EMBASSY MARINES / A SENSE OF SECURITY

foreign [Music] thank you hahaha [Music] foreign over the history of our country Marines have served many times on special missions to embassies and legations protected American life and property in such unsettled areas as China and Cuba shortly after World War II in a period of growing International tensions and increased Espionage activity the Department of State became convinced that a military guard force was needed guarantee the security of its Foreign Service establishments around the world an alert well-trained strongly disciplined Force to replace American and foreign civilians being used as guards in December 1948 an agreement based on the Foreign Service Act was reached between the department of Navy and the Department of State establishing the Marine security guard program Marine security guards come under the control of the state department that is they work for the Ambassador and are under Direct Control of the security officer their primary mission is to prevent the compromise of classified material vital to the security of the United States in addition they provide protection for government property and American Personnel at the post although Marines in the program work for the Ambassador they they remain under the administrative control of the Marine Corps security guards are a vital part of Foreign Service establishments their dependability must be absolute 24 hours a day on and off duty the nature of this select Duty dictates the requirements for highly motivated enthusiastic Marines these men are trained at the Marine security guard School Henderson Hall Arlington Virginia a joint undertaking of the Department of State and the Marine Corps Marine selected for training are among the top men in the Marine Corps and they are all volunteers below the grade of Staff Sergeant they must be unmarried and agree to remain so throughout their tours of Duty students who are staff sergeants and above may be married all applicants must have completed at least 18 months of active duty service and stand high in the core's educational rating system above all applicants must have an excellent conduct record be in excellent physical condition must be cleared by a background investigation for top secret clearance and must be mature stable individuals first few days are spent getting ready for the actual weeks of training they receive enough immunization shots to use up three sets of arms [Music] passport photographs another reminder that they will live in a foreign country for two years and represent the United States to the people of that country just as surely as any tourist or state department civilian employee Marine security guards must be able to drive Motor Vehicles safely and intelligently customs and regulations in other countries vary greatly and driving can be a problem each man is Thoroughly checked out the last activity for the new class before beginning school work is a physical Readiness test these men are Marines with a basic requirement to be physically fit a requirement that will continue throughout their Foreign Service Duty the Marine security guard school is much more than a training school it must instill a special spirit and special motivation into each graduate an awareness that he will be a vital part of the embassy staff the director of the school briefs the new student but although you will be working for the Department of State your first and last Marie a particularly select Marine one who will be expected to adhere to the very highest standards of conduct Devotion to duty loyalty and personal appearance before you can graduate from this course you must demonstrate a high degree of motivation and enthusiasm to indicate your capability of Performing this independent Duty and a self-disciplined manner with little supervision those of you who do successfully complete the course will be joining a group of Select and proud Marines who represent the Marine Corps the Department of State and the United States itself in many foreign countries there is a tremendous responsibility attached to this assignment both on and off duty for your every action will be under the close scrutiny of the foreign Nationals that you meet this requires that your conduct be above reproach that you be alert 24 hours a day to the image that you are presenting apply yourself diligently during the coming weeks as the goal that you seek is worth your very best effort students are taught the fundamentals of security they learn two of the pitfalls and problems which are hazards to security particularly the adverse effect on security of incidents of misconduct personal conduct overseas may have an adverse effect upon your duties involving security generally speaking these areas are the black market illegal money exchange reckless driving drinking and early Murray our diplomats play a very important part in international Affairs they represent our government at International conferences such as United Nations Cito Cento NATO and the OAS as an example the OAS otherwise known as the organization of American states is the world's oldest International Organization State Department officials instruct students in the role the United States plays in international Affairs to preserve peace and security and prosperity for the Americans wherever possible practical demonstrations are given to supplement classroom work in theory students learn about bombs and Infernal Devices how to set or change combinations of various lock systems in keeping with the Marine tradition of constant Readiness students receive instruction on the weapon carried by security guards [Music] ceremonial events such aspiring salutes and raising the colors are conducted many times in a foreign country the Precision and discipline shown during an official ceremony can help promote a favorable impression on foreign officials in business [Music] throughout the school term particular emphasis is based on personal appearance Marine customs and traditions discipline courtesy and good manners in many cases a marine guard will be the sole yardstick by which America is measured in keeping with this responsibility the school conducts many classes to help the student understand people and how to get along with them this fact obligates you to conduct yourself in a manner to reflect credit upon your country learn the custom of the country that you're stationed in be friendly and honest in all of your transactions and avoid any suggestion of American superiority meet the Nationals on an on a footing of equality and mutual understanding remember you are a guest in their country avoid conflicts and arguments stand up firmly for your own country and its rights be mindful that many of the people of the world have not seen Americans what they know of us is what they have been told therefore it is possible that all Americans will be judged by you and your actions it is important that the image of Americans reflect the truth and not a distortion these may be dangerous one problem Marine security guards must space is the handling of cranks these persons are usually malcontents or mentally incompetent and should be handled with courtesy no physical Force should be used unless absolutely necessary of course when a mob is involved [Applause] foreign this situation calls for the securing of entrances exits Gates and obtaining instructions from the security officer at one point the school of curriculum is tough but it must produce a very special kind of graduate a security guard who is deeply aware of the vital nature of his work each student must learn the penetration methods used by communist countries is to acquaint you with a few of the methods they employ to embarrass intimidate subvert or discredit Americans whenever a situation presents itself this is a problem a special sort of combat and an altogether different type of War which we all must face and live with you must be ever on the alert against very unique tactics which seek to compromise you or to undermine your loyalty to your country our security program is aimed at helping the Department of State and our government in carrying out its responsibilities to the American people and the conduct of our foreign affairs therefore the absolute protection of classified material must