Opinion : Birth of the Marines Remembered

Today, as I awoke, I realized it was that day. Yes, THE DAY. A day of grand remembrance of a day some 247 years ago when men seated amongst drunken brawlers sought to create something larger than themselves.  A singularly minded group that sought to fight.  To fight for what was right and true.  To live a life of hardship necessary to be ready to fight anytime and anywhere.   

This force, this fighting force, would assume all the challenges of life as a sailor while maintaining the skills necessary to repel boarders and dominate any foe on any terrain.  This force would consist solely of those with the enduring qualities necessary to adapt to the ever-changing burdens of national defense, armed assistance to our allies, and intervention on behalf of the helpless.  
Today, this force remains. Although underfunded and largely misunderstood, the members of this fighting force are loyal to a fault. For they've all stood on the precipice of failure atop yellow footprints.  These footprints beckon to those who would carry on the traditions and fulfill the duties of this small and violent fighting force.  These footprints are seared into the soul of every member of this fighting force and haunt those who almost achieved brotherhood, but alas fell short.  
It's all well and good that you served our country, and believe me when I say I am very grateful for your service.  That being said. Shut up, sit down and wait until tomorrow.  Today, we recognize the fact that we are not the same for I am part of that amphibious fighting force.  I am a Marine. 
I have slept in 4 inches of mud in the pouring rain day after day.  I have cleaned parts of a rifle that most men don't know exist.  I have hurried up to wait so long that when boredom arrived it was a welcome relief.  I've literally chewed dirt.  Twice, I lived for six months in a 12 foot by 8 foot area with up to 15 other men for six months. I've put my life in the hands of strangers merely because I knew the Eagle, Globe and Anchor they wore meant they could be trusted.  
Even today when my own government has labeled me and others like me as the single greatest domestic threat to our national security, I and others like me continue to sacrifice for the greater good.  
People are afraid of what they don't understand.  They want to change the gruesome reality of war. They want Marines to have some fairy tale switch to toggle the abrasive violent nature of a warrior on and off.  Well it doesn't work like that.  There is a reason the founders of this great amphibious force started by recruiting scallawags in a bar.  Because those men had a familiarity with the pain of fighting and an uncomfortable lifestyle necessary to carry out the mission.  
Today, we Marines stand ready to serve.  Many don't like us.  I suspect some even wish we didn't exist, but if you set aside your emotions for a minute and objectively examine the truth.  You will find the United States needs the Marine Corps. 
"The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!" Eleanor Roosevelt
A Benton County Marine