On Feb 14, 11:29 am, "nEllen Macgayboy"
wrote:

Look at those silly gay uniforms.... You'd never catch a Marine wearing something
girlie like that. I like my men manly. Admit it. Those young men in that photo are anything
but manly...

Cheers,
Ellen

That uniform that you are now privileged to see is not just another
piece of clothing to be worn as may seem most convenient or
comfortable. It is a badge of office, a symbol of authority, a mark of
service to the country, the seal of a trust imposed on and accepted.
It has a purpose; it has a meaning. There is a "way to wear it."

The wearing of the uniform carries with it certain great
responsibilities and implies a definite duty. The manner in which you
use it, regard it and treat it is an accurate gauge of the manner in
which you may be expected to meet those responsibilities and a very
fair indication of the thoroughness with which you will do you duty.

The uniform is a symbol of a great tradition - the tradition of the
men of the sea. That the men of the sea now-a-days, at times, become
men of the air, changes or detracts not one bit from the qualities
demanded in them or required before Victory can rightfully be
expected. The conquest of the air has only served to bind tighter the
brotherhood and make more rigid the code.

This tradition of which we speak goes back far beyond our own rather
recent beginning as a nation. No one really knows how many centuries
ago men of the sea, brought close together by the ever present and
common-to-all danger, developed a certain intangible spirit of
brotherhood and understanding and a very definite code of behavior.

When these same men, later, became the servants, on the high seas, of
great States, flying their flags, commanding their ships and defending
their interests, no better trustees of national destinies could have
been found; since, for generations they had already been accustomed to
accept great responsibilities in face of grave dangers, so the trust
was not new to them. The uniforms they then began to wear became
emblems of that trust and symbols of what is meant; symbols of what
their country stood for and of its place in the world.

The chain of tradition has never been broken. The same spirit that
inspired Lord St. Vincent to arise each day for years in the British
fleet, don full uniform and, before his entire crew of officers and
men, witness the raising of the colors - that same spirit recently
inspired a Captain in our Navy, lying in his uniform, disemboweled and
propped against the chart house to fight his burning and sinking ship
'till he died - refusing to be removed.

The Spirit of the tradition speaks as Copenhagen, where we hear
Nelson, when a round shot strikes the mast close by his head, remark,
"The fight is hot, and no one knows how long we may be here today -
but mark you! I wouldn't be anywhere else for thousands," and again it
speaks through Perry at Lake Erie, who, after a furious sea fight,
reports laconically, "We have met the enemy and they are ours." In
1942 the pilot of a bomber reports, "Sighted Sub. Sank same."

We find Captain Herndon of our Navy, as his ship, the Central America,
doomed, begins to sink; going down to his cabin, putting on his coat,
and REMOVING THE CAP COVER SO ALL COULD SEE THE SYMBOL OF RANK,
returning to the deck in time to wave away a would-be rescue boat to
prevent it being swamped, and, then, folding his arms, uncovered,
calmly go down with the ship.

John Paul Jones, his ship shot to pieces, on fire and sinking and his
crew decimated, is asked if he has surrendered, and replies,
"Surrender hell! We have not as yet begun to fight!" and later, when
accepting the sword of surrender from the British Captain, returns it;
saying, "Sir, you have fought gallantly; I hope your King gives you a
better ship."

What is it that inspired these men to such gallant deeds and such
gracious courtesies? It would be hard to say, other than to reply,
"Tradition." The Tradition of the eternal brotherhood of common
danger, the Tradition of loyalty; loyalty to each other; loyalty to a
trust, whatever it may be.

Lawrence was moved by it when he cried, as he lay dying on the bloody
decks of the Chesapeake, "Fight her 'till she sinks; Don't give up the
ship!" and Perry, later, remembering Lawrence's immortal words, sewed
them on a flag to inspire his men, remarking, "If there is a victory
to be had, I'll have it," and then sailed into battle on the Niagara
to win a major victory.

Stephen Decatur knew it when he sank the Philadelphia in the Harbor of
Tripoli and in so doing, moved Nelson to remark, "-the most bold and
daring act of the age."

Farragut, at Mobile, damns the torpedoes and cries, "Go ahead;" Dewey
at Manila; Devereaux at Wake; "Three men in a Boat," lost from a
carrier; an unbroken chain of men all in uniform, all inspired by
something the uniform meant to them.

Doesn't it mean something to you to wear it? Don't you see why you
should treat it with respect? Don't you consider it an honor to be
seen in it, along with them? It is older than you, much older; it is
soaked with the blood of honorable deeds; it has, for more than 150
years been the shield behind which this country has grown and
prospered.

Salute it with respect when you meet it; behave in it in a seemingly
manner; defend it when it is offended and endangered. It represents
the flag, the nation, your home and family. It is symbolic of all that
is dear to you, and of all that men believe to be worth dying for.

From the "Gosport"
U.S. Naval Air Station,
Pensacola, Florida.