WOODBRIDGE – Marines young and old around the nation, whether it was with the Avenel Detachment Marine Corps League at the Forge Inn on Route 9 over the weekend or on a mountaintop in Iraq, celebrated the Marine Corps’ 232nd birthday on Saturday.
“You know that those Marines on the mountaintops of Iraq are breaking cupcakes, Snicker bars or whatever it is [to celebrate the Marine Corps’ birthday] with us,” said Lt. Col. Glenn Sadowski, member of the military staff committee at the United States Mission to the United Nations in New York. Sadowski was the Avenel Detachment’s guest honoree.
Former and active-duty Marines, some dressed in their formal Marine dress blues – black jacket with gold buttons and red piping, blue trousers with the blood stripes down the sides, and shiny black shoes – celebrated the birthday ball hosted by the Avenel Detachment of the U.S. Marine Corps League on Nov. 10.
The crowd enjoyed a variety of food, from hors d’oeuvres of calamari fritte and eggplant rollatini to main course meals of chateaubriand and salmon Mediterraneo.
The birthday ball had the traditional cake-cutting ceremony that is celebrated the same way by all Marines around the world. Sadowski did the honors by cutting the first piece of cake for the youngest Marine, Joseph Pezza, 22; the second piece of cake went to the oldest Marine, Ray Hechler, 88, and the third piece of cake was for Marine who cut the cake, Sadowski.
In a loud, strong voice, Sadowski informed the crowd of 112 people that the cake “could be ingested by humans.”
The crowd roared with laughter.
Pezza and Hechler followed with a nod, reassuring the crowd of the cake’s edibility.
The night began with the Marine Junior ROTC Color Guard of Rahway High School under the direction of Sgt. Maj. George Henry as they marched and showed their colors. Marty Martino, commandant of the Avenel Detachment, led the processions throughout the night.
The phrases “Ooh-rah,” which originated with the Marines of the 1st Amphibious Reconnaissance Company aboard the submarine USS Perch in 1953, and the U.S. Marine Corps motto since 1883, “Semper Fidelis,” Latin term for always faithful, were heard throughout the night.
The annual birthday celebration dates back to Nov. 1, 1921, when John A. Lejeune, 13th commandant of the Marine Corps, directed that a reminder of the honorable service of the Marine Corps be published worldwide on the Corps’ birthday.
The Marine Corps’ birthday has been officially celebrated on Nov. 10 ever since.
The first so-called “birthday ball” was held in Philadelphia in 1925. It has not been determined when the first cake ceremony was held, but there is evidence of a cake ceremony held at Quantico, Va., in 1935.
The celebration included a reading of an excerpt from the Marine Corps Manual and a birthday message from the commandant.
Mayor John E. McCormac, council President Brenda Velasco and Councilmen James Carroll and Gregg Ficcara were on hand to present the mayoral proclamation extending the township’s birthday greeting to the Avenel Detachment.
State Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-19) was also on hand to present a Senate and Assembly proclamation to Sgt. Roy Sherman, who received a Bronze Star and three Purple Heart medals for his service during the Vietnam War.
Martino presented a framed photograph of the front cover of the Marine Corps Ball itinerary, which displays the rise of the American flag, to the owner of the Forge Inn, who donated his services and also donated the U.S. Marine Corps ice sculpture for the Marine Ball.
Toward the end of the night, the crowd was wowed by an exhibition by the Rahway High School’s Marine Junior ROTC drill team.
“Oohs” and “ahs” could be heard from the crowd during their exhibition.
Sadowski and Martino presented Sgt. Maj. Stephen Cherepon with the Marine of Year Award.
“It doesn’t get any better than this,” said Cherepon, who served in the Marine Corps during World War II. “We train not as an individual, but as a group. … If I had to do it again, I would, because [these Marines] are an exceptional group.”