The Marine Corps League, Lake Blue Ridge Detachment #1438 held the annual Marine Corps Birthday Ball at North Georgia Technical College in Blairsville, November 9.
Over 130 people attended the formal event to celebrate the 244th birthday of the United States Marine Corps and hear guest of honor Judge George Patrick Murphy, according to event spokesman Dale Greene. He said the event is as “close to what you would experience if you were on active duty in Camp Pendleton or Camp Lejeune or Washington, D.C.”
Of Murphy, Greene said, “He is a combat veteran of the Vietnam War and a retired United States Court of Appeals Judge from the seventh judicial circuit of Illinois. Judge Murphy served in Vietnam as an assault infantryman in 1966-1967 during some of the earliest fighting in the conflict.”
Marines hailed from as far as Singapore to attend the celebration. Greene said, “Not only did we have the group from Illinois and Ohio attend but we had participants from Blairsville and Murphy as well.”
First Lieutenant Chuck Clark was able to reunite with several guys he fought with in Vietnam. “One of the things that was memorable for me was the fact that seven of the guests were men who were in the same company that I had fought with in Vietnam in 1968 during the Tet Offensive. They came from all over. One came from as far away as Singapore,” he said.
Two of the men didn’t make it to the Ball. One, Ted Edwards, died soon after a military photographer had taken a group photo of the officers of Kilo Company 3rd Battalion 1st Marines. Edwards was the Forward Observer and coordinated artillery fire for the company. That fateful night in 1968 during the Tet Offensive, a large regiment of North Vietnamese attacked Kilo Company and a bloody battle ensued.
Of this group, Clark said, “We were involved in a lot of combat action and some of it pretty major. We were in the service during Tet of ’68. That picture was taken the night before we were attacked by a large force of over 500 North Vietnamese. Because of some of the things Colonel John Regal did, it probably saved most of our lives.
“He relocated us after it got dark. They attacked the village and we fought them all night and the next morning we were re-enforced and we came back. We were able to overcome them and they ended up with 144 confirmed kills. So, it was a significant battle that ended up giving the Battalion and Company a Meritorious Unit Commendation.” The Battalion later received a Presidential Unit Commendation for that and more.
The other man from Kilo Company who didn’t make it to the Ball was Bill Michel. He died three years ago and his wife attended the Ball in his honor.
Clark said the Ball was a special time for him because the camaraderie with his fellow Marines. He explained the purpose of the Ball is to establish tradition and the passing of knowledge from the oldest of the Marine Corps to the youngest of the Marine Corps, and to celebrate the Marine Corps itself. “Throughout the world, every installation usually has a celebration, a birthday ball. ... Anybody who is a Marine will usually be involved in a birthday ball, if possible. It’s just a part of our tradition,” he said.
One of the traditions that signifies the passing of knowledge is the Cake Ceremony. In the ceremony, several gather around the large cake, including the guest of honor, the oldest and the youngest Marine.
A piece of cake is cut for the guest of honor. Then, another piece of cake is cut and given to the oldest Marine Corps member who takes a bite. The piece of cake is then passed to the youngest member who also takes a bite. In this way the Marines symbolize the passing of knowledge from one generation to another.