Happy Birthday USMC & The old Corps

[WV Sawmiller]

  Happy Birthday to all the Jarheads, Leathernecks and Devil Dogs out there. Many happy returns.

  Did you ever hear the story about "The Old Corps?" Here is the basis for that terminology.

                In 1775 The Continental Congress commissioned Samuel Nicholas to recruit and train a Corps of Marines so he started in Philadelphia and right off the bat he found his first victim recruit in Tun Tavern. The man had just lost almost all he owned in a craps game and was pretty well lubricated when Sam approached him. He quickly agreed to sign up. Sam told him he'd have to provide his own musket and bedroll and to meet him back here at Tun Tavern which would be their unofficial HQ.

                Sam left to recruit the rest of his team but times were tough and he was having trouble recruiting more Marines. He tried all the likely hotspots like the bars/taverns, bawdy houses and finally remembered he had a buddy down at the local jail so he checked there and struck gold. Sure enough there was a man there who had initiated a big bar fight and had run up a big bill for the broken tables, chairs and mirrors.  He was advised the judge was fixing to send him to prison for the next 5-10 years but gave him the option of joining the Marines instead so he decided to join up but because he was broke Sam agreed to buy him a musket and bedroll as a recruiting bonus. He sent the second Marine to Tun Tavern to join with the other recruit.

                At Tun Tavern the second Marine met the first Marine and when the first Marine saw the second Marine's new musket and bedroll and found it had been issued to him instead of him having to buy his own he sagely replied "It wasn't like that in the Old Corps."

That saying has been with us ever since.

[rusticretreater]

My father was a career marine and served 20+ years retiring as a Lt. Col.  I have enjoyed the b-day cake many times.  

I read a history of the Corps and was surprised to find that Alexander Henderson, first Commandant of the Corps was buried near where I lived at the time.

HBday to the Corps!

[Ron Scott]

Semper Fi Devil Dogs and Devil Docs.

[Texas Ranger]

[WV Sawmiller]

  I went to a Veteran's Day Parade in Beckley WV this morning. I  had 2 local granddaughters marching in the band marching in the parade.

    We got set up to watch the parade and a man walked by in a grey sweat shirt with a USMC emblem on it so I said happy birthday and Semper Fi. He stopped and we talked a bit then I told him this tale about the Old Corps.

    We talked a bit more and compared tours and found we had overlapped at Parris Island in the late 70's. He told me he had been a company commander in A company, 1st Battalion. I asked his name and he said "Holstein". I asked "Dan? Married to Beth?"

  Yep. Turns out he was my company commander I worked for 44 years ago. He lives about 15 miles away and is preaching at a local church. His wife taught a Bible study my wife was in.

  We spent several more minutes catching up on our past and present history,

    Its an awful small world.

[rusticretreater]

During the Cuban Missle Crisis my dad was sent down to GitMo to outload all the equipment prior to his ship joining the blockade.

He was talking to a fellow officer and found out that his wife came from an area about 6 miles away from where my mom was born and lived.  

The Corps is indeed a small world.