California native celebrates birthday in Afghanistan [Image 2 of 9]

CAMP LEATHERNECK, AFGHANISTAN

11.17.2011

Photo by Cpl. Marco Mancha 

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

Lance Cpl. Pamela Nevares (front right) of Pasadena, Calif., hands a plate to Sgt. Maj. Joseph Shaw, the sergeant major of 2nd Marine Division (Forward), while Brig. Gen. Lewis A. Craparotta (left), the commanding general of the unit, stands by. Nevares is an administrative clerk with the unit and served as a cake escort during the unit’s 236th Marine Corps Birthday ceremony, Nov. 10. Marines and sailors with 2nd MarDiv (Fwd) came together to celebrate the Corps’ birthday with the sound of trumpets, drum beats, and a cake-cutting ceremony to symbolize the passage of knowledge and tradition from one generation to the next. Marines around the globe, whether in combat zones or at their home bases and stations, pause to celebrate the Marine Corps birthday each year on Nov. 10, honoring the Corps’ proud history and traditions and those Marines who have gone before them. That particular date was chosen because the Marine Corps traces its lineage to Nov. 10, 1775, when the Second Continental Congress resolved to raise two battalions of Continental Marines. It is customary for the ceremony to include the reading of Maj. Gen. John A. Lejeune’s birthday message; a Marine Corps order issued in 1921 summarizing the history, mission, and tradition of the Corps; the reading of the current commandant’s birthday message; and a cake-cutting ceremony, when possible.

• Date Taken: 11.17.2011
• Date Posted: 11.17.2011 02:06
• Photo ID: 488596
• VIRIN: 111110-M-RE261-025
• Resolution: 5616x3744
• Size: 6.16 MB
• Location: CAMP LEATHERNECK, AF