Happy 246th, US Marine Corps!

Today marks the 246th birthday of the founding of the US Marine Corps in Tun Tavern.

Think of it – the only armed service founded in a bar.

My friend Lara Smith whose husband Ed served in the Marines posted this on Facebook to point it out.

I always tend to post old recruiting posters in commemoration of this birthday. I found two that caught my attention.

The first from WWII when women were sought to free men to go into combat. Even then, the Marine Corps called these women “Marines” and not “women Marines”.

The second is more modern and reflects the fact that today’s battlefield is not so defined.

I think my friend Amy Dillon, all 4 feet 11 inches of her, would agree as would those recruits she trained as a Marine drill and marksmanship instructor.

Finally, the official birthday video from the Commandant Gen. David Berger.

Finally, to all my friends who have served in the Corps, Semper Fi and thank you.

“Terrorized Richmond”?

Delegate Lee Carter (D-VA-Manasas) is a drama queen.

From PotomacLocal.com

Carter is a second term delegate representing the 50th House District in
Virginia. According to Wikipedia, he defeated incumbent House Majority Whip Jackson Miller in 2017 and then won reelection in 2019. He is also an avowed socialist and has been endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America. He has characterized himself as “to the left of where the Democratic party [is]”.

Carter served in the US Marine Corps from 2006 to 2011 as an IT specialist. It seems his only overseas deployment was to Haiti. Despite his young age, 32, he seems to have trouble staying married as he has been married and divorced three times.

Prior to the Lobby Day rally, Carter went on wild on Twitter according to WRVA Talk Radio.

Remember, it’s all about being open-minded and listening to each other for the Left.

Virginia Del. Lee Carter (D-Manassas) went on a Twitter tirade over the weekend, telling people on multiple occasions to “shut the f**k up” and accusing police of making threats of violence against him over the Second Amendment rally at the Capitol.

Like I said, a drama queen.

Before Lobby Day, Carter allegedly received “death threats” on social media and then went into hiding at a “safe house” according to the British paper The Guardian.

Carter, says he has been so concerned about the death threats that he has started openly carrying a handgun to protect himself.

On Monday, when tens of thousands of gun rights activists will converge on the state capitol in Richmond for what is expected to be a volatile demonstration against the new gun control bills introduced by Virginia Democrats, Carter said that he plans to be in hiding, at an undisclosed location, concerned that he might be a target of violence even in his own home.

Right. Guns for him but not for thee and me.

Carter obviously has long forgotten the oath he took when he enlisted in the Marines. Like many socialists, he believes in guns, free speech, and the right to assemble for himself but not for thee.

Marine Leaders Get It

And some US Air Force leaders don’t.

The Marine Corps just issued a new policy yesterday stating active Marine Corps law enforcement professionals will be allowed to carry concealed while off-duty “on board” all USMC facilities located in the United States or US territories. This applies to both USMC military and civilian law enforcement personal. While not perfect, it is a start.

R 311847Z DEC 19

MARADMIN 719/19

MSGID/CMC WASHINGTON DC PP&O//

SUBJ/CONCEALED CARRY OF PRIVATELY OWNED FIREARMS FOR U.S. MARINE CORPS LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALS//

GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  This MARADMIN authorizes qualified active Marine Corps Law Enforcement (LE) professionals who possess valid Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act (LEOSA) 18 U.S.C. §926B credentials to carry concealed privately owned firearms (POF) aboard Marine Corps property in the United States and U.S. territories for personal protection not in the performance of official duties.

2.  In December 2019, the Department of the Navy (DON) suffered two fatal active shooter incidents aboard Naval Base Hawaii and Naval Air Station Pensacola.  These tragic events prompted Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) to accelerate existing efforts to develop concealed carry policies aligned with SECNAVINST 5500.37, “Arming and the Use of Force.”

3.  SECNAVINST 5500.37 authorizes the Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) to grant permission to Marine Corps uniformed and civilian personnel to carry a POF aboard Marine Corps property for personal protection not in the performance of official duties or status.  Through this MARADMIN, the CMC authorizes only Marine Corps LE professionals who possess valid LEOSA 18 U.S.C. §926B credentials to carry a concealed POF aboard Marine Corps property.  Marine Corps property are Marine Corps installations, bases, and stations in which the Marine Corps exercises primacy for LE functions.

4.  MCO 5580.4, “Implementation of the Amended LEOSA,” with changes captured in MARADMIN 470/18 and AMHS message DTG 231907Z Aug 18, codifies requirements for the concealed carry of a POF by Marine Corps LE professionals for personal protection not in the performance of official duties.  Per MCO 5580.4, Marine Corps LE professionals are defined as Military Police, Criminal Investigators, and Marine Corps Law Enforcement Program Police Officers who meet credentialing requirements for concealed carry of a POF for personal protection. 

