22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit Public Affairs

Story by Staff Sgt. Matthew Epright

ABOARD USS FORT MCHENRY– Over the course of their illustrious 234-year history, Marines have always celebrated the birth of their Corps, no matter where they may be. From elaborate, mess-dress balls at Marine Barracks, 8th and I, to a fire-team sharing an MRE almond poppy-seed pound cake in a fighting hole in Afghanistan, the Marine Corps Birthday celebration is a time-honored tradition.

Marines from India Company and Sierra Battery, Battalion Landing Team, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, and Combat Logistics Battalion 22, 22nd MEU, embarked aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry, honored the 234th anniversary of the Corps' birth with a traditional cake-cutting on the flight deck of Fort McHenry as the ship transited the Suez Canal from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea Nov. 10.

"I've never had a chance to conduct a Marine Corps Birthday celebration on a warship like this while going through the Suez Canal," said 20-year Marine veteran and Jacksonville, N.C., native 1stSgt. Steven Collier, the India Co. first sergeant and the senior enlisted Marine aboard Fort McHenry. "It was an honor for me."

The cake-cutting was the central event in a week-long celebration of the Marine Corps' Birthday that started Nov. 5, when the first group of Marines set off on the first of 234 relay laps around Fort McHenry's flight deck.

Each of the individual units on the ship had Marines representing them for legs of the run while carrying the unit guidon.

The run finished early the morning of Nov. 10 with the oldest and youngest Marines on the ship running the final two laps.

"It was fun to get out there and do the laps for the Marine Corps Birthday," said 43-year-old Sgt. Paul Cunningham, an Amphibious Assault Vehicle mechanic with CLB-22 and native of Gettysburg, S.D.

Though fate and the deployment's timing may have dictated the location for the cake-cutting, Marine Corps regulations and traditions dictated the details of the event, which included readings of messages from both the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. John A. Lejeune, and the current Commandant, Gen. James T. Conway.

After the Marines read the messages, they cut the cake and passed the first piece to Cunningham, the oldest Marine, who took a bite and then passed it to the youngest Marine, 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Manuel Silva.

Silva, a fire team leader with India Co. and native of El Paso, Texas, was born four months after Cunningham first enlisted in the Marine Corps.

"It felt pretty good to share that same spot with someone who's been serving their country since I was born," said Silva. "I was very happy to be a part of it. Maybe one day I'll be the oldest Marine."

The Marines wrapped up the day's festivities with something that has become a Marine Corps Birthday tradition aboard Navy ships with embarked Marines.

The officers and staff non-commissioned officers donned white paper hats and went behind the mess deck serving line to replace the Marine messmen. They served steak, lobster and crab legs for dinner.

Capt. Mike Carroll, the India Co. commander and senior Marine aboard Fort McHenry worked the griddle serving up the sirloins.

"It goes a long way to show the Marines that the officers and Staff NCOs are there to help take the burden off the young Marines and let them enjoy their day," he said.

The 22nd MEU deployed May 15 aboard the ships of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group. The unit made the transatlantic voyage into the Mediterranean Sea where it conducted training in Greece and Bulgaria. The MEU has since supported four theater security cooperation events with Middle Eastern military partners and conducted sustainment training in Kuwait.

The 22nd MEU, led by Col. Gareth F. Brandl, is a scalable, multi-purpose force of more than 2,200 Marines and Sailors. The unit is composed of its Ground Combat Element, BLT 3/2 (commanded by Lt. Col. Robert C. Fulford); Aviation Combat Element, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced) (commanded by Lt. Col. Paul P. Ryan); Logistics Combat Element, CLB-22 (commanded by Lt. Col. Gary F. Keim); and its Command Element.

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