Master Sgt. Jamie D. Revis and Maj. David Schreiner of the 26 Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) cut the cake with a K-bar knife during a Marine Corps birthday ceremony on the flight line at Pano Aqil Cantonment, Pakistan, today. (USMC photo)
Today is the 235th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. To celebrate, I figured I’d share one of my favorite stories about this fabled fighting force.
Twenty years ago, when I was working at KNBC in Los Angeles, we’d host a contingent of Marine officers each year for some kind of leadership conference. Usually, on the final day of their visit, they’d be sent to one of the “business units” to observe. In the newsroom, we’d do a full-day VIP tour for them — out on a story, a visit to the set and control room, lunch in the commissary.
But on one of these visits, an invitation came through for that night to attend Hefner’s introduction of the Playmate of the Year at the Playboy Mansion. We called Playboy PR and cleared our guests to accompany the crew. Then, I rounded up my band of lieutenant colonels and explained that although their day was technically over at five o’clock, there was this opportunity at night. They were immediate and unanimous in accepting.
I explained that there was a transportation problem, that there were four of them and only three seats in the van. One of the colonels — who had displayed several times that day a sharp wit I wouldn’t have otherwise associated with a career military officer — marched forward and said officiously, “We’re Marine officers, sir. We’ll improvise.” And off they went.
The next afternoon, I checked with the shooter who’d taken them to the Mansion, and he told me they’d had a great time, the time of their lives, in fact. They’d apparently indulged in Hef’s hospitality, made themselves at home at the open bar and ogled the many sights.
A few days later, I received in the mail a kind note from the colonels, and a beautiful silver Cross pen with the Marine’s eagle, globe, and anchor insignia.
And a few days after that, I found in my mailbox an interoffice envelope from the general manager’s office. I wasn’t in the habit of getting written messages from the GM, so there was some trepidation as I opened the flap to look inside.
It was a copy of a letter from one of the Marines — the one with the runaway sense of humor — thanking the GM for the opportunity to observe a working newsroom and meet so many people. The last paragraph of the letter really got me.
The colonel explained that he’d spent his adult life defending the Constitution of the United States, but it wasn’t until his evening with us that he’d come to personally understand the overriding importance of the First Amendment.
Semper Fi to the men who fought the Battle of Holmby Hills that night, and to all who have served our country.