2007 Speeches

November 10, 2007

Dr. Roy L. Austin
United States Ambassador
Marine Corps Ball

Thank you Gunnery Sergeant Terrance Meekins for that gracious introduction.  It is both a pleasure and honor for me to be here to celebrate the United States Marine Corps’ 232^nd birthday.  I especially want to thank our distinguished guests: The Honourable Minister of National Security and Mrs. Martin Joseph; Brigadier General Edmund Dillon and Mrs. Dillon; and Colonel Roland Maundy and Mrs. Maundy for their attendance, as well as members and veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, my Embassy colleagues, and all others here tonight.

This weekend, American Embassies around the world are doing exactly what we are – celebrating the Marine Corps' birthday. It means a lot to our proud, brave and skillful contingent of Marines and to me that you have chosen to come to this wonderful event held in their honor.  These gatherings testify to the value of the Marine Corps to the United States, and about the extent to which the Corps is woven into the fabric of Americans' consciousness.

Marines have been involved in protecting overseas U.S. diplomatic outposts since 1835 when members of this military group protected an American mission in Lima, Peru.  However, there were many years between this mission and the modern Marine Corps Embassy Security Command, the formal name of the program under which the Marines here tonight function.  This Security Command was authorized in 1946 by the U.S. Foreign Service Act; and the first of these persons departed for Bangkok and Tangier in January 1949.

Almost fifty years later, we cannot conceive of an Embassy community absent Marines.  They are not only our protectors and helpers, but an integral part of our daily lives.  They hold events to bolster our morale and are the face of the Embassy that visitors first see when they walk into our building.  Efficient, honest, honorable and gracious, we are proud to have them as valued members of the Embassy family.

I shall be remiss, though, if I do not observe that these brave young men – America's finest – do a job that, while at times seemingly routine, can also involve the ultimate sacrifice.  We know that this sacrifice occurs in active war zones like Afghanistan and Iraq where over 800 of these American heroes have paid the ultimate price. At least one of our former guards, Staff Sergeant Theodore “Sam” Holder II is counted among this group. They have also done so in many other hotspots in the world of which you can think.  Many of you are familiar with the words, “From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli.” They do not just form a line in the Marines’ Hymn.

Marines also have made the ultimate sacrifice in protecting U.S. missions.  We can recall the losses of Sergeant Steve Crowley, killed in 1979 during a siege of the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, and Sergeant Jesse Nathanael Aliganga, who was lost in the 1998 Kenya Embassy bombing.

The terrorist bombings at U.S. Embassies, and attacks on our compounds, remind us that what is quiet one day can turn tragic the next.  Our Marines provide the vigilance we need to help keep us safe and are willing to put their lives on the line to do so.  For that, on behalf of the entire Embassy community – indeed, on behalf of the entire State Department – I thank them.

Now I noted that these fine young men and women do their utmost to safeguard and improve our lives.  They are a serious bunch, but also a fun bunch.  Indeed, sometimes Gunnery Sergeant Meekins and his lovely wife have to ride herd on them to keep them from having too much fun.  But we would not have it any other way.  Our Marines – and I use the word “our” with respect and affection – remind us of both the vibrancy of youth and also the strength that accompanies this quality.

Now there are many famous quotes about Marines, including gems such as, “There is no better friend…and no worse enemy than a United States Marine;” “A ship without Marines is like a coat without buttons;” and my personal favorite from former President Reagan, who played a sub commander in the movies but never a Marine. He stated that “Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they’ve made a difference.  The Marines don’t have that problem.”

Let me close by saluting once more the United States Marines and our Marines – Gunnery Sergeant Meekins, and Sergeants Faraday, Harlan, Liddell, Sparks and Quinones.  Your Commandant, General Conaway, in his birthday message, called you and all Marines “America's sentinels of freedom,” and I heartily agree.

Happy birthday Marines and Semper Fi!