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Corps celebrates 233

Marines around the world came together this past weekend to commemorate the 233rd Marine Corps Birthday on Nov. 10. As always, it was a party to remember. But the Corps’ birthday serves also as an opportunity to reflect and look ahead.

This year’s ball may be over, but as the haze begins to lift and the Marine Corps Hymn finally quits rattling the inside of your head, it is important to not lose sight of the significant events from the past year that will continue to shape your Corps in the year to come.

Hostilities in Iraq have decreased dramatically, prompting the pullout from hard-fought Anbar province and the recent handover of an uninviting landmark: Camp Fallujah. But as tensions ease in one region, fighting grows in another.

Afghanistan, it seems, is all anyone talks about these days, and the Corps’ role there will almost certainly grow before long.

And though they are no longer here to celebrate another year in the Corps, the 60 Marines and corpsmen who have died in combat since last Nov. 10 will forever be a part of its legacy. As Commandant Gen. James Conway said in this year’s birthday message, your “reputation was built on their sacrifices.”

For as long as the world is an unstable place, Marines will continue to operate at home and abroad with the high standards befitting their title. It’s dangerous business, but since 1775 they’ve always thrived on the challenge.

So to all Marines past and present, wherever you might be: happy 233rd — and Semper Fi.

— Joe Bush