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Attention!
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. |
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