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226th Birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps:

Colonel John R. Bates USMC

9 November 2001
Mt. Fuji Marine Ball, Japan
New Sanno Hotel, Tokyo
Good evening Col. Donigan, Mayor Nagishi,
(list of eight distinguished guests), and Friends of our Corps

17 November 2001
U.S. Embassy Marine Ball Shanghai, China

Contributed by George A. MacRae
K Company, 3rd Marine Raider Batallion

Good evening Mr. Ambassador, General Gorhmley, distinguished guests, and friends of our Corps, Happy Birthday, Marines! I'm very honored and humbled that you would ask Stephanie and I (me) to join you tonight as we celebrate 226 years of honorable and distinguished service of our Corps. For our guests that have never worn the uniform of a U.S. Marine, I ask your forgiveness in advance. Although we are delighted that you have chosen to share this occasion with us, the next few minutes will be addressed primarily to my fellow Marines. You see, for the better part of two and a quarter centuries, wherever so many as two Marines are gathered, they take the opportunity to toast the Corps and to reflect upon our rich heritage. Marines know, remember and celebrate their birthday unlike any other service. Tradition is important to us. There is not a single Marine on earth today that can't tell you the birth date of our Corps. It is ingrained from the first weeks of Boot Camp, OCS, and The Basic School. This is a tradition we will proudly carry forward. Several months ago when I was asked to speak here, I had already begun to formulate notes of what I wanted to tell you. I had planned to tell you of the sacrifices Marines I've known that allows us to call America, the greatest nation on earth today, "home." I planned to have you quietly reconfirm your commitment to your God, Country, and Corps.

The attack on America has changed that and I feel the need to focus my remarks in a different direction. As Commander of the Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection Group for Seventh Fleet, I am briefed extensively everyday regarding the threat we now face both at home as well as abroad. I feel that it is important for me to take this opportunity to discuss some of the issues that will have impact on you as Marines. Most of the information and intelligence we receive is classified, but not so much as for what is said, but rather to protect its source. What I'll share with you this evening is "open source" information, and is not classified, but I believe necessary for you to know and understand. Some of what I will say to you tonight may make you uncomfortable. I make no apologies for that. In a war such as we find ourselves now, it is critically important that we "know our enemy." Because of our gross lack of direct involvement and language skills in the mid-East, we know little about this threat except what we have heard directly from them. What we have heard from them is disturbing.

Much of the Moslem world was dancing in the streets when they saw the twin towers of WTC fall and the Pentagon ablaze. You wonder why there could be such a burning hatred in a people against a country that has helped all other countries with aid and assistance more than any other, bar none. You wonder why the terrorist's dedication is so complete, that there are many waiting in line to give their lives in suicidal attacks to attain martyrdom? Many have studied the history, interests, goals and mindset of these people. I doubt that we could ever fully understand the WHY of these acts and the perverted thought process that caused them to do these things. At this point, trying to understand "why" is not nearly as important as understanding that, unless stopped, they will do it again - and again - and again. The threat is real and continuing. Although we are now enjoying military successes in much of Afghanistan, the threat has spread world-wide and we have not begun to see the end of such acts on American soil and icons of American presence or interests thorough out the rest of the world. The media often refers to the terrorists as cowards. I disagree. A coward would not knowingly conduct a suicidal act just to harm you and your beliefs. Would you commit suicide to kill some of them? These terrorists are street smart, they have a clear mission, and they will readily give their lives if they can take you with them.

In order for us to ensure that it doesn't happen again, we must understand their goals. Their desired end-state is to have a singular Moslem world, led by them. Clearly stated, they will not rest until all non-believers (in their eyes, that means you and me and our families and friends) have been killed and totally eradicated from the earth. They don't want to try to change your hearts and minds - they want you DEAD. It is hard to imagine how such a small, barren "nothing" of a country could have had such a huge impact on the United States and the entire free world. They have little commerce or natural resources. They have a system of government that only a very small percentage of the world's population would ever want to live under. They want only the men educated, and they want absolute control of everyone's daily routines, actions and even thoughts. They want to subordinate women to a role in which nothing but their eyes can ever be shown and they have no employment or social status other than to bear children for their husbands. Their end-state is absolutely contrary to the life style we enjoy in the Western world. They have a twisted way or rationalizing their deeds and are trying to convince themselves and others that they are doing this in the name of "God."

