In honor of the United States Marine Corps’ 234th birthday, I would like to pass along something you may have come across over the years … but it’s on this special day that I, every year, still get a big grin out of reading. My father, you see, was a decorated U.S. Marine of 23 years. As some of you know who have read some of my other ramblings and writings, he was an aviator in the Marine Corps and, like many of the self designated demi gods, was reluctant to adopt the proper title of “Naval Aviator.” Yes, yes … I do realize that the Marine Corps IS a department of the Navy …

The men’s department …

But anyhow, enjoy with me the annual re-reading of …

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The U.S. Marine’s version of Genesis Chapter I …

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… In The Beginning …

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In the beginning was the word, and the word was God, and all else was darkness and void, and without form.

So God created the heavens and the Earth. He created the sun, and the moon, and the stars, so that light might pierce the darkness. The Earth, God divided between the land and the sea, and these he filled with many assorted creatures.

And the dark, salty, slimy creatures that inhabited the murky depths of the oceans, God called sailors. And He dressed them accordingly. They had little trousers that looked like bells at the bottom. And their shirts had cute little flaps on them to hide the hickeys on their necks. He also gave them long sideburns and shabby looking beards. God nicknamed them “squids” and banished them to a lifetime at sea, so that normal folks would not have to associate with them. To further identify these unloved creatures, He called them “petty” and “commodore” instead of titles worthy of red-blooded men.

And the flaky creatures of the land, God called soldiers. And with a twinkle in His eye, and a sense of humor that only He could have, God made their trousers too short and their covers too large. He also made their pockets oversized, so that they may warm their hands. And to adorn their uniforms, God gave them badges in quantities that only a dime store owner could appreciate. And He gave them emblems and crests… and all sorts of shiny things that glittered… and devices that dangled. (When you are God you tend to get carried away)

On the 6th day, He thought about creating some air creatures for which he designed a Greyhound bus driver’s uniform, especially for Air Force flyboys. But He discarded the idea during the first week, and it was not until years later that some apostles resurrected this theme and established what we now know as the “Wild-Blue-Yonder Wonders.”

And on the 7th day, as you know, God rested.

But on the 8th day, at exactly 0730, God looked down upon the earth and was not happy. No, God was not happy at all! He thought long and hard about His labors, and in His divine wisdom God decided He needed to create a distinctly divine creature. And this He called Marine.

And these Marines, who God had created in His own image, were to be of the air, and of the land, and of the sea. And these He gave many wonderful uniforms. Some were green; some were blue with red trim. And in the early days, some were even a beautiful tan. He gave them practical fighting uniforms, so that they could wage war against the forces of Satan and evil. He gave them service uniforms for their daily work and training. And He gave them evening and dress uniforms … sharp and stylish, handsome things … so that they might promenade with their ladies on Saturday night and impress the hell out of everybody! He even gave them swords, so that people who were not impressed could be dealt with accordingly.

And at the end of the 8th day, God looked down upon the Earth and saw that it was good.

But was God happy? Oh, no! No, no, not at all. God was definitely not happy!

Because in the course of His labors, He had forgotten one thing: He did not have a Marine uniform for Himself.

He thought about it, and thought about it, and finally … God satisfied Himself in knowing that, well …

Not everybody can be a Marine!