you Gyrenes out there.
Here's a link to Gen. Lejeune's directive in 1921, Article 38, that
started the whole MC Birthday tradition:
http://www.marines.mil/usmc/Documents/lejeuneMessage2004.pdf
I had a good friend who was a Marine, several times. He served 4 different tours with the Marines. He bled Marine red. He would have been a sergeant major, except that he had to get out each time his human phase came up. One of his tours was as a dog.
He allowed more than enough time between his hitches. But, he still has several encounters with old buddies who became senior NCOs or officers and recognized him, thought he was his own son, or something like that.
He called me each year, or I called him, on the Corps Birthday. When we could, we would go out and get drunk. One year, when we both were in human phase, we went to San Diego, attended parades and a big dine-in. He wore his dress blues. I wore a suit with an SF pin. A gunny recognized me who I had gone through some jungle training, fifteen years previous. He had aged. I had not. It took a lot to convince him I am not who I am, who he thought I am.
My friend was killed in Falluja, leading a squad. I miss talking to him each year on this day.
Chester
chester.weredog@gmail.com
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