759. The following will be read to the command on the 10th of November,
1921, and hereafter on the 10th of November of every year. Should the
order not be received by the 10th of November, 1921, it will be read
upon receipt.
(1) On November 10, 1775, a Corps of Marines was created by a resolution
of Continental Congress. Since that date many thousand men have borne
the name "Marine". In memory of them it is fitting that we who are
Marines should commemorate the birthday of our corps by calling to mind
the glories of its long and illustrious history.
(2) The record of our corps is one which will bear comparison with that
of the most famous military organizations in the world's history. During
90 of the 146 years of its existence the Marine Corps has been in action
against the Nation's foes. From the Battle of Trenton to the Argonne,
Marines have won foremost honors in war, and is the long eras of
tranquility at home, generation after generation of Marines have grown
gray in war in both hemispheres and in every corner of the seven seas,
that our country and its citizens might enjoy peace and security.
(3) In every battle and skirmish since the birth of our corps, Marines
have acquitted themselves with the greatest distinction, winning new
honors on each occasion until the term "Marine" has come to signify all
that is highest in military efficiency and soldierly virtue.
(4) This high name of distinction and soldierly repute we who are
Marines today have received from those who preceded us in the corps.
With it we have also received from them the eternal spirit which has
animated our corps from generation to generation and has been the
distinguishing mark of the Marines in every age. So long as that spirit
continues to flourish Marines will be found equal to every emergency in
the future as they have been in the past, and the men of our Nation will
regard us as worthy successors to the long line of illustrious men who
have served as "Soldiers of the Sea" since the founding of the Corps.
John A. Lejeune
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