5.  This MARADMIN authorizes Marine Corps LE professionals, who maintain LEOSA 926B credentials, to carry a concealed POF aboard Marine Corps property while off-duty.  The authority of this MARADMIN does not extend to Marine Corps LE professionals on joint bases, on other Department of Defense (DOD) property under the cognizance of another DOD service, or on other federal facilities.  This MARADMIN does not authorize other DOD LE professionals to carry a concealed POF on Marine Corps property.

6.  Marine Corps LE professionals must comply with concealed carry requirements as set forth in DODD 5210.56, “Arming and the Use of Force.”  Restrictions and special considerations, including POF registration, POF storage and transportation, and adherence to POF concealed carry policy, as prescribed in MCO 5580.4, remain in effect.  Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §930(d) and DODD 5210.56, Marine Corps LE professionals are authorized to carry a concealed POF for personal protection not related to the performance of official duties within buildings and facilities located on Marine Corps property except for DOD schools in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §922(q), “Federal Gun-Free School Zone Act of 1995,” courtrooms unless previously authorized by the military judge, or where otherwise prohibited by law. 

7.  HQMC will continue to develop policy to address the total force  requirements for the carry, transport, and storage of concealed POFs aboard Marine Corps property aligned with SECNAVINST 5500.37.  Installation commanders and arming authorities charged with implementing the provisions of this MARADMIN should consult their servicing Staff Judge Advocate to ensure local policies comply with law, regulations, and policies.

8.  Release authorized by Lieutenant General G. W. Smith Jr., Deputy Commandant, Plans, Policies, and Operations.//

While the Marines get it, Col. Gavin Marks, the commander of the Air Force’s 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, does not. He just rescinded the policy allowing those with a carry permit to have personally owned firearms in their vehicles.

POLICY CHANGE: Beginning Jan. 2, 2020, the 55th Wing commander has directed that the transportation of privately owned firearms (POF) on Offutt Air Force Base, with few exceptions, will be prohibited.

The current policy, which authorizes registered Department of Defense ID card holders with a Nebraska Concealed Handgun License (CHL) and holders of reciprocating state concealed carry license (CCL), to transport and secure privately-owned handguns in privately-owned vehicles within the base, will no longer be valid. This policy change comes as a result of the commander’s initial review of the Offutt AFB Integrated Defense and Antiterrorism Plan, a requirement to be completed within 120 days of assuming command.

The commander’s intent for this change is that firearms will be effectively controlled and safely handled on Offutt AFB and is reflective of the full confidence in the 55th Security Forces Squadron’s ability to defend the installation and its personnel. By making this change Offutt will exceed requirements outlined in DoD Instruction 5210.56 and Air Force Instruction 31-101.

So when seconds count at Offutt, the 55th Security Forces Squadron will be only minutes away.

Col. Marks needs to read Andy Brown’s Warnings Unheeded. Then Senior Airman Andy Brown, a USAF security policeman, was able to stop the mass casualty event at Fairfield AFB in 1994 by killing the murderer. However, four people were killed and 22 wounded before Brown’s incredible marksmanship stopped the killer.

How many more people have to die before military leaders finally get it?

Happy 244th Birthday, US Marine Corps

On November 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress commissioned Tun Tavern‘s innkeeper Samuel Nicholas to raise two battalions of Marines.

JOURNAL OF THE CONTINENTIAL CONGRESS

(Philadelphia) Friday, November 10, 1775


Resolved, That two Battalions of marines be raised, consisting of one Colonel, two Lieutenant Colonels, two Majors, and other officers as usual in other regiments; and that they consist of an equal number of privates with other battalions; that particular care be taken, that no persons be appointed to office, or enlisted into said Battalions, but such as are good seamen, or so acquainted with maritime affairs as to be able to serve to advantage by sea when required; that they be enlisted and commissioned to serve for and during the present war between Great Britain and the colonies, unless dismissed by order of Congress: that they be distinguished by the names of the first and second battalions of American Marines, and that they be considered as part of the number which the continental Army before Boston is ordered to consist of.


Ordered, That a copy of the above be transmitted to the General.

Since that time, the US Marine Corps has been defending America.

And it isn’t just men doing the defending.

As my fellow Polite Society Podcast co-host Amy Dillon will attest. Among other jobs in the Marines, Amy served as a drill instructor at Parris Island.

Since 1921 the Commandant of the Marine Corps has released a birthday message on November 10th. Commandant David Berger has continued that tradition and his message is here. He says, in part:

The strength of our Corps is our Marines. Our success depends on all Marines embodying the values in which our Corps was founded; it requires leveraging the talents and ingenuity of every Marine to strengthen our Corps. Since 1775, courageous Marines have answered the call to fight for freedom and shaped our reputation as the most feared fighting force the world has seen. Marines from each generation approached every battle with a lethal combination of versatility, perseverance, and adaptability that has allowed us to prevail in any clime and place.

