[Video] Marine Corps Turns 251: Commandant Releases Birthday Message as 40,000 Marines Serve Forward Deployed
The United States Marine Corps marks its 251st birthday on November 10. Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric M. Smith and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlos A. Ruiz delivered the annual birthday message, released as an official 10-minute, 44-second video produced by the Marine Corps Communication Directorate and filmed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, narrated by Honorary Marine Gary Sinise.
The message retraces the Corps' record: for 251 years, the Marine Corps has been the nation's premier expeditionary force in readiness, from its first amphibious landing at Nassau 250 years ago to the volcanic sands of Iwo Jima, the invasion of Inchon and the mountains of Afghanistan. Marines who came before, Smith said, built a foundation of excellence, and today's Marines draw inspiration from that legacy as they prepare for the fights ahead.
At this very hour, the message notes, 40,000 Marines are forward deployed and stationed around the world. Smith said operational demand for Marines is high, and that the Corps is preparing every day by innovating and evolving, demonstrating what he called the unmatched lethality of its expeditionary naval forces.
The birthday message is a century-old tradition. The Continental Congress resolved to raise the Corps on November 10, 1775, and at birthday balls around the world Marines read the Commandant's message along with the 1921 birthday message of then-Commandant John A. Lejeune. The cake-cutting ceremony, in which the oldest Marine present hands the first slice to the youngest, symbolizes the passing of tradition across generations.
Smith and Ruiz closed by saying they are proud of Marines for upholding the legacy of America's "Soldiers of the Sea": "Happy 251st Birthday, Marines!"
(Source: U.S. Marine Corps)
Source: U.S. Marine Corps
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：海军陆战队生日切蛋糕仪式（资料图，摄于第249个建军生日仪式）。Wikimedia Commons 图片（公共领域，美国海军陆战队）。 / Photo: A Marine Corps birthday cake-cutting ceremony (file photo, 249th birthday observance). Image via Wikimedia Commons (public domain, U.S. Marine Corps).
