UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS:

November 10, 2022, marks the 247^th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Thank you to all Marines currently serving and those who have served, including my father-in-law, formerly a Marine aviator assigned to Marine Attack Squadron 225 (VMA-225). Semper Fidelis!

 

MARINE CORPS ORDERS

No. 47 (Series 1921)
HEADQUARTERS U.S. MARINE CORPS
Washington, November 1, 1921

759. The following will be read to the command on the 10th of November, 1921, and hereafter on the 10th of November of every year. Should the order not be received by the 10th of November, 1921, it will be read upon receipt.
760. On November 10, 1775, a Corps of Marines was created by a resolution of Continental Congress. Since that date many thousand men have borne the name “Marine”. In memory of them it is fitting that we who are Marines should commemorate the birthday of our corps by calling to mind the glories of its long and illustrious
761. The record of our corps is one which will bear comparison with that of the most famous military organizations in the world’s history. During 90 of the 146 years of its existence the Marine Corps has been in action against the Nation’s foes. From the Battle of Trenton to the Argonne, Marines have won foremost honors in war, and in the long eras of tranquility at home, generation after generation of Marines have grown gray in war in both hemispheres and in every corner of the seven seas, that our country and its citizens might enjoy peace and security.
762. In every battle and skirmish since the birth of our corps, Marines have acquitted themselves with the greatest distinction, winning new honors on each occasion until the term “Marine” has come to signify all that is highest in military efficiency and soldierly virtue.
763. This high name of distinction and soldierly repute we who are Marines today have received from those who preceded us in the corps. With it we have also received from them the eternal spirit which has animated our corps from generation to generation and has been the distinguishing mark of the Marines in every age. So long as that spirit continues to flourish Marines will be found equal to every emergency in the future as they have been in the past, and the men of our Nation will regard us as worthy successors to the long line of illustrious men who have served as “Soldiers of the Sea” since the founding of the Corps.

JOHN A. LEJEUNE
Major General Commandant

75705—21

 

 

VETERANS DAY:

November 11, 2022, honors military veterans of the United States Armed Forces. This annual Federal holiday, originally known as Armistice Day, marked the formal end of hostilities of World War I at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. It was renamed Veterans Day in 1954 at the urging of major US veteran organizations.

I am proud of my ancestors’ long and storied history serving in, or supporting America’s armed forces. Beginning with the Revolutionary War, my Maryland militia ancestors fought in numerous battles helping secure the country’s independence. Other relatives fought in the War of 1812 and the War Between the States. My grandfather, a World War I US Army infantryman, fought in the Meuse River–Argonne Forest offensive of 1918, the deadliest battle in US military history with some 350,000 casualties—including my grandfather—awarded the Purple Heart for his wounds. During World War II, my father served in the US Army Air Forces Ninth Air Force supporting the invasions of Sicily, Italy, and European continent, and subsequent operations engaging enemy forces in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Nazi Germany. Four uncles served in the European and Pacific theaters. During the war, my mother worked as a “Rosie the Riveter” building munitions at the Charlestown, Indiana, Army Ammunition Plant.

Many thanks to all who have served and are currently serving our country. Your dedication and sacrifices are acknowledged and recognized. God bless you, and God Bless America!