By Captain Erin Emery Losie
You may know that November 11th is Veteran’s Day; however, you may not know that the day is actually a recovery day for Marines. November 10th (today!) is a bigger day – it’s the Marine Corps Birthday!
To most Marines this day is bigger than their own birthday. It’s a day when Marines around the world celebrate what we consider the birth of the greatest fighting force ever. Today Marines around the world, whether here at home in the United States or in a combat zone, will stop and make note of the Marine Corps birthday. The celebrations will vary from elaborate balls to Marines huddled in a foxhole reading the Birthday messages from General Lejeune and General Amos, the current Commandant.
The Marine Corps began in Tun Tavern (that’s right, a bar) in Philadelphia on November 10,1775, when the Second Continental Congress resolved to raise two battalions of Marines. After the Revolution the Marine Corps, for the most part, largely disbanded until July 11, 1798, when President John Adams signed legislation that created the United States Marine Corps. Between 1798 and 1921 the Marine Corps celebrated this July date as the birthday without much fanfare. This changed, however, in 1921.
That year, Major General Lejeune, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, returned the date of the Marine Corps birthday back to November 10, 1775, based on a Marine Historical Division recommendation. General Lejeune declared the birthday a Marine Corps holiday and had a dinner in Washington, D.C., to commemorate the event. General Lejeune added a message in his orders that are read every November 10th, which summarize the history and mission of the Marine Corps.
From here the Marine Corps birthday celebration grew. The first known dance took place in the barracks at Fort Mifflin, PA, in 1923. Norfolk-based Marines staged a 20-minute battle. Marines in Cuba played a baseball game against a Cuban team to commemorate the birthday. The first Birthday Ball appeared in Philadelphia in 1925. The Secretaries of War and Navy along with General Lejeune, other Marines, and Sailors attended the Philadelphia celebration. At this event, the Marines unveiled a marker at the original site of Tun Tavern, which was lost to fire in 1781. Other traditions, such as a cake cutting ceremony and recognition of the oldest and youngest Marine present, developed in the next few decades and were formalized in a Marine Corps order in 1956.
This pomp and circumstance may seem a bit odd for a military service’s birthday. I have to admit I was taken aback at the first Marine Corps Ball I attended. As a young second lieutenant still going through training, I found it strange that everyone attended the ball, yet it wasn’t mandatory. This typically does not happen in the military. When I arrived at the ball fellow Marines greeted me by saying, “Happy Birthday.” November 10th is not my birthday, but I looked around and saw all the Marines saying it to each other. The ball progressed from a happy hour to dinner and guest speaker. After the guest speaker, an officer read a history of the Marine Corps, which was followed by a parade of uniforms from every major U.S. military engagement. Then General Lejeune’s Birthday order was read, followed by the Birthday Message from the current Commandant of the Marine Corps. After this, a huge cake was rolled out, guarded by Marine in their dress blues. The first piece cut from the cake was handed to the oldest Marine present who then handed the piece of cake to the youngest Marine present. The narrator said this symbolized the passing of the old Corps to the new Corps. As I left the ball I realized this annual pageantry is part of why Marines have such high esprit de corps. The Marine Corps can feel like a job for 364 days out of the year, but on November 10thwhen our history is read, you are darn proud to be a Marine!
If you every have the chance to attend a Marine Corps Ball I urge you to go. You will be blown away. The ball here in D.C. is open to the public. I also urge you to send birthday wishes today to any Marine you know. As simple “Happy Birthday“ along with a “Semper Fidelis” (the Marine Corps motto, meaning “Always Faithful”) is all that is needed. And don’t worry, the Marine know what birthday you’re talking about.
Semper Fi! And Happy Birthday Marines!