They have no great well-trained, highly organized army or large stockpiles of high tech weapons. To accomplish their goals, they have found the seams in our country that has been so open, receptive and available to all people of different colors, faiths, beliefs and cultures. They have used our own resources as weapons of mass destruction against us. Now comes the problem of how deal with the Al Quata, the Taliban, Osama Bin Laden, and like minded terrorist groups. They deal in threats and violence. Violence is one of the few things they understand. Our job within the U.S. military, especially as Marines, is tough and going to be tougher. If we want to continue to live our lives with the freedoms we have enjoyed for so many years, we must destroy these terrorists. They have made that task more difficult by hiding combatants and weapons of war in and amongst innocent civilians. It bothers them not in the least if we kill civilians while trying to destroy them. In fact, when that occurs, it follows along with their overall plan. They are always calculating how to use any action we take against them to their own advantage.

As our Commander in Chief has so frequently stated, routing them out is not an easy task. It will take time, coordinated efforts of many, and use of the full spectrum of our military power from the air, sea, and certainly the use of ground forces. All of which will require the efforts of U. S. Marin It is often asked if America has the stomach for a protracted war and the potential loss of American servicemen. I'll tell you that we have no other option. We have to be in this for the long haul. Unlike any other war we have participated in within the last century, if we don't win, the end state they plan to accomplish is to have your home town be just like one of the many towns in Afghanistan or any of the other towns or countries that end in "stan" today. They will continue to perform such terrorists acts as they did on 11 Sept until they have accomplished their goal, or they are no longer in existence.

As we look back on that fateful day of 11 September, I can't help but believe that there would be more than 5000 Americans alive today if there had been so much as a single Marine aboard each of those flights that hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. You see, all of us are products of our training. Marines are trained to be swift, violent and overwhelmingly deadly. I just CAN NOT imagine a Marine sitting in his seat and simply hoping that the terrorists would not kill him or his fellow passengers. Marines are trained to be observant and pro-active. What I CAN imagine is the resourcefulness of any Marine confronted with such a situation. From telephone calls received from the planes during the high-jacking, the terrorist simply had box cutters for weapons. BOX CUTTERS! From close combat training and much practical application, Marines are taught to lose a finger or two if necessary to take weapons away from the assailant in order to save lives of others, their own life and kill the aggressor.

Lack of a gun or a knife does not mean that Marines are without weapons. Marines know how to make weapons out of whatever resources are available. A guitar string, boot lace, medical tape, plastic closing line can be used as a garrote; a pot of hot coffee over the head, a match or lighter under a can of hair spray as a flame thrower, a chemical fire extinguisher used as a club or to freeze the assailant's face. A ballpoint pen driven into the enemies' eyes or ears. The list could go on and on and is only limited by one's imagination. The point is, if a Marine identifies danger, by his training experience he has both the right and responsibility to take immediate action. Yes, if a Marine was on each of those flights, they still might have crashed, but I just don't believe that they would have ever reached their intended targets.

Unfortunately, not even all American's love the Marine Corps, its mission, and what it has done and can do for the American people. Over the past years, there has been a concerted effort of non-Marines to make our Corps more Politically Correct. These people have a social agenda that they feel is more important than national security. I ask you to fight this to the end. Political correctness is more than partly responsible for many of the problems we have today.

When I say we should steer clear of political correctness, I'm not advocating that we should be anything but fair and courteous to all of our fellow citizens and mankind. Everybody should be treated with kindness and
respect - until they have proven to be unworthy of it. My concern is that in the name of political correctness, we just don't "call 'em as we see'em." Marines should never be trained to accommodate the weakest or those
that just can't "hack" it. We should always strive to be harder, smarter, and more lethal than our adversaries. Marines should not be taught to "feel good" because they have achieved the minimum of anything, they should only feel good when they have accomplished what was thought to be impossible by others.

On the 13th on November 1997, Sara E. Lister, the Army's top personnel official and the Pentagon's most ardent advocate of women in combat, in a public forum called the Marines "extremists" and "a little dangerous." Mrs. Lister, the assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs also belittled the Marine Corps uniform and even the way we wear our hair. "I think the Army is much more connected to society than the Marines are." Mrs. Lister told an Oct. 26 seminar. "The Marines are extremists." "Whenever you have extremists, you've got some risks of total disconnection with society, and that's a little dangerous." Then Commandant Charles Krulak immediately inquired if her statements were correctly quoted and if she stood behind them. She acknowledged that they were. Gen Krulak made a public statement saying that such a statement "would summarily dismiss 222 years of sacrifice and dedication to the nation. It would dishonor the hundreds of thousands of Marines whose blood has been shed in the name of freedom. Honor, Courage, and Commitment are NOT extreme." The next day, the Speaker of the House sent a letter to the President demanding Lister's immediate dismissal. 24 hours later, Lister - whom insiders had expected would one day be the next choice for Secretary of the Army, resigned and has to this day not been a representative of any military organization or institution.

