If you ask most military members that are not Marines when their branch's birthday is, they probably can't tell you without doing a quick google search first. I have friends in all branches of the military, and they always seem to be attending random balls throughout the year celebrating random things. For instance, I have noticed a lot of the other branches do separate balls based on the birth of their units or MOS's (Ranger ball, engineer ball, etc. etc. etc.). Not the Marine Corps. We ALL celebrate the birth of our Corps on November 10th of every single year. The thing I love most about being a Marine is that no matter what our jobs are, at the end of the day, we are all Marines. I've never met a Marine recon guy (our special forces) introduce themselves like, "hey, I'm recon in the Marines." It's always just, "I'm a Marine." But you bet your ass when you meet an Army Ranger, the first thing they mention is, "I'm an Army Ranger." I get it, theres a lot of pride in being an elite Ranger in the Army. I think it's cool that the entire Marine Corps sees themselves as being elite by just being a Marine.
Nick and I celebrated the Marine Corps Birthday this past Thursday here in Yuma. It was our first ball here, and Nick's first ball outside of 1st Marine Division! He is officially part of Marine Aircraft Group 13. It was held at the Civic Center on a baseball field! It was our first outdoor ball, and it was HUGE. There were roughly 2800 people there to celebrate the Marine Corps Birthday! This time of year in Yuma is GORGEOUS, so the thought of an outdoor ball wasn't surprising to me. However, being a "desert newbie", I forgot that the evenings in the desert can get pretty chilly. I chose to go with a short dress this year instead of a long gown because it was an outdoor ball.
The dress I wore is a Nha Khanh, and I'll definitely be wearing her more!
Her dresses are stunning.
I'm also pretty impressed with my arms.
I've been on a new workout plan since we moved here, and I'm seeing some pretty awesome results!
And you can't go wrong with a dress that has pockets...
And we always have to do a "Gig 'em" photo.
The eagle, globe, and anchors (on his collar) that Nick is wearing on his blues actually belonged to an artillery officer that fought in Okinawa during World War II.
They were gifted to him by my former Ordnance Officer, Capt Najmulski.
Like I mentioned, 2800 people.
It was packed.
The birthday cake.
It is tradition that the guest of honors gets the first piece of cake, the oldest Marine present gets the second piece of cake, then the oldest Marine gives the youngest Marine a piece of cake to symbolize the passing down of experience and knowledge.
This part always makes me feel old.
The youngest Marine at our ball this year was born in 1999.
1999, y'all.
I was a freaking freshman in high school.
Nick and David.
They went to The Basic School Together and Ground Supply Officer school together!
Nick and the Guest of Honor, Brigadier General Borgschulte.
We even got the General to throw up a Gig 'em!
What a fun night to celebrate our amazing legacy. Each year during this time, I am humbled that I got to have a small part in it. I am grateful for those Marines who have gone before me, and those who will go after me.
Happy 243rd Birthday, Marines!
