Ahhh yes. Today is the 232nd birthday of the Marine Corps. I don't think it's any coincidence that the Corps started in a bar, do you?
Whether you call them gyrenes, jarheads, leathernecks, devildogs, husband/wife, son/daughter or boyfriend/girlfriend, they are devastatingly good looking in their dress blues, no?
Now, the Marine Corps has many traditions and the one most closely associated with THE BIRTHDAY is the Birthday Ball.
I have attended plenty of Birthday balls and although these fetes start off as formal, they don't end that way. I could make the post about Ball antics like this but I would like to retain at least a shred of personal dignity before Spousebuzz Live. I have a sneaking suspicion that after the conference, that shred will be gone too.
Even if there is no Birthday Ball, there is always a cake cutting ceremony. The oldest and the youngest Marines in attendance receive the first two pieces. General John Lejeune's original Birthday order is read as well as a message from the Commandant. Marines greet each other on this day with a hearty "Happy Birthday" as if it were their own and in a very real way, it is.
I suppose I could go on and on about why I love being a Marine wife and mom, why I love the traditions of the Corps, why I love their loyalty to their fellow Marines, and why I love their big, old goofy hearts. Maybe another day...
Today, I'll just say,"Happy Birthday" to the Marines and the people who love them.
Urrahhh!!!!
