Uuurr-auughh as the Marine Corps turns 234
November 10th, 2009 | Historical leadership Life at Sea The greenside | Posted by Phil Ewing
Today is the birthday of the United States Marine Corps, marking 234 years since the Continental Congress met at the famous Tun Tavern and approved a resolution calling for two battalions of hard-chargin’ soldiers of the sea to fight from Navy ships against the British. Since then, the Marines have graciously permitted the U.S. government to organize other military services, as well.
The Marine Corps birthday brought to mind a time in Iraq this summer, when Scoop Deck was touring a forward operating post called Camp Ubaydi, in northern Anbar Province, as part of the entourage following around Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Marine Maj. Gen. Richard Tryon, the commanding general of Multinational Force-West.
Our CH-46 Sea Knights (escorted by a menacing AH-1 Cobra) had landed on an unimproved mud pad; the “chow hall” was a wooden box; and now Tryon was leading Mabus through one of the crowded barracks rooms, occupied by elements of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines. The leathernecks were standing at attention next to their racks and Mabus, ever the politician, needed a way to break the ice with them.
Before anyone knew what happened, he was on the pull-up bar in the middle of the squad bay, doing correct Marine Corps pull ups (from a hanging start) in the middle of all the startled riflemen. Some of them indicated their approval with a noise distinctive of their breed:
“Eeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrr!”
After two pull-ups, Mabus jumped down back to the deck. “Well, I’m not gonna show off,” he said.
Tryon, not to be out-done, jumped up, grabbed the bar and began his own set of pull-ups, far quicker than his service secretary.
“So how’s this thing work?” Tryon shouted as he continued his pull-ups. “I just keep doin’ ‘em? This one works better than the one outside my house.”
Again, from the audience:
“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”
Tryon dropped down from the pull-up bar, smiled at Mabus, and smoothed out his uniform. The tour resumed.
A Marine still at attention behind Scoop Deck murmured to his compatriot: “I thought the general was going to hit his head.”