Belated Happy Birthday and other patriotic thoughts

Posted by Alan Cole at 11/13/2007 9:19 PM and is filed under Patriotism,Washington DC
This belated e-mail came to me today from a friend and it reminded me of the sacrifice we celebrated over the weekend. The sacrifice that keeps us free is celebrated Friday mornings at the Pentagon. The story was published on Memorial Day but I checked with another friend at the Pentagon who has been to seceral and she says it is VERY moving.

This weekend (actually Saturday) was also the Marine Corps birthday - 232 years of tradition. It is a special bond. You may not understand it but these will give you some of the 'flavor' of a Marine aproach to life:

  • Gone to Florida to fight the Indians. Will be back when the war is over." --Colonel Commandant Archibald Henderson, USMC in a note pinned to his office door, 1836.
  • "I have only two men out of my company and 20 out of some other company. We need support, but it is almost suicide to try to get it here as we are swept by machine gun fire and a constant barrage is on us. I have no one on my left and only a few on my right. I will hold."--1stLt. Clifton B. Cates, USMC, Navy Cross and DSC Recipient and future Commandant; Belleau Wood, 19 July 1918.
  • There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines: Marines and the enemy. Everyone else has a second-hand opinion. - Gen. William Thornson, U.S. Army
  • They told (us) to open up the Embassy, or "we'll blow you away." And then they looked up and saw the Marines on the roof with these really big guns, and they said in Somali, "Igaralli ahow," which means "Excuse me, I didn't mean it, my mistake". - Karen Aquilar, in the U.S. Embassy; Mogadishu, Somalia, 1991
  • You cannot exaggerate about the Marines. They are convinced to the point of arrogance, that they are the most ferocious fighters on earth- and the amusing thing about it is that they are. - Father Kevin Keaney, 1st Marine Division Chaplain, Korean War
  • Casualties many; Percentage of dead not known; Combat efficiency: we are winning. - Colonel David M. Shoup, USMC, Tarawa, 21 November 1943.

and perhaps my favorite: We're surrounded. That simplifies the problem!" - Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller

Here's the Commandant's birthday message this year.
 
Semper Fi!

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