Born in a tavern, forged in battle, the United States Marine Corps has been raising hell for freedom since 1775. Semper Fi.
“I wanted to see exotic Vietnam, the crown jewel of Southeast Asia. I wanted to meet interesting and stimulating people of an ancient culture… and kill them.”-Private Joker
Every Marine Corps Birthday, I’ve celebrated the same way by watching Full Metal Jacket. The film, released in 1987 and directed by Stanley Kubrick, was inspired by The Short-Timers, a 1979 novel written by Gustav Hasford, a former Marine combat correspondent.
I first saw the film in high school, not long after I enlisted. A friend invited me over for a viewing, hoping it would de-motivate me maybe even make me reconsider my decision to join. It had the exact opposite effect.
In the service, Full Metal Jacket had a cult-like following. Every single night and let me repeat that for those in the back…every single night if you walked the catwalks of a Marine Corps barracks, doors open and box fans humming (A/C wasn’t a thing in my day), you’d catch at least one room glowing blue from a TV playing that movie. Marines in PT gear, beers in hand, quoting Gunny Hartman word for word. It usually ended with some kind of feats of strength challenge in the sand outside the barracks at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
“Be polite, be professional, nut have a plan to kill everybody you meet.” — General James “Mad Dog” Mattis.
That movie for all its grit and madness captured something real about the Corps: the discipline, the dark humor, the bond forged through chaos.
In the heart of Philadelphia, inside a lively tavern called Tun Tavern, the idea of a sea-soldier force was born. On November 10, 1775, the Continental Congress authorized the creation of two battalions of Marines to serve as sharpshooters and boarding troops for the fledgling Continental Navy.
At that tavern, Captain Samuel Nicholas a Philadelphia Quaker and tavern owner became the first commissioned officer and de facto Commandant of the Marine Corps. Recruiters set up shop right where the ale flowed, signing up the first few volunteers who would become the Corps’ original warriors.
From that humble gathering place of patriots and sailors came a fighting tradition built on discipline, grit, and brotherhood one that has echoed for 250 years.
“We’re surrounded. That simplifies our problem.” — Chesty Puller
Here’s to 250 years of the Few and the Proud.
Semper Fidelis.
