Semper Fi and Happy Birthday to the U.S. Marine Corp

The Marines celebrate their 230th birthday today:

On November 10, 1775, 230 years ago, the Continental Congress authorized the formation of two battalions of Marines. Tradition says that the earliest recruiting of Marines took place at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, owned by Robert Mullan, who later became a Continental Marine officer. The Marines' first operation was a raid on a British base in the Bahamas. As I like to say, the Marine Corps was formed in a bar and then immediately went on a Caribbean cruise.

I'll never forget a night back in 1990 when my quartet was invited to sing for the Marine recruits at Camp Pendleton in Southern California. It was a Saturday night, and at the end of the training day, 600 recruits were marched to the base chapel to attend the concert.

I was sitting in our bus before the concert as the platoons were lined up outside the chapel. The Drill Instructors, who looked like they'd been chiseled out of marble, proceeded to give the recruits their last minute instructions that went something like this:

"If they tell you to sing, YOU SING!!!"
"If they tell you to pray, YOU PRAY!!!"

Each of these instructions was given from approximately 2 inches away from the face of a young marine and at about 150 decibels. It was something to watch, and I'm glad they weren't screaming at me.

When we walked into the chapel to begin the program, it was wall-to-wall with hot, tired, sweaty guys who had been out working their butts off all day. The smell was unbelievable, but I wouldn't have traded that experience for anything. They were a great audience (maybe they had to be), and I couldn't help but think that part of the reason they had such a good time is that it was the first time in weeks that someone wasn't screaming a them.

We did our usual 60 minute program, and we weren't constrained in any way by the chaplain as to what we could say or do. At the end of the program we did the national anthem, and you can't imagine what it sounded like when 600 marines sang that song and then broke into huge cheers at the end. One thing for sure, I wanted these guys on my side and I walked out of there confident that the security of our country was in good hands.

Semper Fi to the men and women of the Marine Corps!