Thursday, June 02, 2011

Another day closer to home

I woke up this morning thinking about Miah and wondering how his day was going to go. I wondered if he was going to be dealing well with the orders. I wondered if he was on schedule with the events posted on the web site. Today he should be learning basic fighting techniques. I think he will enjoy that.

Miah is physically ready! I know he can handle the early morning stuff….he is our morning guy. I am confident that he is enjoying the cooler temperature even though he will be in the sun more than I will.

If I count the days right we are about 80 days from seeing him again, Lord willing. He has many incredible things to do yet. I will keep you posted.

On Friday AM he will wake up early and learn the history of the proud US Marines. What a great history. Check it out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marine_Corps

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea,[7] using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States. In the civilian leadership structure of the United States military, the Marine Corps is a component of the United States Department of the Navy,[8][9] often working closely with U.S. naval forces for training, transportation, and logistic purposes; however, in the military leadership structure the Marine Corps is a separate branch.[10]

Captain Samuel Nicholas formed two battalions of Continental Marines on 10 November 1775 in Philadelphia as naval infantry.[11] Since then, the mission of the Marine Corps has evolved with changing military doctrine and American foreign policy. The Marine Corps has served in every American armed conflict and attained prominence in the 20th century when its theories and practices of amphibious warfare proved prescient and ultimately formed the cornerstone of the Pacific campaign of World War II.[12] By the mid-20th century, the Marine Corps had become the dominant theorist and practitioner of amphibious warfare.[13][14][15] Its ability to rapidly respond on short notice to expeditionary crises gives it a strong role in the implementation and execution of American foreign policy.[16]

Historical mission

The Marine Corps was founded to serve as an infantry unit aboard naval vessels and was responsible for the security of the ship and its crew by conducting offensive and defensive combat during boarding actions and defending the ship's officers from mutiny; to the latter end, their quarters on ship were often strategically positioned between the officers' quarters and the rest of the vessel. Continental Marines also manned raiding parties, both at sea and ashore. America's first amphibious assault landing occurred early in the Revolutionary War on 3 March 1776 as the Marines gained control of Fort Montague and Fort Nassau, a British ammunition depot and naval port in New Providence, the Bahamas. The role of the Marine Corps has since expanded significantly; as the importance of its original naval mission declined with changing naval warfare doctrine and the professionalization of the Naval service, the corps adapted by focusing on what were formerly secondary missions ashore. The Advanced Base Doctrine of the early 20th century codified their combat duties ashore, outlining the use of Marines in the seizure of bases and other duties on land to support naval campaigns.

Throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries, Marine detachments served aboard Navy cruisers, battleships and carriers. Marine detachments (generally one platoon per cruiser, a company for battleships or carriers) served their traditional duties as ship's landing force, manning the ship's weapons and providing shipboard security. Marine detachments were also augmented by members of the ship's company for landing parties, especially in the Caribbean and Mexico campaigns of the early 20th centuries. Marines would also develop tactics and techniques of amphibious assault on defended coastlines in time for use in World War II.[24] During World War II, Marines continued to serve on capital ships. They often were assigned to man anti-aircraft batteries. When gun cruisers were retired by the 1960s, the remaining Marine detachments were only seen on battleships and carriers. Its original mission of providing shipboard security finally ended in the 1990s when nuclear weapons were withdrawn from active deployment and the battleships were retired.

Source: Wilipedia.com