Marine Corps Security Force Company held its annual Marine Corps Birthday Ball, Nov. 11, in the Windjammer Ballroom.

Guests were treated to a formal, candlelit event, complete with dark blue linens and red silk sashes and runners. The night was a perfect mix of laughter over one-liners, remembrance of sacrifices made, and most of all, pride in the fighting spirit of the Marines.

Some of the early events of the ball included an invocation, the cake presentation, the reading of a Nov. 1, 1921 birthday message from the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. John A. LeJeune by the adjutant, as well as a birthday message from the current Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Robert B. Neller.

After the ceremonial events had completed, Maj. Jordan T. Schultz, MCSFCO commanding officer, was quick to lighten the mood with a few jokes as he thanked the many involved with making the ball a success.

"We had Marines in here decorating earlier, and if you've ever seen Marines decorate, you know they need adult supervision, so thank you," said Schultz. "They don't teach that at boot camp."

Schultz quickly moved on to thank the base commanding officer for his support and the Seabees for the relationship the Marines had maintained working with them around the globe.

"We do it in every theater, in every war that comes up, and they take everything that the Marines hammer together with rocks and loose nails and then they fix it with actual Seabee work."

During his remarks, Schultz also pointed out that many are familiar with the history of the Marines in Guantanamo and the iconic Marines in the towers.

Schultz also noted that the Marines do far more than maintain static posts along the 17-mile long fence line that separates the installation from Cuba and that there are two Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team (FAST) platoons and a headquarters element of Marines in Guantanamo Bay at all times.
"Unlike the massive logistical hub that every other unit requires, the FAST platoon can go anywhere in the world and deliver security in a moment," said Schultz. "They're light, they're fast, and they're taking it to the enemy."

With a strong voice and even stronger personality, all eyes were on Sgt. Maj. Dennis M. Bradley, the guest of honor, as he made his opening remarks.
"Teufel Hunden, Devil Dogs, Shock Troops, Blood Sucking War Machines, Jarheads, Leathernecks, and Soldiers of the Sea. Welcome to the 242nd birthday celebration of our illustrious Corps," said Bradley.

Bradley began by extending 'a very special and heartfelt welcome' to the green side Sailors at the ball, those who serve or have served with the Marines.

"Every Marine knows that in our darkest hour, the call of corpsman up will never go unanswered," said Bradley.

During Bradley's speech, he discussed the three things he felt the Corps did for its nation: to make marines, to win our nation's battles, and to return quality citizens back to the civilian sector to be leaders in their communities.

" Marines are not made through training; one becomes a Marine through a transformation," said Bradley. "We are all reminded throughout the transformation process that we are not Marines yet ... the hardships that we endure are all worth it when we are called Marine for the first time. And once we earn that title, it can never be taken from us. The title means more to us than most anything."

Bradley noted that General LeJeune had once stated that of all the awards, decorations and honors bestowed upon him, the title Marine meant the most.

"In fact, if one of us is asked what do you do for a living, we simply reply with 'I am a United States Marine,'" said Bradley. "Nothing else needs to be said and everything else is secondary."

To put that statement even further into perspective, Bradley relayed a story of how Lee Marvin, a distinguished Hollywood actor had enlisted as a Marine in 1942, prior to his acting career, and landed on Saipan, where he was subsequently wounded when struck by both machine gun and sniper fire. Upon his death in 1987, Martin was buried in Arlington National Cemetery where, by his choice, his gravestone to this day simply reads Lee Marvin, PFC, U.S. Marine Corps, World War II, and the dates of his birth and death. No mention of his distinguished career as an actor or entertainer, only that he earned the title and went to his grave a United States Marine.

"This is just one example of our creed 'Once a Marine, Always a Marine,'" said Bradley. "However, we cannot all wear the uniform forever. The most heroic of us breathe their last breathe wearing the sacred cloth of our uniform. But for those who are fortunate enough to live a long life, we all must face the reality that we will all hang up our blues for the last time."

Bradley reminded guests that 'There are no ex-Marines. There are no former Marines. But there are retired Marines and there are veteran Marines.'
"And the best among us have a sense of duty, a moral obligation, to continue to serve this great nation and its communities as leaders once they depart our ranks," said Bradley. "When former Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus was addressing the Council on Foreign Relations in New York a few years ago, he made it a point to mention that among the Fortune 500 companies at the time, 163 had Marines as CEOs. That's almost a third. Not too bad for a service that eats crayons and speaks in grunts and heavy breathing."

Pointing out the number of Marines that currently hold offices at the highest levels of our government, Bradley noted that there had never been a Commander-in-Chief who was a Marine.

"So, who knows, maybe our current Secretary of Defense will be our first Commander-in-Chief that's a Marine," said Bradley, quickly joking that, "If he runs in the next election cycle, his campaign slogan could be Mad Dog 2020."

Saving the best for last, Bradley moved on to discuss the third and most important function of his beloved Corps - the entire reason they exist, in his opinion.

"We win our nation's battles. Period," said Bradley. "Our mission is to locate, close with, and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver or repel the enemy's assault by fire and close combat. And we are good at it. We have to be."

Noting that Presidents Eisenhower and Truman both desired to eradicate the Corps but feared what the public's reaction would be, Bradley reminded guests that Marines exist because they continue to win. They continue to win because they like to fight.

"A Marine Corps recruiting slogan once stated 'No one likes to fight, but someone has to know how.'" said Bradley. "I don't think a Marine wrote that one because, the truth is, Marines like to fight."

Holding the audience captive with stories of Marine triumphs in the face of adversity and 242 years of history demonstrating how much 'Marines like to fight,' Bradley said that he believed Colonel David M. Shupe, who would go on to become the 22nd Commandant, summed up the fighting spirit of the Corps best in his dispatch to the beach in the opening hours of the landing on Tarawa on Nov. 21, 1943.

"His dispatch simply said, Casualties: Many. Percentage of Dead: Not Known. Combat Efficiency: We are Winning," said Bradley.

"Woe to our nation's enemies," said Bradley in his closing words. "Woe to those who would threaten our families, our way of life, our allies and innocent people throughout the globe because when we consolidate on the objective and we drive our bayonets into the throats of our enemies, those enemies will know with their last breaths as they slip into that long sleep, that their lives were taken by, their souls were stolen by, and they should have known better than to mess with the United States Marines."


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