Happy Birthday, United States Marine Corps

[Elessar]

10 November.

:salute:

[Bilgerat]

12232

[Gunny]

Ooh rah! :)

Time for the "Gunny pisses on everyone's Corn Flakes" moment ...

I could not stand the Marine Corps Birthday once I got enough rank. Anything above Cpl and you WERE going to the Marine Corps Birthday Ball and you WOULD be decked out in Blues. Or, you were one of "those" Marines :rolleyes: It is THE dog-n-pony show from Hell and I was NOT a dog-n-pony show Marine. I'd rather be in the field.

For the privilege and honor of participating, you will shell out usually $35-50 per ticket and not being accompanied by the spouse (especially mine since she was an active duty Marine). The wife needs a formal evening gown and last year's won't do. Then there's her hair and nails, shoes. Mandatory portraits (because the CinC of house says so) -- $50-75.

If your medals aren't up to date, figure about $35 to have them remounted so you can add another "look what I did" to your left breast pocket. New dress shoes because last year's has a scratch on one of them. $50.

Need a room at whatever hotel the unit has purchased unless you got cab fare cuz you won't be driving yourself anywhere by the time a Marine Corps wet bar shuts down. Everything's got a silver lining :)

And you get to pend the evening with the same jarheads you see every day at work, deploy with and go to the field and train with. Pretending you like them is mandatory decorum. Speaking of, you BEST have your formal table manners dusted off and polished nice and shiny or you will be considered one the aforementioned "those" Marines :rolleyes:

But all is not lost. You get to keep your glass, snifter whatever depending on the drink du jour. They're usually monogrammed with the unit, and year and all kinds of Ooh-rah crap.

Now if you don't like any of the above you can volunteer (discreetly) to stand duty at the unit, or be on deployment at sea. You ain't done nothing until you had the US Navy cater your ball :laugh:

This is all tongue in cheek, BTW because in the end ... I EARNED the RIGHT to be there and the title United States Marine :)

[jimnyc]

Happy Birthday!!!

https://i.imgur.com/FYUDvL2.jpg

[CSM]

Happy birthday to all you jarheads and to Gunny in particular....

By the way, Gunny's description is very accurate of just about any military ball you care to name. BUT..... damn proud to be there and earned the right ......