Photo By Sgt. Shawn Valosin | Gunnery Sergeant Eric Brancheau reads the Marine Corps Birthday Message (Marine Corps...... read more read more
Subscribe
CATANIA, Italy - Brigadier General Charles Chiarotti, the Commanding General of 2nd Marine Logistics Group, visited Naval Air Station Sigonella, Nov. 12-14, as the Guest of Honor for the celebration of the 239th Marine Corps Birthday Ball, held at the Sheraton Hotel in Catania, Sicily, and to meet the service members of SPMAGTF-Crisis Response-Africa.
Chiarotti thanked the Marines, Sailors and Coast Guardsmen for their hard work and complimented them for the great job they’ve been doing in Italy and throughout Africa.
“You are doing an outstanding job, not only with mission performance, but the way you interact with the local community, the way you carry yourself as Marines, Sailors and Coast Guardsmen of this MAGTF, and I’m very thankful for that because you’re highlighting what’s really great about our service.”
November 1, 1921, Gen. John A. Lejeune issued Marine Corps Order number 47, Series 1921, which provided a summary of the history, mission and traditions of the Corps. This tradition has continued every year since 1921 throughout the Corps.
October 28, 1952, Commandant Gen. Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. directed the celebration of the Marine Corps Birthday be formalized throughout the Corps. The details were included in the Marine Corps Drill Manual approved in 1956. Gen. Shepherd’s order helped bring together the inclusion of a cake cutting ceremony and other traditions still held every year at the Marine Corps Birthday Ball.
Lieutenant Commander Danny Purvis, the chaplain for SPMAGTF-CR-AF started the ball with a prayer.
“For 239 years whenever tyranny has reared its head, or whenever liberty has been threatened by those who wish to remove it, a familiar refrain has been repeated; ‘Send in the Marines,’” said Purvis. “It is fitting that we should celebrate this birthday near Veteran’s Day, a time for us to give thanks … for the service and sacrifice of every single person who ever wore the uniform, those who have served and suffered, and bled and died, to uphold the principals of this great nation, as a beacon of liberty around the world. Even as we celebrate tonight, we yet have comrades who in this moment serve in harm’s way, who are not home with their families and friends, who will not be home for Thanksgiving, who will not be home for Christmas, who are placing their lives on the line for our way of life.”
Following the prayer there was a moment of silence for the fallen service members, who were not there physically, but are never forgotten.
“Ladies and gentlemen, as you entered this banquet hall, you should have noticed that before us tonight stands an empty chair and a single lone table draped in black, signifying all of our fallen comrades who are not with us this evening, because they have given the full measure of devotion to our country and to our beloved corps,” said Staff Sgt. Rebekah Hennessy, the narrator for the Marine Corps Ball. ”The single lighted candle reminds us of the flame of eternal life and that the memory of our fallen comrades will be with us always. The Purple Heart medal is displayed to reflect the shedding of blood and the ebb of life in battle. The identification tags are blank, yet they could bear the name of any of us here tonight.”
The commanding officer of SPMAGTF-CR-AF, Lt. Col. William C. Stophel, spoke after [that], thanking service members for everything they do, and then welcomed the guest of honor, Brig. Gen. Chiarotti.
“The ceremony that you saw here tonight was not just about eating a piece of cake,” said Chiarotti. “It’s about symbolism; the symbolism of tradition being passed, where the oldest Marine passes on to the youngest Marine everything that he holds sacred. Everything that is most important to us, our values of honor, courage and commitment.
As we gather here tonight I can assure you that across the globe, whether in Iraq, Afghanistan, South America… Marines are gathered. They’re gathered just like we are, some dressed up, some not, some just in their utilities with a flak jacket on and an M-4 or M-16 [service rifle] by their side, and they stop and pause to give celebration for the birth of our Corps.”
Chiarotti also took a moment to recognize Lance Cpl. Seth Mitchell, the MAGTF Planner for SPMAGTF-CR-AF and awarded him the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for performing above and beyond the expectations of a Marine in his grade.
“Its individuals like Lance Cpl. Mitchell who are the unsung heroes,” said Chiarotti. “As a result of what he’s done, you’re here tonight. You’re also able to come in and off the continent and were positioned to be able to support the [military assisted departure] of the embassy in Libya.”
After the speeches and the award ceremony finished, the Marines, Sailors and Coast Guardsmen of SPMAGTF-CR-AF and their guests enjoyed food and fellowship, remembered the fallen, and continued the tradition of camaraderie and esprit-de-corps in celebrating the birthday of the Marine Corps and the honorable service of those who came before.
| Date Taken: | 11.18.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 11.18.2014 13:35 |
| Story ID: | 148147 |
| Location: | CATANIA, IT |
| Hometown: | CLOVER, SC, US |
| Hometown: | NEWARK, DE, US |
| Web Views: | 564 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, SPMAGTF-CR-AF Welcomes Brig. Gen. Charles Chiarotti, celebrates Marine Corps Birthday, by Sgt Shawn Valosin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT