IN A TRADITION OF HEROES

these are warships of the mighty US fleet ships of the line guarding our shores against hostile forces in time of war they have proven their worth in scores of battles since the birth of our nation in time of peace they are constantly alert and ready to prove their fighting ability once each year every warship must demonstrate its combat readiness to the satisfaction of a team of naval experts a successful demonstration is awarded the prized ee4 battle efficiency sharing this achievement as they share the battle are the seagoing Leathernecks the United States Marines our story is of the men of the marine detachment of flogged their training their duties and the role they play in battle efficiency [Music] shortly after the start of the American Revolution Continental Congress authorized the formation of a battalion of Marines the first Marines enlisted at tun Tavern in Philadelphia and were trained for fighting on both land and sea [Music] their first duty as a unit was aboard the USS Cabot in December 1775 their weapons muskets and cutlasses four years later the Marines turned the tide of battle in America's first famous victory at sea the USS BONHOMME RICHARD under command of John Paul Jones fought his majesty Jeff lacera by hanging in the rigging the Marines swept the opposite deck with deadly busket fire then hurled grenades that blew up the powder magazine and forced the enemy surrender the Marines fought valiantly against the British in the war of 1812 again in the battle for Tripoli and with Admiral Farragut in Mobile Bay the stories of individual marine heroes are countless in 1805 lieutenant O'Bannon led the Marines over the desert in Tripoli and after the enemy town of dirt he was the first American to raise the Stars and Stripes on foreign soil [Music] [Applause] this victory is commemorated to this day by the Scimitar shape of the Marine officers sword in 1889 it was private William Anthony who was detailed to guard the light for the captain of the USS Maine as the ship was going down he fought his way in to bring his captain out the lion heroic deeds such as these are all part of the tradition of seagoing marine on December 7 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor captain Alan Shockley commanding officer of the marine detachment aboard the USS Arizona was blown off the superstructure into the water yet stunned and injured he returned to the floating wreckage despite enemy bombs and strafing to drag a fellow marine to safety captain Shockley was decorated with the Silver Star for his personal bravery it is therefore in a tradition of heroes that the young Marines report aboard their ships for the first time aboard ships that strike with guns aboard ships that strike with missiles and aboard ships that strike with aircraft and they report aboard the seagoing way first a salute app to the national color then a salute to the ship the junior officer of the deck the manner in which seagoing Marines perform in this and other ways is a sign of the training they received at the US Marine Corps sea school [Music] see welcome to see school you are carefully selected Marines selected because of your records in the Marine Corps selected because of your intelligence because of your personal appearance and selected because you wanted to do more for yourselves and your country than the average man [Music] here at sea school you'll learn what it takes to be a seagoing marine you'll keep yourselves physically fit at all times a physically fit man is an alert way and you must always be alert remember you are always on display you'll be required to present an impeccable personal appearance at all times only a seagoing marine knows how much work it takes to live up to this assure you represent the dignity and authority of your country and your course you'll be ambassadors of goodwill as you enjoy Liberty and foreign lands aboard ship you'll act as orderlies to the ship's captain and to the flag officer you'll be responsible for urgent messages from one officer to another you must know how and why the Navy operates you'll form the ship's guard of honor you'll bury the dead you'll give life and color the ceremony you'll represent the ship's captain to visiting dignitaries you'll be protectors of your country's flag [Music] you'll be responsible for security the security of the ship's captain the security of his prisoner and the security of your nation's most advanced weapon and last but not least is battle readiness the ship is after all a fighting machine you as a seagoing marine will play your part in the battle efficiency of your ship those of you who do graduate will be the finest young men our country can find performing duties which history has shown only Marines can perform the graduating class is broken up and sent to marine detachments throughout the three a marine detachment is a separate unit aboard ship and one of the first duties of a new member the ship's detachment is to present himself to the commanding officer I want you to remember that Europe seagoing marine at all times I see you received high conduct and proficiency marks from sea school so far give us that with the fine service record if at any time you have any problems I want you to know you can come and see me again thank sir in a unit as small as a marine detachment upload the commanding officer takes a close interest in the development of each marine commander Kelsey winkowski reporting as ordered sir now they get a guided tour of the ship starting in the cruise lounge with introductions to their fellow Marines men with whom they will share the duties of shipboard life with whom they will share the good times of Liberty in foreign ports and they meet the detachment gunnery sergeant the Gunny as he