November 10, "back in 1775 my Marine Corps came alive."  That was a very common cadence both in boot camp and throughout my years in the Corps.  I have a special affinity for the Marine Corps birthday as this was also the day of my enlistment back in 1987.  A fresh faced high school graduate arrived to MCRD Parris Island late in the evening on November 10th.  My first introduction as I stepped off the bus and was greeted by the yellow footprints and the receiving barracks, was that of a screaming drill instructor (They are not drill Sergeants, that's the Army).  We would come to know over the next twelve weeks that those were the kindest and most cheerful drill instructors that you would meet while at Parris Island. 

If my recollection is correct, we were at receiving for about 3-4 days.  I am not positive though as things get kind of fuzzy since you arrrive in the evening and are kept up for the next 24-28 hours to acclimatize you to your new sleep schedule which may include a 0330 "slime" to the chow hall as you weren't permitted to march yet. We also had to wait on our evening arrival as all the drill instructors didn't get back to receiving until around 2330 since a good amount of them were off at the Marine Corps ball celebrating the Birthday of the Corps.  A great highlight though on the following day was seeing a platoon that was fixing to graduate march in front of us on the way to chow early in the morning.  The miracles of the Corps never cease though as we were in awe of how precise these Marines were.  We couldn't even walk in a straight line and here we were witnessing perfection at 0400 in the 2nd battalion area.  The reason I say miracles is because in the vastness of the Marine Corps (around 160,000) at the time, this platoon happened to have a high school friend that had entered the Corps in August of 1987 and was also the same person that got me to enlist.  Steven, we lost touch after that day but it was amazing to see how squared away you were.  The DI's for receiving let us speak to our high school bud for about a minute in the chow hall, and that was the last we saw of him as both Mike Carter and I would stay east coast and Steven was off to Hawaii after his training to be an 0352.  

So while I was late and missed the first 212 years of celebration, don't worry because you will learn the history and the men and women that are Marines that paved the greatest fighting force that has ever graced the new world.  Part of the tenets of the Corps is that you will learn of the men that walked before you proudly as Marines.  The history of Dan Daly and Smedley Butler and the great leader Chesty Puller and other Marines that have guided the way and tread where only Marines can go.  From the battles of Belleau Wood, Iwo Jima, The Barbary Coast and into the Frozen Chosin "From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli".  Every clime and place is not just a saying.  It is the living embodiment of what it means to be a Marine.  The Corps is forward deployed around the globe as we speak and the Marines are the only unit capable of operating on land, in the air, and on the sea.  A fully self contained ecosystem that can typically put a battalion of warfighters into a location within 24-48 hours.  While politics may overshadow the deployment of Marines, make no mistake that the Marines can and will arrive on time to project Americas power or protect our interests across the globe.

"Expeditionary forces in readiness" is what it reads across the sign at Camp Lejeune.  Of course you know the Marine Corps had to be founded in a bar.  So for every devildog out there still providing security, evacuation, forward deployment, stability for a region, global humanitarian mission, or just plain bringing the pain we salute you.  Once a Marine, always a Marine.  This is not just a saying its an ethos.  Courage, commitment, honor and Semper Fidelis.  "Always Faithful".

Happy 250th birthday Marines.  The Commanding General of the Army would never tolerate being called a soldier, the Chief Admiral of the Navy wouldn't wish to be called a sailor, the General of the Air Force wouldn't want to be called an Airman, The commandant of the Marine Corps is damn proud to be called a Marine.