(so that the Army can get ashore, too)

It’s a long time in history from Tun Tavern in 1775, but, what began then is a “society” of special men and now women, who proudly display the crimson and gold emblem in far greater numbers than the rest of us services.

The battles fought are burned into our nations history, and now, as the young men and women of “The Corps” bear the brunt of the percentage of casualties in the War on Terror, the USMC has shown it’s ability to operate further from the water, in a more and more technologically sophisticated force, and many more names of battles grace our history.

Once a Marine, Always a Marine is a truism you can count on.

As a beginning blogger, in 2004, I tried to say it well in this posting:

You just have to love an institution that breeds a loyalty with humility, and a strength with purpose, that then has benefited this Nation and all who have come in contact with these remarkable few and proud people.

I salute you, Marines, old, young, retired, veterans, male and female, for your timeless dedication to something worthy of preservation, the UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS!

Larry at Last Refuge of a Scoundrel blog has a great tribute up here.

Also read the words of a young Marine, I tracked down last January in this post: “I am a Marine.” He gets it…\

Update 11/10/2006 (Lifted from Villanous Company), the words of a Marine:

MARINES come in all shapes, shades, weights, sizes, & states of sobriety, misery, & confusion. He is sly as a fox, has the nerve of a dope addict, the stories of an old sailor, the sincerity of a politician, & the subtlety of Mt. Saint Helen. He’s extremely irresistible, totally irrational & completely indestructible.

A Marine is a Marine all his life. He is a magical creature. You can kick him out of your house but not out of your heart. You can take him off your mailing list but not off your mind. Marines are found everywhere… in love…in battle… in lust… in trouble…in debt… in bars & behind them. No one can write so seldom and yet think so much of you. No one else can get so much enjoyment out of a letter or clean clothes or a 6 pack.

A Marine is a genius with a deck of cards. A millionaire without a cent and brave without a grain of sense. He is the PROTECTOR OF AMERICA, with the latest copy of Playboy in his back pocket. When he wants something it’s usually 30 days leave, music that hurts the ears, a five dollar bill…or A WOMAN HE CAN COUNT ON.

Girls love them, mothers tolerate them, fathers brag about them, the government pays them, the police watch out for them & somehow they all work together. You can beat their bodies but not their minds.

You can tame their hearts but not their souls. He likes girls, females, women, ladies. He dislikes small checks, working weekends, answering letters, eating chow, waking up, maintaining a uniform, & the day before payday.

You may as well give in. He is your long distance lover… He is your steel eyed, warm smiling, blank minded, hyperactive, over reacting, curious, passive, talented spontaneous, physically fit, good for nothing bundle of worry…..

And will always be there for you regardless of how long it’s been since you’ve last talked.

News you can use about the Marines: The Marine Corps Museum is opening this weekend, well, the VIPs will be in there, but you can visit it beginning November 13th!