Marine Corps Gazette

In Store Now

: 7 Deadly Scenarios: A Military Futurist Explores War in the 21st Century
By Andrew Krepinivech $27.00

NOVEMBER 2009

Editorial

Birthdays Past, Present, and, Future

The 10th of November always invokes strong feelings and memories for Marines around the world. Whether they are on active duty or not, the birthday of our Corps is an occasion for reflection and remembrance by Marines both young and old.
In the present is the anticipation of this year’s celebration. Marines around the world will gather to stop and celebrate the founding of our Corps. The celebrations will vary in formality and degree from the grand ball hosted by the Commandant of the Marine Corps, with a guest of honor with national recognition, to the small birthday gathering of veterans who, although they are few in number, are large in spirit and love for the Corps.
The program of the disparate celebrations is remarkably similar. At the core is the familiar reading of Gen John A. Lejeune’s birthday message. The reading of the birthday message of the current Commandant is done either by a narrator or one of the attendees. In today’s electronic environment the message of the current Commandant is often played as a video. The Commandant may not be able to make your celebration personally, but through technology he can be there virtually. The cutting and passing of the cake from the oldest to the youngest Marine is rich with the symbolism of passing the knowledge, heritage, and values of our Corps from one generation to the next. At the last birthday celebration I attended I witnessed a retired Marine who fought on Iwo Jima pass the cake to a newly minted private, fresh from boot camp. The private was his great grandson. It is amazing how the Marine Corps was and is, in many ways, a family business.
In a strange way some of the most memorable birthdays that Marines have spent have been not with their spouses but with their brothers. Those are the birthdays spent in combat with your brother Marines. The celebration may be different than those in garrison, but perhaps there is greater meaning in reflecting on the heritage of our Corps and the deep abiding love we have for our fellow Marines. The combat celebration may be a formation in the rear with the cooks working magic on government rations. It could be the cake flown in to the forward operating base to remind Marines that they carry a legacy of courage in combat that has been extended for yet another year. It may be without any alcohol in deference to General Order Number 1, but that only dims the occasion slightly. Units in combat past have been known to save that especially lucrative enemy target for a special celebratory event—an artillery battalion mass, not the religious kind but the massed destructive fires on the enemy kind of mass. We would not want the enemy to think we had forgotten them on our birthday.
Several birthdays ago I was walking with a friend and his wife on a date very close to the Marine Corps birthday. I saw an older gentleman passing by who had an eagle, globe, and anchor pin on his lapel. Without hesitation I said, “Happy birthday, Marine.” He replied, “The same to you, Marine. Happy birthday.” My friend’s wife remarked, “How did you know it was that gentleman’s birthday.” I almost said, “It’s a Marine thing. You wouldn’t understand it.” However, the better angel of my nature caused me to launch into an explanation of the 10th of November and the Marine Corps birthday.
So, Happy Birthday, Marines. Feel free to wish every Marine past and present a happy birthday. Don’t be embarrassed; you can always excuse yourself by saying, “It’s a Marine thing.”

NOVEMBER 2009 Editorial

Birthdays Past, Present, and, Future The 10th of November always invokes strong feelings and memories for Marines around the world. Whether they are on active duty or not, the birthday of our Corps is an occasion for reflection and remembrance by Marines both young and old. In the present is the anticipation of this year’s celebration. Marines around the world will gather to stop and celebrate the founding of our Corps. The celebrations will vary in formality and degree from the grand ball hosted by the Commandant of the Marine Corps, with a guest of honor with national recognition, to the small birthday gathering of veterans who, although they are few in number, are large in spirit and love for the Corps. The program of the disparate celebrations is remarkably similar. At the core is the familiar reading of Gen John A. Lejeune’s birthday message. The reading of the birthday message of the current Commandant is done either by a narrator or one of the attendees. In today’s electronic environment the message of the current Commandant is often played as a video. The Commandant may not be able to make your celebration personally, but through technology he can be there virtually. The cutting and passing of the cake from the oldest to the youngest Marine is rich with the symbolism of passing the knowledge, heritage, and values of our Corps from one generation to the next. At the last birthday celebration I attended I witnessed a retired Marine who fought on Iwo Jima pass the cake to a newly minted private, fresh from boot camp. The private was his great grandson. It is amazing how the Marine Corps was and is, in many ways, a family business. In a strange way some of the most memorable birthdays that Marines have spent have been not with their spouses but with their brothers. Those are the birthdays spent in combat with your brother Marines. The celebration may be different than those in garrison, but perhaps there is greater meaning in reflecting on the heritage of our Corps and the deep abiding love we have for our fellow Marines. The combat celebration may be a formation in the rear with the cooks working magic on government rations. It could be the cake flown in to the forward operating base to remind Marines that they carry a legacy of courage in combat that has been extended for yet another year. It may be without any alcohol in deference to General Order Number 1, but that only dims the occasion slightly. Units in combat past have been known to save that especially lucrative enemy target for a special celebratory event—an artillery battalion mass, not the religious kind but the massed destructive fires on the enemy kind of mass. We would not want the enemy to think we had forgotten them on our birthday. Several birthdays ago I was walking with a friend and his wife on a date very close to the Marine Corps birthday. I saw an older gentleman passing by who had an eagle, globe, and anchor pin on his lapel. Without hesitation I said, “Happy birthday, Marine.” He replied, “The same to you, Marine. Happy birthday.” My friend’s wife remarked, “How did you know it was that gentleman’s birthday.” I almost said, “It’s a Marine thing. You wouldn’t understand it.” However, the better angel of my nature caused me to launch into an explanation of the 10th of November and the Marine Corps birthday. So, Happy Birthday, Marines. Feel free to wish every Marine past and present a happy birthday. Don’t be embarrassed; you can always excuse yourself by saying, “It’s a Marine thing.”