I tell you this story because although defined much differently, I believe that Marines are indeed extremists. They are EXTEREMLY proud of their Country and Corps. They will fight to the death to defend them. They are
also EXTREMELY well trained. They have chosen a life that is not easy. A life that few would seek. A life of EXTREME public service. It is for these extreme reasons that Corps is what it is today.

The Marine Corps is not the place for social experimentation. Let others do that. Doing so runs great risk of fracturing our war fighting capability. With that said, due to the events of 11 September, I think the American public in general and even many of those special interest groups are rethinking what they want their military to be and do. Marines are in uniform for one reason. That is to defend the America and our way of life. That often means being very violent in a very ugly business. We CAN NOT become soft when there is not an urgent pressing of conflict. We must be even stronger when others are cutting forces and capabilities. America demands it of us. We shouldn't be surprised at the events over the last couple of months. Much too often in our not so distant past, we have elected officials that put self above nation. We sacrificed a strong intelligence community. Our armed forces were diminished both in size and capability. We were force fed programs to "feel good about ourselves" rather than prepare for war, causing an environment in which we were caught off guard. We became an easy target. We are a country awakened now. We have been attacked in our homeland. We have now felt the reality of just what a dangerous and unstable world it is in which we live. But, even now, after all we have endured in the past couple of months, there are those who choose to take this opportunity to protest our actions of retaliation and retribution and even burn our flag. Yes, Marines, we are charged with protecting these people too. They are weak and cowardly, and when the enemy comes crashing through the front door, they will cower in the back room, counting on better men than themselves to make and keep them
free. Well, the enemy is at our door now, and isn't it interesting that those who cry loudest and most often for their rights, are usually those least willing to defend it.

There was a student interviewed on one of the major news networks shortly after we began to strike Afghanistan. He said that war simply wasn't in his plans and if the draft was re-instated he would head to Canada. Defending his country just wasn't in his plans. I wonder if it was in the plans of the young men and women that went to Vietnam, Korea, the European Theater, China, Burma, India and the Pacific Campaigns? I guess all that did not come back home had their plans re-arranged. The people working in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the terrifically brave fire-fighters, and policemen that tried to rescue them had their plans more than a bit changed. Marines know that Freedom isn't free. It requires vigilance, sacrifice, and sometimes war, to preserve life as we have come to know it. I'm also concerned that there are people, American citizens, who feel that it is inappropriate to wear a flag on their lapel because they are on the
news or in a public position. There are school officials that want to remove pro-American stickers and signs in order not to offend anyone. I'm offended that these people call themselves American. I'm offended that thousands of innocent Americans, as well as other citizens of the world, were killed in a mass attack on unspeakable proportions. Even with all our warts, America is still the greatest nation on earth today.

I'm pleased with the way our Commander in Chief is handling the response to the attack. The response is not a "knee jerk" reaction of throwing a few missiles into Afghanistan and declaring victory. I'm glad that he has refused to negotiate with the Taliban and any known terrorists. The only way we should negotiate with such terrorists is with our knee in their chest and a K-Bar at their throat. Many people are unfamiliar with this way of thinking, and shrink from its ramifications. Not U.S. Marines. War is a messy business, and there are many that want no part of it, but yet will rush to bask in the security blanket of its victory.

There has been pressure from several nations urging us to halt combat operations during Ramadan? ABSOLUTELY NOT! We would be a fool to do so. Past conflicts have taught us the importance of not accepting partial victory. You know, I pity those poor souls that live their entire lives in our great country and grow old without ever contributing to our countries collective well being. Fortunately for you Marines and our country, you are not among them.

History will judge us. How we confront this chapter of American history will be important for the future of this great nation. This will be a war like none other we have endured. The combatants will not just be the soldier on the battlefront, but will be fought by the citizens as well. The outcome of this war will be determined by how well we remain vigilant, how patient we are with tightened security, how well we support the economy, and most importantly, the resolve we show the enemy. There are some things worth fighting for. Our country is one of them. We have much to do, Marines. Train hard, take care of your fellow Marines, and proceed at best speed.
Happy Birthday, Marines.