Photo By Sgt. Reba Benally | Marine Corps Guest of Honor Sgt. Maj. Troy A Nicks gives a speech at the 239th Marine...... read more read more
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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - The Marine Corps Security Force Company here hosted the 239th Marine Corps Birthday Ball at the Windjammer, Saturday. Service members of all branches, their guests and the Guantanamo Bay community gathered to give thanks and remembrance to the Marine Corps past, present and future.
“You’re all dining in the presence of heroes, my heroes, our heroes, and our Corps’ heroes,” said Marine Sgt. Maj. Troy A. Nicks, the ceremony’s guest of honor.
The celebration started off with a special video presentation entitled the “Commandant’s Birthday Message,” which honored those who have had the opportunity to distinguish themselves as “Devil Dogs.”A customary reading of Gen. John A. Lejeune’s birthday message, the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps, followed.
Traditionally, the ball recognizes the youngest and oldest Marines in attendance with a cake cutting ceremony, a symbol of the past and present together.
The cake cutting ceremony was conducted with the first slice given to Nicks as the guest of honor, then to the oldest Marine present, Sgt. Maj. Juan M. Hidalgo, 48, the Joint Task Force sergeant major, and the youngest Pfc. Xavier T. Espinosa, 19.
“This may be my last Marine Corps Ball; its bittersweet, what’s good about seeing the younger Marines is that I know that our Corps is in great hands,” Hidalgo said. “Our Corps is going to drive on for many years.”
On Nov. 10, 1775, the Continental Congress formed the Marines to help the Continental Navy conduct ship-to-ship fighting, shipboard security and assist in landing forces. Since then, the Marine Corps has marked Nov. 10, 1775 as its official birthday.
“Tonight we are celebrating a very special birthday. And birthdays are all about receiving gifts. Two hundred and thirty nine years ago the people of a fledgling republic also known as the United States of America were given a gift. It was a gift of blood, of sweat, of tears. It was a gift that served her well in all her battles, wars and conflicts. Such as those who took part on top of the hillside of McCalla Hill, through the battle of Cuzco Wells, from the shores of Tripoli and fast-forwarding to the treacherous mountainsides of Afghanistan. It’s a gift that has helped her preserve the precious liberties we have fought so hard to win,” Nicks said. “It was a gift of the Marine Corps. Marines, each of you are a part of that gift.”
Nicks paid tribute to Medal of Honor recipients Sgt. Maj. John H. Quick and Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone. Quick fought in the battle of Cuzco Wells, and Basilone fought in the island hopping campaign of World War II. Nicks commemorated the Marines in attendance.
“All of us were born into a nation blessed with great wealth and great material bounty. What our nation needs the most, we cannot buy. These young people who are willing to forgo creature comforts to adopt a way of life that is demanding and often arduous; we call those people patriotic. Our nation needs a few of those to go into harm’s way and to risk life for higher principles; we call those people brave. Our nation needs a very select few of them to take on missions that others consider special or impossible, or absolutely insane, we call that final category of people United States Marines,” Nicks said. “Happy 239th birthday Marines.”
| Date Taken: | 11.08.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 11.13.2014 10:43 |
| Story ID: | 147707 |
| Location: | CU |
| Web Views: | 1,081 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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