains unknown. Some records indicate this practice, and others vary it depending on the dignitaries present at the ball. First pieces of cake have been presented to newlyweds, the Secretary of the Navy, governors, and others, but generally speaking, the first pieces of cake go to the oldest and youngest Marines at the ball. At present, celebrations of the Marine Corps Birthday on 10 November differ at posts and stations throughout the Corps. All commemorations include the reading of Marine Corps Order No. 47, and the Commandant's message to those assembled. Most commands sponsor a Birthday Ball of some sort, complete with pageant and cake ceremony as prescribed in the Marine Corps Manual. Like the Corps itself, the Birthday Ball developed from simple origins to become the polished, professional function that all Marines commemorate on 10 November around the world." (Read Major General John A. Lejeune's Birthday Message) Reference Section-History and Museums Division To Gunny G's Sites ********** Posts Added Thru-Out The Day ~ 24/7... NEW! -The "G" QUIK-POSTS! MOST GyG POSTS HERE!!!!! Sometimes, Just Scanning These Headlines Alone Are Good For A Chuckle, And Worth The Click! http://www.diigo.com/user/gunnyg ********** R. W. "Dick" Gaines THE "G" BLOG. @WordPress.com http://gunnyg.wordpress.com/ (AKA: Gunny G's Globe and Anchor Online....) ********** The "G" WebLog @Network54 http://www.network54.com/Forum/578302/ **********
Now where the hell did that Edit button go???
All these modern sites have them now!
Happy Birthday, United States Marine Corps.
From the proud Mom of a former Marine.
May God Bless and Protect Them All.
Gunny G: “SHOUT OUT”!
WTF is this new term “shout out”???
I first heard it the other day when a high gubmint official said he was giving someone a shout out during a public speech on something or other.
I suppose it’s just something new in the long line of new words, terms, and phrases by the younger “hip” folks of our society. Like cool, awesome, etc., etc. Some people refer to them as buzz words, I think.
When I was a kid in the late 30s and 40s, the word I still remember was “swell”!
Gee, what a swell girl or guy. That’s swell! I had a swell time. I never did like that word even when it was some of my favorite movie stars using the word.
Back in the the first days of WW II the boot Marines invented Semper Fi. Everyone seems to think that SF is short, or an abbreviation for Semper Fidelis.
Not so! In 1952 I worked for an Old Corps (between-the-wars) Marine Master Sergeant Tony Virginia. I hppened to use the term Semper Fi in his presence once. His eyes narrowed as he beckoned me forth. Just what the hell, he demanded, did I mean by “Semper Fi” I quickly related to him what I thought it meant.
Top Virginia squared me away on this in a hurry–that it wasn’t an abbreviation for Semper Fidelis; in fact it meant something like “Screw You, Mac, I’ve Got Mine, How’re You Doing!” He empahsised his words by going through the motion of the old Italian Salute–slapping his right hand on his left upper arm and raising his fisted left forearm upward. This was done as he voiced with emphasis–SEMPER FI!
He also explained that during the early days of WWII enlisted Marines wore their chevrons only on one sleeve, the left. It seemed self-evident to me at that time that his slapping his left upper arm where the chevron was worn also had to do with the whole Semper Fi thing, especially in outranking someone else.. Back then, he said, everyone understood what SF meant, and it didn’t need to be explained. Later, the term became more and more accepted, and newer Marines came along and just accepted its use w/o knowing its origin and history.
Somewhere along the line the Tony Virginias disappeared, or stopped explaining things, because there sure is a lotta bum scoop going around now.
Anyway, I notice none of the geezers seem to have a need to invent new words, or even invent new meanings for old words.
The libs (marxists, commies, etc.) seem to have bastardized many of our fine old words…like “share”! I could go on and on.
No doubt they do these things “for the children.”
Maybe old f@rts should get together and dream up and bastardize some words and phrases to shout out. Maybe not.
http://gunnyg.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/gunny-g-shout-out/
Semper Fidelis
Dick Gaines
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