Click on the picture for the Marine Corps Hymn. Click here to hear what the Marines are singing in Fallujah. A special Happy Birthday to the devil dogs in Fallujah and God Bless.
MSGID/GENADMIN/CG II MEF/NOV04//
SUBJ//CG II MEF MARINE CORPS BIRTHDAY MESSAGE//RMKS/1.
MARINES AND SAILORS OF II MEF, THE 229TH BIRTHDAY OF OUR BELOVED CORPS IS UPON US. OUR HERITAGE IS WARFIGHTING; WE SHALL NOT BACK AWAY FROM THAT! OVER THE PAST 229 YEARS WE’VE EARNED OUR NATION’S RESPECT AS WE HAVE PAID THE FULL PRICE OF FREEDOM WITH THE CURRENCY OF OUR CORPS’ VERY BEST. THAT SACRIFICE CONTINUES THIS DAY. AS YOU PREPARE FOR YOUR CEREMONIES, I ASK YOU TO REMEMBER OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS WHO ARE FORWARD DEPLOYED. THEY WILL BE CELEBRATING IN A DIFFERENT MANNER ALTOGETHER. IN THE TIME IT TAKES YOU TO READ THESE WORDS, MANY OF OUR FELLOW MARINES WILL HAVE BEEN ENGAGED IN HIGH INTENSITY COMBAT…SOME MAY WELL HAVE FALLEN. THINK ON THIS AS YOU CELEBRATE THIS YEAR…REMEMBER THEM AND TOAST THEM. TO MY MARINES AND SAILORS ON THE FRONT LINES…KNOW THAT YOU ARE OUR NATION’S TRUE HEROS. YOU ARE THE LIFEBLOOD OF OUR COUNTRY AND SERVE AS ITS FINAL BASTION OF DEFENSE. WERE YOU NOT TO DEFEND HER, THEN WHO WOULD? THESE ARE TOUGH TIMES, BUT YOU ARE REMARKABLE AND MORE THAN A MATCH TO THE CHALLENGE. I PRAY THAT YOUR NOVEMBER 10TH IS MEMORABLE WHEREVER YOU ARE, AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR GREAT SACRIFICE AND FIDELITY. GOD BLESS YOU AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEVIL DOGS.
LTGEN JIM AMOS, CG II MEF SENDS.
Now let’s drool over those leatherneck uniforms…
Class A and above is what they wear at the Marine Corps Birthday Ball. *Swoon*Faint*Thud*
NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Thanks for the dedication — we appreciate it!
any time, SSGT.
LOL — “swoon…faint…thud”
I got my Blues laid out for this afternoon … will be rubbing elbows with quite a few of the Officers (including the CG!) from the Yuma, AZ MCAS (Marine Corps Air Station) and several of my “Bus Driver” (Air Force) Commanding Generals from their bases here in AZ and OK.
Gonna be a great time!
I’ll be with you in spirit…God Bless the jarheads across the country and on the other side of the world.
My son is going Friday to the Union League Club downtown to listen to Captain James Lovell, USN, (Ret), Commander of Apollo 13, speak at a benefit dinner for MMA.
Lots of celebrations going on this week.
michellecanning.blogspot.com is my “Baby Girl’s” page. She has a couple of pics of my Marine son-in law there. Wish he were here to buy him a beer today. An Airforce “crew-dog” to a “Jar-head”.
Cool I’ll check her out! Thanks, Koolaid Man.
Hey, “Bus Driver Crew-Dog”
your baby girls’ Blog is pretty kewl! I’m sure your son-in-law wished he could’ve been here with all of you. 
Anyway — I survived another Birthday Ball; and, I for the first time in my life, was given the RIDE OF MY LIFE in an F-15 Strike Eagle just at dusk … gawd, what a rush that was for an old **** like me!
The young **** piloting the aircraft was nice — but, just like all other jet jocks, he was cocky … so, we got along just fine…LOL!
It was truly awesome to see the southwestern AZ desert from the evening sky — until the **** decided to pull what we pilots (yes; I’m a licensed pilot for both single & twin-engine aircraft) call a “Hammer-head”!
He informed me we had reached Mach 2 at the height of the Hammer-head; then, when he rolled the jet backwards and we bagan our rapid descent back to Earth, I think there was something wet in my skivvies!
Anyway … being up there for over an hour, gave me a different perspective and greater respect for these young pilots — yet; I also came away with an ever greater feeling of awe in regards to our Creator of the Universe — my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
To say it was a “humbling experience” is an understatement … but, it sure made me come away with different thought/feelings about my personal life.
Okay — I’ll get off my soapbox and get back to doing whatever … I’m just glad to be back on the ground!
hehehe. “Bus driver”. If I were Koolaid Man, I don’t know if I’d like being called, that, Yat-who-has-his-feet-on-the-ground-and-just-got-off-his-soapbox…I’ll have to mark today on my calendar since I’ve never seen you get off your soapbox, lol…
Yeah; mark your calendar as for me stepping off the soapbox…I’m stil a little woozy!
“Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .
Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God”
Something like that Yat?
God bless all of the veterans in America and I thank them for their sacrifices especially so my younger brother who served on a fleet ballisic missile submarine the USS George Bancroft (SSBN643)- the “Gomer B.”
Kool Aid — you got it!
Thanks, Paul — I visited your Blog and left you, and others, a short message.
Beautiful piece, KM–where did that come from?
Paul thank you for telling us that; I am grateful for your brother’s service. So he was a squid?
We don’t call ‘em “squids”…Marines call ‘em, ANCHOR CLANKERS
OMG that’s funny…I never heard that before. Yesterday I was talking to a former SSGT and he told me that OOOORAH! is new. That’s it’s something the marines didn’t say during Vietnam, it’s used by the ‘new’ Marine Corps. Is that true?
The poem is “High Flight”, not sure who the author is.
LOL – are ya sure he was a U.S. MARINE SSgt? He’s full of ****; we were using OOHHRRAAHH back in the late 60’s, and it hasn’t stopped since.
Thanks, I’ll look that up-it sure is beautiful, KM. I’m really appreciating the stories you’ve got at your blog, BTW!
Yat, there sure are a lot of ‘pretenders’, aren’t there?
Yes, Cao — alot of “wannabes” are out there! If that “alleged” Ssgt was in the Corps, during the ‘Nam era, he would’ve known we graduated from alot of the “Gung Ho” to “OOHHRRAAHH” as early as 1966!
When Bri graduated MMA, it was apparent to me that OOOORAH! is an old tradition. Heck, even my dad says it, and he was a Marine before Vietnam-at least 40 something years ago.
LOL — so, ya see young lady? If your Dad and I know it’s been around for years, you quite obviously were talking to another “I-Wanna-Be-A-Marine-So-I-Can-Tell-Impressive-War-Stories”
War stories that only non-military people will swallow!