be assured by employees whose loyalty is not divided nor weakened by Thoughtless and irresponsible actions in addition to learning about foreign governments and philosophies the students gain a basic understanding of our government our democracy functions and why a lot of questions will be thrown at them once they're on duty [Music] the school provides as much practical on-the-job training as possible the students have been given the fundamentals they conduct actual security inspections of offices in the state department buildings under the supervision of a state department security officer this is the kind of work they will do at Foreign Service establishments protect classified material ensure proper security measures and procedures [Music] as the course progresses each student undergoes two formal screening missions oh viola you were instructed to fill out this questionnaire on both your military and civilian background you were further instructed to include in the questionnaire any adverse incidents in your past history did you omit any such incident no sir now you realize of course that we're going to do a very thorough background investigation on you in order to determine whether you can be clear to handle top secret material when the investigator goes to your hometown and talks to the police and to your neighbors and teachers is he going to discover some incident that you have not included on this if he's going to trip himself up or exhibit any instability or wrong attitude the time for it to happen is now not overseas it's a tough School has to be at the end of the five-week session when the class party is held the students are really ready to relax and enjoy themselves [Music] graduation day held in the state department Courtyard for the American Revolution and that was the same year class receives a special honor and addressed by the Secretary of State not until a few years later that we appointed a secretary of Foreign Affairs to manage our foreign relations but ever since diplomacy and the Marine Corps have had many ties it is my privilege to welcome you into the Diplomatic service I have little doubt General graduating class will itself meet the great traditions of the elite corps and of this Elite group within an elite corps as they take up their service in all parts of the world Marine security guard graduates special men with special skills within days they are on their way to posts all over the world [Music] there are almost 800 Marine security guards among 94 security guard detachments located in 83 countries around the globe from Bombay to London Paris to Cairo Marines are guarding information and material vital to our country's security first stop for a new guard may be one of four Regional headquarters located in Frankfurt Germany Beirut Lebanon Panama City Panama or in this case Manila in the Philippines here the new man spends a week or so being briefed on the particular security problems of the area native customs and traditions he will encounter at his duty post since this Marine is on his way to Bangkok he will receive a thorough indoctrination in the religious and political beliefs of the ties in Bangkok the new security guard will live in attractive modern quarters located just a short distance from the embassy thank you detachments of security guards vary between 5 and 34 men the majority are no larger than the 11-man Detachment in Bangkok in every case except one the detachments are under the military control of a marine staff non-commissioned officer [Music] he is responsible for the supervision of the guards the individual training of the man administrative matters relating to the Marine Corps and as assistant to the post-security officer he assists in maintaining the security of the post the normal work day of the security guard begins about 5 30 pm on Monday through Friday and continues throughout the night until about 9 30 the following morning on Saturdays Sundays and holidays guards are on duty 24 hours a day individual guards are changed every eight hours to ensure top physical and mental alertness Marines check the logbook for instructions before going on duty Point themselves with any special notices and the names of visitors expected one of the many security activities is visitor control making absolutely certain no unauthorized person is permitted in any of the embassy's buildings [Music] in all contexts the guard is courteous helpful and pleasant he is a representative of the United States and his conduct and attitude can go a long way toward making new friends for our country when an authorized visitor is admitted the guard makes sure his activities are properly supervised [Music] roving guards check offices and building Interiors to make sure no classified material has been left out by accident carbon scratch paper and typewriter ribbons and wastebaskets could contain classified notes when security violations are noted a report is made and immediate steps are taken to correct the situation in addition to security inspections the guard monitors the work of the cleaning Force notes fire and safety hazards and checks the lighting alarm and emergency communication systems daytime security activities include the burning of classified material Security checks of working areas during lunch break and inspection of firefighting equipment and always in each Marine's mind is the constant awareness that an emergency could occur at any instant the ever-present mental conditioning to be ready for that emergency no matter what it is another important aspect of the Marine security guard program is security protection for high-ranking United States delegates to International conferences around the world many times the president secretary of state or other high-ranking officials are in attendance the classified information they have in their possession demands absolute security protection foreign s are exactly alike Marine guard requirements and Duties are carefully planned for each conference trained Marine guards are detailed from the security guard school in Washington DC or from various Foreign Service posts around the world thus a marine guard in Bangkok may find himself on temporary duty at an International Conference in Tokyo foreign [Music] the training of a marine security guard never ceases in addition to continuing instruction on security measures he learns the Customs history and political beliefs of the country possibly the most interesting activity is learning to speak to language [Music] foreign must be mentally and physically alert to properly perform his duty [Music] in time of stress there is no substitute for previous conditioning no substitute for being ready physical conditioning is an important part of the post-training program and a welcome recreational activity at the same time [Music] a people program Marines on duty at Foreign Service posts have always involved themselves with the people of a company particularly the children there's not a Detachment anywhere in the world that doesn't sponsor some kind of children's activity off-duty Marines have the opportunity of a lifetime to really get to know a foreign country and its people they are not restricted to the normal tour set up for tourists they can and do Get Out Among the people completely away from the American community on these excursions they use the foreign language they've learned which in itself is a compliment to the foreign Nation it is evidence of the sincerity of the Marines in attempting to learn the culture and way of life of their country [Music] the warm response of the people of the country invariably provides an opportunity for the Marines to see sites and participate in events they will always remember and experience very few people will ever have foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] it is notable too that those foreign Nationals who come in contact with Marine security guards become friends with him and will never forget their experiences either a favorable impression of the Marines will in effect become respect and friendship toward the United States [Music] Marine security guards they stand ready to protect life and property in emergency situations wherever they serve throughout the world they inspire a feeling of confidence a sense of security foreign