The United States Marine Corps, like the Army and the Navy, is older that the United States itself, if one considers July 4, 1776 as the nation’s birthday.
The Army, the first to be established, counts June 14, 1775 as its date of origin. The Navy followed four months later. Marine history began on Nov. 10, 1775 with the first recruiting station, appropriately enough in a bar.
Tun Tavern, Philadelphia, was a watering hole established in 1686 and features prominently in Marine Corps history. Thus it is that the Marine Corps turns 243 years old in just a few days.
It almost didn’t make it this far. Although Marines have fought in nearly every conflict in American history, distinguishing themselves as fierce warriors (it was the Kaiser’s soldiers who called the World War I Marines “Teufel Hunde,” or “hell’s dogs,” which was translated to the Marine nickname, “Devil Dogs”), there have been attempts periodically to disband or abolish the Marine Corps.
George Washington refused to allow the Marines to come from his army forces. Eisenhower wasn’t a fan and President Harry Truman, a WWI army veteran, seriously considered doing away with the Corps. But the battle history of the Marine Corps has, so far, kept the Corps alive. The adage, “America doesn’t need a Marine Corps, America wants a Marine Corps,” speaks volumes of the sacred place the Corps holds in our society.
Marine veterans are almost cult-like in their loyalty to the Corps. Long after they have been separated from active duty, Marines will find a way to talk with other Marines and share sea stories or boot camp experiences.
One of the most hallowed traditions is the annual Marine Corps Birthday observations. Whether on U.S. bases, Okinawa, Afghanistan, on board ship, or in towns large and small, Marines and/or Marine veterans will gather together, cut a cake, remember the fallen, toast those present and absent, have dinner, hear a speaker, and continue the tradition for another year.
Marines also include, among their number, the Navy corpsmen and chaplains who have served with the Fleet Marine Force.
This year, the local annual Marine Corps Birthday Ball will be held on Saturday, Nov. 10, in the ballroom of Flat Creek Country Club in Peachtree City.
The guest speaker will be Major General Larry Taylor, a Georgia Tech graduate, and a Marine aviator. The grandson of Russian Jewish immigrants, Maj. Gen. Taylor served in Laos, Vietnam, and Iraq, as well in Central and South America.
The event is sponsored by the Sgt. Clyde Thomason Medal of Honor Detachment of the Marine Corps League. The local detachment, which serves Coweta and Fayette counties, is named after the first enlisted Marine, who was an Atlanta native, to receive the Medal of Honor (posthumously) during World War II.
Sgt. Thomason, a Marine Raider, was killed on Makin Island in the Pacific campaign. The Makin Island Raiders Pound #364 of the Military Order of the Devil Dogs, which also serves the two counties, is named after Sgt. Thomason’s Raiders.
While a Marine affair, the birthday celebration is open to the public, especially those who value the history and worth of the Marine Corps. Each year civilians and veterans of the other military branches join with Marines and attend the annual functions across the country.
Only 150 tickets have been printed for the local event and are $50 each. Information about the local Marine Corps League chapter may be obtained from Jr. Vice Commandant Jay Maxwell at [email protected] or by calling him at 404-8225270. Details about the birthday celebration on Nov. 10 are: 6 p.m., Happy Hour; 7 p.m., dinner, birthday celebration, dancing.
To purchase tickets or receive additional information contact [email protected].
In spite of its enemies, foreign and domestic, The United States Marine Corps survives and thrives. Happy 243rd birthday to a legend in warrior history.
[David Epps is the pastor of the Cathedral of Christ the King, 4881 Hwy. 34 E., Sharpsburg, GA between Newnan and Peachtree City (www.ctk.life). He is the bishop of the Charismatic Episcopal Diocese of the Mid-South which consists of Georgia and Tennessee. He is also the Commandant for the Sgt Clyde Thomason Medal of Honor Detachment #1325 of the Marine Corps League. He may contacted at [email protected].]
