Happy Birthday Marines!
On this date 240 years ago, the United States Marine Corps was born by an act of the 2nd Continental Congress. They saw the need for “soldiers of the sea” who were as comfortable fighting in the rigging of ships as they were on land. The Congress (as legend has it) met at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia (perhaps it is fitting that we were born in a bar) and “Resolved, that two Battalions of marines be raised” in order to engage in naval military operations against the British.
We fought valiantly in the Revolutionary war, and from the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli. We engaged in the most difficult and bloodiest battles of World War I and II in places called Tarawa, Iwo Jima, and Belleau Wood where Germans called us Teufel Hunden (Devil Dogs). We spilled our blood in the streets of Hue City, Baghdad, andFallujah.
In these places and more we showed the world that there is “No better friend, no worse enemy” than a United States Marine. This is a special day for those of us who have worn the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. If you see a Marine today, it is customary to wish them happy birthday. We celebrate the Corps’ birthday as we would our own, for in many ways we became who we are when we earned the title.
Happy birthday devil dogs, and Semper Fidelis.