Semper Fi

10 November is theirs

I adore the Marine Corps birthday celebration at the National War College. It’s magnificent. Of course the services all have a commemoration/party to remind others of their founding but no one, in my thirty years of being in the building by 0530 at the latest began drilling for the event fully six weeks early.

The Rotunda of your National War College, the central space of the unparalleled Beaux Arts edifice located at the confluence of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers in southwest Washington, D.C., is jaw droppingly gorgeous on its own. The chandelier casts sensational light on the red brick floor, only beginning to show signs of wear a hundred and twenty-one years after Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone for the building bearing his name. The acoustics are terrific with no real need for a public address system but we managed to acquire one about 6 years ago (sigh). The plaque noting the architects, McKim Mead and White, who set forth on construction in 1903 also reminds us that the Army War College originally resided there until the joint National War College dislodged the Army to Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania in 1946. Just in case you wondered who the intellectual behind all of this was, the great reformer of the Army and Secretary of War Elihu Root stares down (on the left I these photos) on anyone in the vicinity. George C. Marshall is on the second deck while John J. Pershing is on the left or west side, leading into to what is now known as the Powell Wing of Roosevelt Hall.

Preparation are long to assure precision and perfection. The Marine students affix their locations on the floor for their practices in about mid-September. The preparations are hours of 0530-0730 drills to assure timing is flawless as perfect synchronisation clear in this event.

The Marine Corps Band in their scarlet tunics sit on the west side of the second deck to allow their music to waft throughout the Rotunda, if not entire four story building. The Marines don’t send a small crew but enough musicians to blow the roof off. It’s great, especially if you like marshal music.

The musicians are vital for the choreography I alluded to above. Marines from across the National Defense University participate although the vast majority are at the War College and Eisenhower School across the street. The choreography involves not merely having two lines of Marines in their dress uniforms with their swords but they are coordinated to produce the visual of tallest nearest the Distinguished Visitors’ seats down to shorter by the building entry, the Marines of matching height standing across from each other. Because this is a big deal, I imagine it’s highly sought to be on those rows as well. This is your Marine Corps, people.

The remaining Marines happily (seemingly) engage in welcoming visitors to for superb viewing, preparing for the cake and punch, and assuring that the many DGs get to their locations. It’s quite a production, done to the minute so that the ceremony commences at the strike of noon when the Band silences on the minute.

After welcoming all to the event, the Marine student representing the Class of XX welcomes all, then explains the importance of the event to Marines around the world. I can almost quote the specifics of the introduction to this event as well as the reading of a proclamation from the 13th Commandant, General John A. Lejeune, on what he expected Marines to do and remember on this day, 10 November. LeJeune may have been eighty years back but his words remind Marines of their purpose. A student reads the remarks off a scroll which is rather ostentatiously rolled up following this part of the ceremony.

Some years the Guest of Honour is the Commandant of the Marine Corps, especially if he is a graduate, or another senior member of the Corps. The remarks invariably mention what Marines did for the nation in specific conflicts beginning in 1775 with the Corps’ founding. A word of admonition to recall those serving abroad in danger zones today is de rigour. Even if the world were completely at peace, U.S. Embassies around the world would retain young Marines staffing the entrances to protect our diplomats from Kazakhstan to Kyiv to Cairo. Nothing is quite as wonderful, frankly, as walking up to those nineteen or twenty year olds security team to ask where they are from and how they are doing. They brim with pride over representing us in almost two hundred locations. I always bought a tee shirt in each embassy as the proceeds supported their self-financed ball.

After the Guest of Honour offers remarks, another elaborate portion occurs as the honour guard silently and slowly walk a cart with a cake, embossed with the Corps’ crest, and a sword to the center of the Rotunda. The Band plays quietly above.

The Guest of Honour, always a senior Marine, may not be the eldest Marine in the building so the Marines invite that eldest person who served in the Marine Corps along with the youngest Marine (invariably a private) to approach the cake. Each of those two individuals slice a ceremonial piece of cake. It’s a moving moment, especially when one considers the passing of the Corps ethos so firmly in this commemoration and in their attitude about their service.

The honour guard makes the cake disappear to the galley where they slice it and another cake for all to partake. (As a cake officionada, I can say they invariably have bloody good cakes, too.)

I am not capturing the solemnity as well as i would like. I would encourage you to attend any Marine Corps birthday event you can as it will leave a memory with you and leave you with pride.

The Corps is, of course, also strategic in doing this. It’s easily the smallest of the Department of Defense services (the Coast Guard is part of Homeland Security), always fearful for its future in some budget shortfall but I find it unthinkable the Corps really has to worry. Their public relations and record are highly effective.

All of the services hold birthday events but none is quite like the Marine Corps day. Never pass it up if you get the chance to see it somewhere.

I never had the privilege of serving in uniform. My husband did, including months with the Corps at Khe Sanh in 1968, as a Naval Gunfire Liaison Officer. He never missed a Marine Corps birthday if at all possible.

Some of my favourite colleagues were Marines as I knew if they promised me something, it would get done. I tried (likely unsuccessfully) to reciprocate. Oh, and when they trot out that ‘I’m just a dumb Marine….’ you better buckle up, buttercup as they are anything but dumb.

So, Semper Fideles, Marines! I assume you’re already preparing for the 249th birthday this evening after your Marine Corps balls around the world.

Semper Fi.

Thank you for reading the column today. Please send me any thoughts.

Winter is unavoidably here. At least we had a tiny pink moment about 4.45 pm

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Be well and be safe. FIN