- November 23, 2024
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Thomas Burneston sits at a table with fellow Marines during the 14th annual Marine Birthday Celebration at Marina Jack. The event commemorated the 241st anniversary of the Marine Corps.
Event organizer and Marine Tom Smith address attendees of the 14th annual Marine Corps Birthday celebration at Marina Jack.
A saber sits by the Marine Corps birthday cake before it was cut. Cutting the cake with a saber is a tradition at the celebration.
Attendees gave guests of honor Doris Cafferata and Lynn Cafferata-Coovert a standing ovation.
Red poppies, with a note expressing thanks decorated each of the place settings. The flowers, which were the first the flower on Flanders fields after World War I, are a symbol of remembrance for military veterans.
Alaine Thomas claps after event organizer Tom Smith wished the Corps a happy 241st birthday. Thomas, the only female Marine in attendance, quietly added "and sisters" when Smith expressed solidarity with his Marine brothers early in the program.
Jm Govoses raised a glass to honor fallen Marines.
Attendees toasted to the Marine Corps' 241 years.
Stickers commemorating the service of Vietnam veterans lined the table outside the ballroom.
Peter Minotti played taps on a harmonica during a moment of silence to commemorate fallen Marines.
Madison Brillon is acknowledged with his father Robert Brillon. Madison Brillon will be signing up for the Marine Corps in January— 40 years after his father made the some commitment.
Lynn Cafferata-Coovert carries a bag embroidered with her fathers' name. Her father, Hector Cafferata, was a Korean War veteran and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.
General Jarvis Lynch (middle) cut the Marine Corps cake. The second piece of cake was given World War II veteran Captain Ralph Franklin, the oldest Marine in attendance, who passed it to Lance Cpl. Jackson Stroud, the youngest in attendance.
Joseph Dromeshauser stands with his head bowed before attendees sang the Marine anthem to end the event.
There is no such thing as a former Marine, or so the cliché goes. But if you looked around the room during the 14th annual Marine Corps Birthday celebration, you would probably believe it.
Current and retired active duty Marines gathered at Marina Jacks to commemorate the 241st anniversary of the Marine Corps. Although some Marines in attendance actively served as long ago as the 1940s, it's clear that these men and women will always be Marines.
A variety of eras and experiences were represented, but generational distinctions were blurred as World War II, Vietnam and Korean veterans exchanged handshakes and war stories with their younger counterparts who served in the Gulf War and the more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The event honored the service of Hector Cafferata, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and Korean War veteran. Although Cafferata died earlier this year, his widow Doris Cafferata and her daughter, Lynn Cafferata-Coovert, attended the event as the guests of honor in his wake.
The event began 14 years ago when 14 Marines gathered at Marina Jacks to celebrate the 227th anniversary of the Corps. The event has come a long way from it's beginnings with just over a dozen attendees to today's celebration in the packed ballroom on the second floor of Marina Jacks.
"Look at us today, unbelievable," event organizer Tom Smith said.
Despite the new faces, the old traditions remain the same. A cake is cut with a saber, with the first piece going to the guests of honor. The second piece is initially given to the oldest Marine in attendance, who then passes it to the youngest Marine in attendance to symbolize the passing on of the Marine legacy.
The event always ends with the singing of the Marine hymm, and as men and women stood to honor the branch of the military in which they served, it was clear: There is no such thing as a former Marine.
