Marines are not just people in the military, they are much more, and with leadership, discipline and precision. RUHS Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (MCJROTC) hosted a Marine Corps 250th anniversary celebration. Senior Leah Stafford, a first lieutenant, and senior Jimena Perez, a company gunnery sergeant, see the importance of celebrating events like these for several reasons.
“It speaks to patriotism for our country. Giving props to the Marines that are working out there and risking their lives for us on the front lines or just any job they have in the Marines shines more light on recognizing them through us,” Stafford said.
During the event, MCJROTC celebrated the Marines and their program through speeches about the Marines and ROTC spoken by Sergeant Major Dean Davis (senior), Adjutant Danielle Felixson (senior), as well as CCO Brady Hancock (senior). The event also presented the students in ROTC like Sergeants, Platoon Commanders and other positions alongside performances put on by Color Guard.
“The event impacted me because it was a reminder of what I’m going to be missing once I graduate. Since it’s my last year doing it and I’ve been doing it since my freshman year, I feel like it’s really important to remember how the Marines started and why we should celebrate them because it’s not really spoken about as much” Perez said.
Perez wasn’t the only one celebrating this event for the last time. Stafford shares her progress in ROTC, and the emotional impact this event had on her as a senior and being in MCJROTC since she was a freshman.
“As a senior, this event felt especially meaningful because for four years, I experienced the Marine Corps birthday ceremony from the formation standing point. When you’re standing in camis, following the commands that the Platoon commanders are giving you and watching everything happen in front of me, this year was completely different,” Stafford said. “I saw the entire operation, behind the scenes, the planning, all the adjustments we had to make and all the extra details added because we wanted to go all out for the 250th birthday. Instead of just being one of the cadets standing in formation, I was able to stand alongside my staff, and it made me proud to see how far not only I’ve come but how everyone has come. It was just really special to experience the ceremony from that leadership perspective for the first day and last time.”
The Marines are not just an elite military force, they are also men and women who give their lives to protect our country MCRJOTC thanks that celebrating their birthday really helps recognize them in ways that the everyday person may not be able to.
“It’s really important for everyone in the program to celebrate it because if it weren’t for the Marines becoming a thing back then, we wouldn’t be having such opportunities that we have now nor would we be even in this program because it wouldn’t exist,” Perez said. “It’s important to remember everyone who has been in the Marines that fell before.”
