Marines will have their ball after all

[Vulture6]

Some of the best and most memorable Marine Birthday celebrations have been the least formal... in the field, no booze, a maple nut cake, and a K-bar.





Marines will have their ball after all

By MICHAEL NEWSOM


GULFPORT - A Marine with a sword will cut cake, one way or another.
The Gulfport-based 4th Amphibious Assault Battalion, 3rd Platoon, returned from Iraq on Monday to a land of ruin, after a six-month deployment to areas along the Syrian border, where the platoon suffered numerous casualties and injuries. But they will still have their annual ball, though most of the possible venues were destroyed.

The ball was supposed to be at Casino Magic Bay St. Louis on Nov. 12, but Hurricane Katrina forced Marines to move to Perdido Beach Resort in Gulf Shores, Ala.

Maj. Justin Wilhelmsen, of the 4th Amphibious Assault Battalion, said the ball is an important part of Marine life.

"Marines will have their ball even if it is three guys in a tent with an MRE cupcake," he said.

Scheduled annually to coincide with the birthday of the Corps, the ball will mark the 230th anniversary of the creation of the first Marines.

At the ball, Marines perform the birthday cake cutting, with a ceremonial sword to symbolize renewal of the commitment to the Corps. The first few pieces of cake are given to the oldest and the youngest Marines, as well as to the guest speaker.

Following Katrina, organizers almost canceled the ball, but decided that since $20,000 had already been raised, they could move the ball and provide a bus service and hotel accommodations.

Lt. Col. Gary Bergosh is organizing the event and said he is expecting about 150 Marines and their wives and girlfriends, but that number could grow and the ballroom could accommodate more. Bergosh said the Marines will be given a drinking glass with the Marines logo on it and a coin commemorating the operations in the Pacific during World War II, and the war on terror.

"It's just steeped in tradition and it is a great time to think about our fellow Marines deployed around the world. I am definitely proud," Bergosh said. "They are the smallest of the main branches. They are a little more elite. It gives us time to celebrate that."


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[USMC Chuter]

One of my more memorable Marine Corps birthday celebrations was spent in the field... It rained on us as we stood silently, listening to General LeJeune's and General Mundy's birthday messages being read by the C.O. We ate maple nut cake (butt cake) from MRE's and felt sorry for ourselves... Only later did we realize that we spent that birthday in cammies-the working uniform of our Corps-doing what Marines do best. Sure it's great to get prettied up in dress blues, but what you do in cammies means a lot more than anything you'll ever do in blues. Dress uniforms are a visually pleasing representation of what you do in cammies, which is the work that counts.

[SpongeJuan]

Last year I visited some of my old teachers that were in the Corps before. I was on bootleave. I graduated on Nov. 5th