The 10th of November was the 232nd Birthday of the United States Marine Corps. There are parties and ceremonies all over the world to celebrate this Birthday, events where people come together to meet with strangers as though they were long-lost friends. Two of my brothers, Brian and Craig, both Marines, served in Viet Nam during1967-1969, and the Marine Corps Birthday is an important day to my family.
For the past 35 years, Tom Corrigan, a former Marine and owner of Corrigan’s Steak House in Thousand Oaks, California, has held a wonderful celebration of the Marine Corps Birthday. When you enter Corrigan’s, you enter a world dedicated to the cowboy heroes of the West, with portraits, drawings, photos, saddles and bridles and all sorts of Western memorabilia. It’s a fitting place to honor the Marines, who have the same values of honor, gallantry, and a vast collection of legendary exploits. Corrigan’s offers exhilarating surroundings, fabulous food, and great company—everything you could wish for.
We arrived to find Corrigan himself, roaming his domain with a engaging smile and the clear intention of seeing to our enjoyment of the evening. The restaurant was already filled with people and more people kept showing up. Everyone had a connection to the Marine Corps. One retired Marine was there with his three sons, all of whom had served in Iraq. The son who had most recently served there was in his dress-blue uniform, as were a few others. Some were in uniforms they had worn for service in World War II, in Korea, in Viet Nam, in the Gulf War, in the current war, and some were in civilian clothes. My brother Brian wore a jacket with his medals, ribbons, and decorations on it, among them a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. Many proud relatives came with their Marines, happily sharing in the celebration. We invited a friend, Russ—who had served in the Army—to come and enjoy the camaraderie.
Every year Tom Corrigan has a huge birthday cake. There is a ceremony where someone speaks about the Marines—this year reading the Marine Commandant’s Message. Then the youngest Marine in the room cuts a piece of cake for the oldest one, and vice versa. Corrigan provides a USMC NCO Sword for this ceremonial cakecutting and everyone cheers and sings the Marine Corps Hymn, and champagne is taken around for official toasts to the Corps and it is exciting and moving and wonderful.
Like every birthday party, people enjoy themselves immensely. The special atmosphere of Corrigan’s is perfect for this event.
But there is something more about the Marine Corps Birthday Celebration.
There are moments in life when, if you’re lucky, you step out of time and space into a magical world. It’s a world of honor, of heroes, of legendary names and places and moments of greatness. There are books, biographies, history, series such as Victory at Sea, channels like the Military Channel, the History Channel, special movies—we’ve all seen and heard and read so many remarkable stories about the traditions and heritage of the United States Military, and the Marines themselves, that when the names and places are spoken they carry with them worlds of meaning. Tripoli, Chosin Reservoir, Iwo Jima, Tarawa, Belleau Wood, Khe Sanh, New Orleans (under Andrew Jackson), Hue, Guadalcanal—to name just a few—live in our minds and hearts. We know the narratives in a special way. To look about the room is to see an extended family of people of all kinds who are brothers and sisters in this legendary realm. Any differences melt away in this commonality, this shared majesty of purpose and vision. It is a precious claim on our loyalty and pride.
For Marine Corps families, the three holidays a year—Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and the Marine Corps Birthday—are all major events. My brother Brian’s birthday is May 29th. This means it is on or near the date each year when Memorial Day is celebrated. I wrote a poem/speech for Memorial Day in honor of my two Marine brothers, and it is as appropriate for the Marine Corps Birthday and Veterans Day, too. It is long, but it reads easily. It can be found here.
There is a great essay about the United States Marines, written last year, “The magic of ‘a few good men’”, by W. Thomas Smith, Jr. (It was mentioned on the Corner, the National Review’s online Blog, by Michael Ledeen, who heard about it from Jim Woolsey. Hat Tips all around.) And at the American Thinker is the story of one Marine who won two Medals of Honor. “Never Forget Our Heroes”, by M.W. Gail is well worth the read. It includes the origin of one of the Marine’s favorite nicknames, "Teuful Hunden”, or “Devil Dogs".
Reading these—and other—pieces written to accurately extol the US Marines helps to show why you can walk through the door of a physical place like Corrigan’s Steak House and find you have entered a transcendent realm of giants.
Semper Fi.
Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, The Virtuous Republic, Perri Nelson's Website, Rosemary's Thoughts, The Random Yak, Right Truth, The Populist, The Pet Haven Blog, The Bullwinkle Blog, Big Dog's Weblog, The Amboy Times, Leaning Straight Up, Cao's Blog, Wake Up America, Conservative Cat, Nuke's, Faultline USA, Pirate's Cove, The Pink Flamingo, CORSARI D'ITALIA, High Desert Wanderer, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
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