Even though I come from an Army family, I recognize that the Marine Corps, more than any other branch of the US Armed Forces, seems to make the greatest effort to transmit their values, history, and tradition to the next generation of Marines.

So to all my friends and readers who served in the United States Marines Corps, Semper Fi and Happy Birthday!

Happy 243rd Birthday, USMC!

Today marks the 243rd birthday of the founding of the United States Marine Corps at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia. Even though I come from an Army family, I recognize the role that the Marines have played in protecting our country here and abroad.

Below is the Commandant of the Marine Corp’s birthday message. So to all my friends, new and old, who served wearing the globe and anchor, Semper Fi!

Mentioned in the Commandant’s message is Gunny Sgt. John Canley who was recently awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery and leadership during the Battle of Hue’. If you’d like to know more about his actions as well as the actions of all the Marines who fought to retake Hue’, I’d urge you to read Mark Bowden’s book Hue’ 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam. The hardback is available on Amazon at deep discount ($8.90 as of this posting) which is actually cheaper than the paperback.

Memorial Day 2018

This is the day that we honor those who died in service of our great country. It started out, if historians are to be believed, with Southern women decorating the graves of Confederate veterans in Warrenton, Virginia in 1861. It spread through the South during the Civil War and to the North after the war. Decoration Day, or Memorial Day as we now call it, did not become an official holiday until 1966 when LBJ signed a proclamation establishing it.

I am in the midst of reading Ian Toll’s The Conquering Tide: War in the Pacific Islands, 1942-1944. It is part of his trilogy on the war in the Pacific during WWII. I have just finished the part about the battle for Tarawa. The battle for the atoll was, to steal a line from Thomas Hobbes, nasty, brutish, and short. The Marines lost over 1,000 men killed in action over the space of about three days. Much of that was due to both geography and the fierce resistance of the well-fortified Japanese defenders who died almost to the man. At the battle’s end, there were only 17 Japanese left to become POWs.

What struck me as I read about the assault on the atoll was the bravery of the Marines. Many of them had to wade in to the beach through neck deep water because their landing craft grounded on the coral reef. They kept going forward exposing more and more of their bodies as men were being killed all around them. Going forward into the battle while those all around you are falling is the very definition of bravery. These are the men who I will be remembering on this Memorial Day.

If you want to see actual footage from the battle, the National Archives put together this short film from pictures and film shot by the combat photographers of the 2nd Marine Division.

Happy 242nd Birthday, US Marines Corps

It has become a tradition on this blog to celebrate the birthday of the US Marine Corps. Even though I come from an Army family, I recognize their drive and dedication.

In years past, I’ve chosen old recruiting posters from the turn of the 20th century or the WWI or WWII era. This year’s recruiting poster is much more modern and it was chosen due to its message in light of the church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas.  Just like the poster above says, “Nobody likes to fight. But somebody has to know how.” No one wants to imagine something like church shooting happening but it does and we need to be prepared. We need to know how to respond to unimaginable with lethal force and we need to know how to care for the injured. Get training and take a class in tactical first aid.

Now back to the Marines.

You can read the Commandant’s Birthday Message here which celebrates among other things the Battle of Guadalcanal.

The video birthday message from the Commandant and the Sgt Major of the Marine Corps is below:

Happy 241st, USMC!

I want to wish a happy 241st birthday to the United State Marine Corps.

Since “virtue signaling” is all the rage with millennials, I want to recognize that group of millennials who get it done day after day in the harshest of conditions. If you think about the definition of millennial – those born after 1980 – then the bulk of the US Marine Corps, both enlisted and officers are indeed millennials. I just wish we had more like them.

Madison Rising’s Birthday Wishes To The Marines

I met the members of Madison Rising at the Gun Rights Policy Conference in Orlando a few years ago. Their lead singer, Dave Bray, was a Navy FMF Corpsman attached to the 2nd Marines which explains this birthday message to the USMC.

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Happy 240th Birthday United States Marines
Please join us in wishing a happy 240th birthday (November 10, 2015) to the greatest fighting force in the world: The United States Marine Corps!Special thanks to The Young Marines national youth organization, R. Lee Ermey, the producers of The Hornet’s Nest and the Dept. of Defense. Semper Fi!
Posted by Madison Rising on Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Happy 240th, USMC!

Today is the 240th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. I’d like to offer my sincere thanks to all Marines, past or present, for their service to our country. Semper Fi!

The official birthday message from Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Robert Neller and SgtMaj of the Marine Corps Ronald Green is embedded below: