R 082000z OCT 08
ALMAR 042/08
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC CMC//
SUBJ/UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS BIRTHDAY MESSAGE - 10 NOVEMBER 2008//
POC/SSGT M. BELL/ADMIN CHIEF/UNIT:CMC STAFF GROUP/-
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. DURING THE SUMMER OF 1982, IN THE WAKE OF A
PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE, MARINES WENT ASHORE AT BEIRUT, LEBANON.
FIFTEEN MONTHS LATER, ON 23 OCTOBER 1983, EXTREMISTS STRUCK THE
FIRST MAJOR BLOW AGAINST AMERICAN FORCES - STARTING THIS LONG WAR ON
TERRORISM. ON THAT SUNDAY MORNING, A SUICIDE BOMBER DROVE AN
EXPLOSIVE-LADEN TRUCK INTO THE HEADQUARTERS OF BATTALION LANDING
TEAM 1/8, DESTROYING THE BUILDING AND KILLING 241 MARINES AND
CORPSMEN.
2. EXTREMISTS HAVE ATTACKED OUR NATION, AT HOME AND ABROAD,
NUMEROUS TIMES SINCE THAT FATEFUL DAY IN BEIRUT. THEIR AIM HAS
ALWAYS BEEN THE SAME - TO KILL AS MANY INNOCENT AMERICANS AS
POSSIBLE. THE ATTACKS OF 11 SEPTEMBER 2001 CHANGED OUR NATION
FOREVER, AND OUR PRESIDENT HAS RESOLVED THAT THIS NATION WILL NOT
STAND IDLE WHILE MURDEROUS TERRORISTS PLOT THEIR NEXT STRIKE.
MARINES WILL CONTINUE TO TAKE THE FIGHT TO THE ENEMY - HITTING THEM
ON THEIR OWN TURF, CRUSHING THEM WHEN THEY SHOW THEMSELVES, AND
FINDING THEM WHERE THEY HIDE.
3. ONLY A FEW AMERICANS CHOOSE THE DANGEROUS, BUT NECESSARY, WORK
OF FIGHTING OUR NATION'S ENEMIES. WHEN OUR CHAPTER OF HISTORY IS
WRITTEN, IT WILL BE A SAGA OF A SELFLESS GENERATION OF MARINES WHO
WERE WILLING TO STAND UP AND FIGHT FOR OUR NATION; TO DEFEND THOSE
WHO COULD NOT DEFEND THEMSELVES; TO THRIVE ON THE HARDSHIP AND
SACRIFICE EXPECTED OF AN ELITE WARRIOR CLASS; TO MARCH TO THE SOUND
OF THE GUNS; AND TO ABLY SHOULDER THE LEGACY OF THOSE MARINES WHO
HAVE GONE BEFORE.
4. ON OUR 233RD BIRTHDAY, FIRST REMEMBER THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED AND
THOSE "ANGELS" WHO HAVE FALLEN - OUR REPUTATION WAS BUILT ON THEIR
SACRIFICES. REMEMBER OUR FAMILIES; THEY ARE THE UNSUNG HEROES WHOSE
SUPPORT AND DEDICATION ALLOW US TO ANSWER OUR NATION'S CALL.
FINALLY, TO ALL MARINES AND SAILORS, KNOW THAT I AM PROUD OF YOU AND
WHAT YOU DO. YOUR SUCCESSES ON THE BATTLEFIELD HAVE ONLY ADDED TO
OUR ILLUSTRIOUS HISTORY. GENERAL VICTOR H. "BRUTE" KRULAK SAID IT
BEST WHEN HE WROTE, "... THE UNITED STATES DOES NOT NEED A MARINE
CORPS ... THE UNITED STATES WANTS A MARINE CORPS." YOUR ACTIONS, IN
IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN, AND ACROSS THE GLOBE, ARE AT THE CORE OF WHY
AMERICA LOVES HER MARINES.
5. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARINES AND SEMPER FIDELIS! JAMES T. CONWAY,
GENERAL, U.S. MARINE CORPS, COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS//
As a Marine of 24yrs service including 3 active & 4 reserve yrs (Pvt-Sgt) and 17 commissioned yrs, I'm extremely thankful to and proud of my Corps and what it did for me in all those years. In 1953 I was a college dropout without real goals.Sure I always had a job, grocery stores, lumber mills, but it was the 3 months at MCRD,SD and the leadership of two African Amer Cpls dur-ing 7 mos in 2d155GunBn(Towed)at 29 Stumps that put me on track. At George Co,3dBn3rdMars,MiddleCampFuji, the Top wanted me to reenlist for deployment to Suez (1956). I told him I had a chance for college on G.I.Bill; that I'd take my Nov rotation and join the USMCR to keep my 3 stripes. If I didn't make it through my first semester. I turned over my rifle squad to a stranger from Baker Co 2dBn, SouthCampFuji. That was a hard event for me-we were a great squad. Most of our SNCOS & officers were vets of Korea. We were well-led. I Long Beach State College, CA provided me a degree, a Marine LtCol mentor who taught German Lit., future Marine Wife and the USMC recruiting officer who'd set up shop on the path to the Student Union a day after my 15thRifleCo drill weekend. He'd spotted my spitshine and short haircut. He signed me for PLCs. Summer of 1960 I did two 6-week PLC sessions back to back and added a Sep- tember wedding to my bride of now 48yrs. She pinnned our gold bars on my
shoulders. June of '61 We drove cross country to Quantico,reported for duty at The Basic School. In August our 1st son was born at the Navy Hospital. December graduation brought orders to 2dBn4thMarRegt1stMarBrig,MCAS,Oahu HA. What a grand set of orders! Our 2nd son was born at Tripler Army Hospital In Fall'64 a number of 2/4 Officers went to FtBragg NC for the Military Training Advisor(MATA) course: Vietnamese lang., customs,history;US & Viet Cong weapons, US comm, and aircraft and PsyOps and Counter-Guerilla Ops. Having moved my wife and boys to Long Beach CA,I re- ported to HqMACV,I-Corps,DaNang,Vietnam with 6 other ex-2/4 Lts. We were assigned as Assistant Advisor Team Leaders. Teams were led Army by Captains, Australian Warrant Officers, Marine or Army radiomen. tours were split; 6mos. with Viet Army, 6 mos. with Viet govt District Hqs and militia. I served with 2dBn4thARVN, Tam Ky and with the Binh Son District Quang Ngai Provence. Back in the US,We moved to Imperial Beach, for duty at Marine Barracks, North Island; 2yrs as ExO then back to Long Beach on orders late August(after TET Offensive by North Viets)for 2d tour. Joined 1stMarineRegt as Civic Action/PsyOpsOff. Promoted Major, ordered to 1st Combined Action Group, Chu Lai base just north of my old Binh Son District. 1stCAG Squads joined Viet Militia platoons to coord suptg arms, train militia platoons to secure Villages. 1969-78: 2dMarDivG-3 Ops,2dBn6thMar,8thMAB/Med,1stBn8thMar,
Gitmo;CasualtySec,RetiredSec,HQMC;EdCtr G3Trng,InstructionalMgtScol,MCDEC. Ret'd,May,1978. MA degree,Viet G.I.Bill.
A Great Corps & Country! A fine career!
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