My name is Paul Keider
This is the speech I did for Forensic Speech Competition. My name is Paul Keider. My years of service...have yet to be determined.
The great playwright William Shakespeare wrote in Henry V.: "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother..."
You've no doubt been driving down the highway at
some point in your life and seen the bumper sticker reading "Semper Fi."
It's short for Semper Fidelis-Latin, for Always Faithful. It is the motto
of the Marine Corps, but so much more than that. It's a code, a way of life,
of serving one's country. Always Faithful, loyal above all else, to God,
Country, and Corps. It is the common thread through Marines, young and old,
past and present, that makes the Marine Corps more than a branch of the
military; it's a brotherhood, a band of brothers.
Marines have always stood out among their brother military services.
There is something about them that somehow separates them from all
the others. President Ronald Reagan said: "Some people spend an entire
lifetime wondering if they've made a difference. Marines don't have that
problem," Marines have indisputably made a difference. The question is...how?
What are the Marines, and what have they done throughout history that made
such a difference? One thing that makes the Marine Corps different from
other military services is their uniform. It is said that there is not
one element of the uniform that doesn't have some kind of historical
significance; nothing is just for show. The red stripe, for example,
that goes down the trousers of the Marine uniform is known as the Blood
Stripe. The stripe is worn by all officers and NCO's to commemorate the
Marines who died defending students at a citadel known as "The Halls of
Montezuma." The sword carried by Marines is perhaps the most significant
element of the uniform. Legend has it that the sword was a gift to Lt.
Presley O'Bannon following the defeat of the Barbary Pirates in a part
of N. Africa, known today as "The Shores of Tripoli." By 1825, Marine
regulations issued the sword to all officers, and the distinctive sword
is still worn by Marines today. The nickname "Leathernecks" was given to
Marines because of the leather neck-brace they wore in their first 100 years.
The stock improved posture during parades, and more importantly, protected
their necks from a slashing sword battle. Marines hated this part of
their uniform, and thought that best protection against a sword was the
14-inch bayonet on the end of their rifle. They liked the name, however,
and it stuck for a few centuries. The emblem of the Marine Corps that is
found all over the uniform...as well as my tie...has hardly changed since
the birth of the Corps in 1775. The eagle represents the nation, the
globe represents the worldwide services of the Corps, and the Anchor
represents ties with the Navy.
Marines have distinguished themselves on the battlefield in every major
and minor conflict since before the birth of our country. In WWI, a
ivotal battle was fought at Belleau Wood, France. The handful of Marines
that remained after losing more casualties in a day than in all previous
years of the Corps combined had 50 yards left to victory. Surrounded by
dead comrades, pinned down and terrified, the 50 yards seemed impossible.
It was at this critical point that double Medal of Honor winner, GySgt..
Dan Daly swung his bayonet rifle over his head with a forward sweep,
yelling at his men "COME ON MARINES! DO YOU WANT TO LIVE FOREVER?!?"
With a roar, the survivors surged forward and overran the German machine
gun nests, paving the way to victory in Belleau Wood and in WWI. Also
during this battle, the Germans began to call the Marines "Devil Dogs,"
a name worn with pride by Marines today.
In WWII, the invasion of Tarawa marked the starting point of defeating
the enemy in the Pacific. The Japanese Commandant boasted "A million
men cannot take Tarawa in a hundred years." Well, 5,600 Marines took the
island in 3 days. The battle plan, put into simplest terms by Admiral
Chester Nimitz, was to "Get the hell in, then get the hell out." When
it was over, the featureless coral beaches were covered with sun-blackened
corpses of nearly 7,000 men; startling evidence of the ineffable heroism
and valor that stormed the very gates of Hell.
Then, came Iwo Jima. Maj. Gen. Erskine best described the thoughts of Iwo
Jima when he said "Victory was never in doubt...what was in doubt was whether
there would be any of us left to dedicate our cemetery at the end...whether
the last Marine would die knocking out the last Japanese gunner." The spirit
of Belleau Wood was with the Marines during that 2-month struggle. When they
finally realized their defeat was inevitable, the remaining 500 Japanese
committed ceremonial suicide. 6,000 Marines lay dead on the black sand of
the island, among 21,000 Japanese. Joe Rosenthal, a combat photographer
took this photo of the famous flag-raising on Iwo Jima. The photo was
later made into a sculpture, the Marine Memorial, bearing the words
spoken by Admiral Nimitz, "Among the men who fought on Iwo Jima,
uncommon valor was a common virtue."
The Marine Corps has influenced our life in America more than you or
I will ever know. A great deal of people who have had effected our
lives have taken the lessons they've learned in the Marines in WWII,
and the Korean War. John Glenn, pioneer of space and US Senator was
William's wing commander. Emmy-award winning talk show host Montel
Williams extraordinarily decorated and distinguished career in the
Marines. Williams' received 10 very highly respected awards from the
Department of both the Navy and the Army, including 2 Meritorious Service
Awards...an award rarely given more that once. Zell Miller, newly elected
US Senator, Former Governor of Georgia, and epitome of self-made man,
drastically reformed Georgia's education system, and set a precedent
for other states to follow. Sen. Miller attributes his success to the
lessons he learned in the Marines, and wrote a book about it: "Corps
Values: Everything you need to know I learned in the Marines."
The theory is that the Marines are the answer to society's troubles.
Thucydides, a Greek historian, said, "He is best who is trained in the
severest school." The Marine Corps provides the severe school, Parris
Island, SC, the site of Marine Corps Boot Camp. Boot Camp is rigorous
12-week program providing the elitist training that our country has to
offer. By comparing the Marine's boot camp to that of other services,
you can see how serious your level of self- discipline and commitment
must be, and what is expected if you are to earn the title of Marine.
The 12-week Marine Corps training dwarfs the 8-week of the Army and Navy,
or the 6-weeks of the Air Force boot camp. Semper Fi you see, is not
a tangible concept that can be taught in a manual or book. It's a
225 year-old tradition that must be drilled into you. Parris Island
and its drill instructors will teach you values and discipline that
you should have learned growing up, but for some reason are not
emphasized by society anymore. The lessons that are learned there,
are those that have formed America and made it what a great nation
it is today, and despite the fact that they may not be held on a
pedestal anymore, the Marine Corps has kept them alive. Their uniforms,
elite training, against all odds successes in battle, their ineffable
spirit, has separated them from any other branch of the military.
From the Leathernecks of 1775 to the Devil Dogs of World Wars One
and Two...From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli,
Marines, have indeed, just as Ronald Reagan said, made a difference.
Perhaps a more modern version of the "band of brothers" that Shakespeare
spoke of, brothers who live, and die, by the code of Semper Fidelis.
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