"Retreat? Hell!"

Magnet #1043 - Retreat Hell!

The atrium of the National Museum of the Marine Corps (one of my favorites) is lined with several quotes attributed to various marines.

I promise, for as long as they have them in the museum's really great gift shop, I'm totally gonna get the whole set. This is number two that I picked up last year. It's attributed to Captain Lloyd Williams of the 5th Marines, during the month-long WWI Battle of Belleau Wood in June 1918.

This quote magnet gets the honor for the last day of 2010, because this year with its more downs than ups has done its damnedest to get me down, but you know what?

I'll be damned if I let it get me down and out for the count, thankyouverymuch.

Still, I am seriously looking forward to getting this year under our belt, on the history books, in my rear view mirror, and whatever phrase you have that means, please, let this crumtastic year end.

And how.

And bring on a better, brighter 2011!

Equal opportunity toy-giver

Magnet #1031 - Toys for Tots

Toys for Tots is the other toy-drive charity, sponsored by the United States Marine Corps, with its goal: "to deliver, through a new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to less fortunate youngsters that will assist them in becoming responsible, productive, patriotic citizens."

I'll admit, last weekend at the mall, my friend and I purchased two infant toys that we were intending to donate to the Salvation Army, when I went in to the Toy Shop on Monday. But, as we walked around the mall with our bags, we passed the Toys for Tots table, staffed by a few older Marines.

What's that thing about not being able to resist a guy in uniform? Yeah, it was like hypnosis. We dropped our toys right in their bin. And he gave me a magnet!

I know, I know - three weeks of volunteering at the Salvation Army should have taught me some loyalty, but you know what? Either way, that toy's gonna eventually end up in some child's hands.

And that's enough for me.

Situation well in hand

Magnet #827 - Marines have landed*

Got up this morning at 4, to drive down to North Carolina for a quick visit this Memorial Day Weekend.

We stopped at the National Museum of the Marine Corps along the way, one of my favorite museums. Though I've been there before, I really do want to be able to spend more than a few hours at a time there. Those Marines have a long and storied, and storied, and storied, history.

The great thing about today was that half the crowd at the museum were the Ride to the Wall bikers. Awesome - I not only created my own Fleet Week, but totally found myself in an episode of Sons of Anarchy. It did leave me kinda wondering though, what the ratio is between military service and being in an MC, cuz I'll tell ya'll, there were a ton of boys in various cuts walking through the museum and in the parking lot.

I picked this magnet for today because it's one of my favorite quotes that lines the atrium wall of the museum - plus, it's fitting, since I'm pretty much waiting on my own set of marines to land and get my situation in hand.

*Richard Harding Davis quote

Ooh-rah, ooh-rah, ooh-ray!

Magnet #627 - U.S. Marines

Happy 234th birthday, USMC, and a heartfelt thanks to the 203,000 active and 40,000 reservists in the Corps. I know, I should have a tag for as many times as I've written about our military branches. Oh, wait, I do.

I just love the history of the Marine Corps. I love that they began during the Revolutionary War as an infantry group based on a boat (ok, maybe ship) to help protect the guys aboard. Their emblem includes the eagle, globe and anchor, going back to the 1800s. What? I had to proofread several military history books in a former career.

I also love that the Marines have a Birthday Ball. Now, that I didn't know until I saw it on NCIS. I was like, Birthday? Ball? Sweet! Seriously, they really do have a ball! Like huge celebrations - locally around the states, and even worldwide. There's something kind of cool about everyone dressing up in dress uniforms for it.

And, of course, I love - possibly even more than the balls - the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Love.

First, as a building, it's just the coolest thing ever - it's shaped to evoke the memory of the flag raising at Iwo Jima - so as you're traveling down 95, you can see the tippy top peeping out from the trees. It's also supposed to symbolize the swords crossing, or a howitzer poised for action.

Second, as a museum, it's one of those interactive museums, where you can pick up a fully packed backpack and have a drill sergeant yell at you, where you can experience storming Normandy with bullet (sounds) ricocheting around you, where you can learn the story about the Iwo Jima flag raising, where you can stare up at aircraft into the wild blue yonder, and turn the corner to walk through the Marine legacy left by the past 234 years.

So darn cool. That's where I picked up this magnet. Ooh. Rah.

Anyway, hooray for a happy birthday, Marines.

Think it's funny that while I'm typing this post, I just found out that Police Chief Unser on Sons of Anarchy is a Marine, and as I'm ready to hit this Publish Post button, I'm watching the very, very odd trailer for James Cameron's Avatar, which has the cuteboy Sam Worthington from the last Terminator as a Marine.

Funnier still, is that out of the whole two-minute trailer, the Marines part is the only thing that might get me to see this movie.

The few. The proud.

Magnet #430 - Semper Fi

The U.S. Marine Corps adopted semper fidelis, Latin phrase for always faithful back in the 1880s, meaning that they're always dedicated to the mission, the country, their brotherhood. It's a way of life and a mantra they always live by, even after they've left service - once a marine, always a marine. There are no ex-marines.

I picked this magnet for today, because on this day in 1805, the Marines took Derna, on the coast of Tripoli (now Libya), part of the Barbary conflict, or the Barbary wars, or the Tripolitan War. I know!

Barbary what? Tripolwho? Guys, I'm a fairly intelligent soul with a pretty good grasp of history, but I'm still trying to remember where this section was during our AP U.S. History class! Or, any of my other history classes, for that matter.

This time period, though, has been getting a little more play with all the piracy issues we've been having of late, with folks comparing Obama to Jefferson.

The gist of the story is that at the time, we were still paying monetary tributes to Barbary pirates for safe passage along the Barbary Coast (made up of what's now Libya [once called Tripolitania], Tunis, Morocco, and Algeria). Some bad pasha reneged on the arrangement, and tried to get the ships to pay double.

Jefferson, as minister to France had been opposed to these tributes for several years, was now president, and took this opportunity to say hell no, we won't pay, and the Barbary conflict began. From what I gather, it was one of the first times America tried to execute foreign policy.

But, it was actually the first time the marines were sent to fight on foreign soil, and it included an overland desert march of something like 500-600 miles, while the navy fought along the coast. Once they took Derna, they were able to restore the pasha-ship back to the rightful ruler, and the guy was so grateful, he presented one of our guys with the Mameluke sword - the only ceremonial piece that we still use today.

You know the sword I mean - the one that the really hot marines use in the ads? Here's one. Or here. Or this knight one. I know, I can't help it. They can be a bit over the top with the majestic views and heroic music and sometimes silly storylines, but I do so love them. (And the hot marines. What? Like you didn't know that was coming.)

And no, I didn't know any of this before I looked it up, everything sort of just snowballed from there. But, hey. Now you know.

eta:
Hey! I totally forgot the obvious connection for the USMC to today...Chuck's Col Casey is a marine. Ya'll don't forget to buy a $5 footlong from Subway - although instead of a bonafide save the show campaign, there's a part of me that thinks that NBC's just in cahoots with Subway to drive traffic there to save a show that's a sure thing on the NBC schedule.