*Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based Marines celebrate 231st Marine Corps birthday in Iraq
COMBAT OUT POST RAWAH, Iraq (Nov. 10, 2006) - It"s a date that"s drilled into Marines" heads during recruit training and celebrated as though it was every individual Marine"s birthday - Nov. 10. On this day in 1775, the U.S. Marine Corps became America"s "first to fight."
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Story and photos by Lance Cpl. Nathaniel F. Sapp, Combat Correspondent, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
Now, 231 years later, Marines from the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion took time from daily combat operations to celebrate and remember their heritage. The battalion arrived in Iraq nearly two months ago.
Since the battalion is currently in a combat zone, there are always Marines conducting combat operations, a point battalion commander Lt. Col. Austin E. Renforth made sure to emphasize to his Marines.
"No matter if you stay in the Corps 20 years or you get out in four, I know that for the rest of your lives, every November tenth you"re going to pause a moment and remember that somewhere there"s a Marine standing post," said Renforth.
Marines, sailors and soldiers gathered at the Marines" outpost here to observe the formal traditions Marines around the world often observe in commemoration of the Corps" birthday - the reading of the birthday messages from the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. John A. Lejeune, and current Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. M. W. Hagee.
Following the readings, Renforth performed the customary cake-cutting ceremony. He presented the first piece to the oldest Marine present, who then passed a piece to the youngest Marine present, symbolizing where the Corps has been, and where it is going.
After pieces of cake had been distributed, the Marines headed off to dine on heaping piles of steak, crab legs and lobster, a big change for the Marines used to conducting combat operations in nearby cities and living off Meals, Ready-to- Eat - pre-packaged meals.
For Petty Officer 3rd Class George Iliev, a 25-year-old Navy corpsman from Washington, D.C., celebrating the Marines" birthday in Iraq was a unique experience.
"I didn"t really expect anything, but they went all out with the food," said Iliev. He said the Marines" birthday ceremony is "a great tradition."
Although the ceremony here was slightly shorter than the exuberant formal balls and ceremonies Marine units traditionally attend in the U.S., it still held the same significance for Lance Cpl. William Farmer, a 22-year-old mortarman from Houston.
He says the true nature of celebrating the Marine Corps" birthday is in its traditions, and honoring those who have come before than anything else, he added.
"It boosted morale, especially when the Sea Bees (U.S. Navy construction men and women) stood in formation and sang us ‘Happy Birthday,"" said Lance Cpl. Robert Lenfesty, a 21-year-old mortarman from Seattle, Wa. "It was great how everyone here celebrated together."
2nd LAR Bn. is part of Regimental Combat Team 7, a Marine Corps command that is responsible for providing security to more than 30,000 square miles in Iraq"s western Al Anbar province.
The battalion is based in Rawah, a city of 20,000 people that is 150 miles Northwest of Baghdad along the Euphrates River. They work with the Iraqi people to help stabilize the region and develop Iraqi Security Forces.
Contact Lance Cpl. Sapp at: sappnf@gcemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil
CAPTIONS FOR PHOTOS:
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Cpl. Gerardo Rico, a 22-year-old Marine from San Antonio, Texas, and food service specialist with the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, grills steaks for the celebration of the Marine Corps birthday in Rawah, Nov.10, 2006. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Nathaniel F. Sapp)
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Sgt. Maj. Arthur Mennig, sergeant major for the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, puts last minute touches on the cake, which was part of the Marines" celebration for the Marine Corps" 231st birthday Nov. 10, 2006, in Rawah, Iraq. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Nathaniel F. Sapp)
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Lt. Col. Austin Renforth, commanding officer of the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, passes a piece of cake to the oldest Marine present - 43-year-old Maj. Sean Quinlan - during the Marines" celebration of the Marine Corps" 231st birthday Nov. 10, 2006, in Rawah, Iraq. The passing of the cake from the oldest Marine present to the youngest Marine present is a Marine Corps birthday tradition, signifying the passing of traditions from one generation to the next. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Nathaniel F. Sapp)
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Maj. Sean Quinlan, 43, passes a piece of cake to Lance Cpl. Jacob Glenn, 19, during a cake cutting ceremony in Rawah, Iraq, in honor of the Marine Corps" 231st birthday, Nov. 10, 2006. Quinlan is the commanding officer for the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based Company D, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. Glenn is an infantryman with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, which is also based at Camp Lejeune. The passing of the cake from the oldest Marine present to the youngest Marine present is a Marine Corps birthday tradition, signifying the passing of traditions from one generation to the next. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Nathaniel F. Sapp)