MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- “If you’re wearing a uniform, it’s because of the veterans that are sitting here.” Said U.S. Marine Brig. Gen. Dan Conley, the commanding general of Marine Corps Installations West, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, during the 244th Marine Corps Birthday Cake Cutting Ceremony at the Camp Pendleton Base Theater and Training Center on Camp Pendleton, California, Nov. 5.
Conley underscored the importance of taking time to remember the Marines and Sailors that have helped pave the way for the current generation of fighting men and women. “…this is the living embodiment of what we mean by Semper Fidelis, it is the Marines and Sailors that build this legacy, that entrust it to us that are serving now… and it is a mantle of leadership and responsibility as well.”
The cake cutting ceremony is held each year to celebrate the Marine Corps birthday. The first piece is given to the guest of honor, the second to the oldest Marine present. As part of the ceremony, the oldest and youngest Marines present share a piece of cake, signifying the passing of experience and knowledge from the old to the young of the Marine Corps.
“I’m honored to be the commanding general of this base, I have responsibility…but I don’t run the place, it’s the Marines and Sailors that you see here doing their jobs on a daily basis, usually without any kind of fanfare.” Said Conley. “It’s the reason why I love today, to be able to stop, pause for a minute, thank those people that have given us our legacy, that have entrusted to us this great gift and shown us what it means to serve in uniform and then for years, sometimes decades afterwards.”
Conley also gave special thanks to members of the local community, whom make up a major part of Camp Pendleton. “I’m glad that we got members from Oceanside, we got family members from Vista, Fallbrook, and San Clemente, from all the communities that surround Camp Pendleton.” Said Conley. “They are your neighbors and friends…at the end of a long week of training or when we come back from a deployment, their unit is at Camp Pendleton but their heart is in those communities because that’s where their family is…so it’s very important to me and I’m very grateful for those friends and family members that came from those communities that helped us celebrate tonight.”