is called the man who is responsible for carrying out the daily training schedule they are assigned bunks and lockers in the detachment berthing space this is the place they will call home for the duration of their seagoing tour it is small compact and neatness is the order of the day then a look at sick bay here doctors and hospital corpsman are always on duty to treat any ailment or to perform major surgery whenever necessary a tour through the mess hall or galley convinces most Marines that at least as far as food is concerned shipboard Duty has few equals [Music] and if a man wants a mid-afternoon refreshment there is the soft drink in ice cream Thornton known to seafaring men as the Edo when it comes to explaining the 5-inch gun mouth the gunnery sergeant takes over gun mouths don't earn battle efficiency e without personal pride and many hours of gun drill the Gunny is also responsible for the issuing of small-arms to the individual marine once a marine has received a weapon he is responsible for its care and cleaning for as long as he is aboard this ship these weapons are the basic tools necessary for the performance of his ceremonial or security duties duties such as the captain's security sentry the captain security sentry is responsible for the security of all steep rooms in the vicinity of his post he will prevent unauthorized persons from entering a state room when the occupant is absent he will permit no one without a reason to use the area as a passageway the ship's captain has a marine orderly in addition to the security sentry he accepts and delivers messages and often acts as the captain's security century when the captain is in his cabin many cruisers and carriers have flag officers aboard who command task forces of which the ship is apart each flag officer may have five marine orderly by far the most important security duty is the guarding of the latest weapons aboard ships of the fleet this area is off-limits as in these compartments the most sophisticated weaponry maybe get the sentry must ensure that only authorized personnel are allowed to pass into this restricted area [Music] a careful log is kept at all times of who is behind that door continuing the familiarization tour the new seagoing Marines observe the procedures for relieving the Browse entry the Browse entry is responsible for the security of the forward prowl the ship to make sure it is used in accordance with the ship's regulations the first impression of a ship is the marine browse entry and is smart military salute [Music] Marines must know their weapon also they must be able to pass their knowledge on to other personnel members of the ship's company who perform guard duty must be familiar with automatic weapons so Marines of the detachment teach Navy personnel the fundamentals of firing crew-served weapons they have classroom lectures demonstrations and are constantly coaching while firing is in progress [Music] and Marines in turn learn to operate the larger weapons of a modern naval vessel this is a practice 5-inch gun mount the actual mount is enclosed the gun crews operate blind are able to see where their projectiles are hitting each round made of steel weighs over 50 pounds 20 rounds per minute is considered excellent some famous gun crews have succeeded in firing 28 rounds per minute but this takes unusual skill and practice but this is where the coordination and teamwork is developed here the gun crew begins preparing for their annual gunnery competition the gunnery sergeant is ever-watchful teaching and correcting as the crew perfects their technique it is his job to see that every Marine aboard becomes highly proficient in gun drill with his thoughts on the record of the marine mouth last year the gun wonders about the new it is traditional but visiting dignitaries receive full honors do their rank and Congressman Willoughby's first honor is the smart salute of the brow sentry [Music] side boys and the captain greet him at the top of the gangway and down the spotless deck of this man avoir to inspect the Marine honor guard [Music] accompanying the st. Paul as part of the task force will be the missile cruiser USS Chicago and the super attack aircraft carrier USS Oriskany [Music] Marine detachments aboard other ships of the task force repeat the honors to Congressman Willoughby as he arrives aboard their ship the flight deck of the carrier Oriskany provides ample space for a full parade and review at sea [Music] Hudson review wait [Applause] the word [Music] in wartime chips of the lie and prove their battle readiness under fire of battle in peacetime they prove battle readiness by constant training and are ever alert and ready to prove their fighting ability once each year at a given time every warship must prove its battle readiness the award is one of the most cherished prizes II for battle efficiency if won the honor becomes part of the ship's history and is emblazoned on the most prominent part of the ship [Music] [Music] [Music] mount 36 manned and ready [Music] [Music] action [Music] [Music] locked on target [Music] man my dance by batteries release deport command fire commence fire [Music] [Music] fire fire fire fire [Music] now hear this now hear this this is the captain speaking during the next hours and days the ship's battle readiness is thoroughly tested many individual gun mounts will be awarded e for battle efficiency including mount number 52 the mount man by the marine detachment USS st. Paul they receive the hash mark emblem depicting a second year of winning the e award in time of war men become heroes lieutenant will Bannon private Anthony Captain Shapley and many more but in time of peace men become ready these men these seagoing marines are ready as they live in a tradition of heroes [Music]