NMI marks birthday of US Marine Corps

Government officials, veterans, Department of Public Safety personnel, Marines in active duty and retirees, among others, commemorated the founding anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps yesterday with a flag raising ceremony at the American Memorial Park Court of Honor.

The ceremony started at 8am with four red U.S. Marine Corps flags raised at half-staff alongside the national colors. Military Veterans Affairs Office executive officer Ruth Coleman said the CNMI held the ceremony to recognize the U.S. Marine Corps’ birthday.

The flags were flown for 24 hours. Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3457, Marine Corps member on active duty Donald Mendiola, retirees Gregory Castro and Dustin Pangelinan, veterans Woody Woodruff, Albert Harris, and DPS Criminal Investigation Bureau commander Edward Manalili attended the ceremony.

Eighteen-year-old Robert Marron, who recently joined the Marine Corps, also attended the ceremony. He will fly to San Diego, California in December for training.

Manalili said the celebration was part of a “full tradition” honoring the 230 years of existence of the Corps. “And they are still going strong,” he said, adding that the Marine Corps motto reminds everyone to remain faithful to the commitment for peace and freedom.

“The birthday honor builds the pride of the Marine Corps that makes us a stronger corps,” Mendiola said.

AMP site manager and park ranger Chuck Sayon said the recognition of the Marine Corps’ birthday is part of the park’s several commemorations of service dates in the military.

The formal commemoration of the birthday of the Marine Corps began on Nov. 10, 1921. The date was chosen because on that day the Second Continental Congress resolved in 1775 to raise two battalions of Continental Marines.

The birthday of the Marine Corps was celebrated on a different date until 1921. A newspaper clipping from an unidentified newspaper in 1918 referred to the celebration of the 120th birthday of the Marine Corps on July 11 of that year.

According to the U.S. Marine Corps History and Museum Division website, the celebration of its birthday was doubted until further inspection of documents and publications before 1921 that shows no evidence of ceremonies or even parties. The July date was commemorated between 1798 and 1921 as the birthday of the Marine Corps.

During the American Revolution, the Marines fought on land and sea, but at the close of the revolution the Marine Corps and the Navy were all but disbanded. President John Adams on July 11, 1798, approved a bill that recreated the Marine Corps providing the rationale for this day being commemorated as the birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps.

On Oct. 21, 1921, Major Edwin McClellan, officer-in-charge, Historical Section, Headquarters Marine Corps helped in changing the original birthday to Nov. 10, 1775 and be declared a Marine Corps holiday to be celebrated throughout the Corps.