The United States Marine Corps Birthday is celebrated every year on November 10th with a traditional ball and a cake-cutting ceremony. We didn’t have the funds to pull together a Ball, so Tipper decided to bust us in the _ _ _ _ (s) with a top notch Reaper Hill workout with a true “Gung Ho” meaning backing every step. Here’s the lowdown:
Conditions: Mids 40s, damp & cool under the moonlight
The Thang: split into groups of 4, 6, or 8 and grab a log. Half of your group will carry that log to the halfway point of Reaper Hill. Once you reach the halfway point, your group performs 10 4-count overhead presses with your log. While half of your group is marching the log up or down Reaper Hill, the other half of your group is running Reaper Hill 1 1/2 times until they meet in the middle, top, or bottom of Reaper Hill.
After finishing our workout, we celebrated with a cake cutting ceremony lead by Tipper:
The Marine Corp’s birthday cake-cutting ceremony is important to all Marines, as it is an annual renewal of each Marine’s commitment to the Corps . . . and the Corps’ commitment to our nations quest for peace and freedom worldwide.
The birthday cake is traditionally cut with the Mameluke sword, as a reminder that we are a band of warriors, committed to carrying the sword, so that our nation may live in peace. The Mameluke sword gets its name from the cross hilt and ivory grip design, similar to swords used for centuries by Ottoman warriors. The Marine Corps tradition of carrying this sword dates from Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon’s assault of Derna, Tripoli, in 1805, where he is said to have won the sword of the governor of the city. This was the first time the Stars and Stripes was raised over the Old World.
(Pause)
As is our custom, the first piece of cake is presented to the oldest Marine present. Ladies and Gentlemen . . . the oldest Marine present is Jeff Wilson, Tipper. was born on July 18, 1968, and commissioned into the Marine Corps on May 30, 1990 . the oldest Marine will in turn pass it on to signifying the passing of experience and knowledge from the old to the young of our Corps.
Ladies and Gentlemen . . . The youngest Marine present is Matt Netzel, No Help . was born on October 4, 1985, and enlisted in the Marine Corps on November 28, 2005 at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, SC .
Wapner’s cake slab (piece) was impressive!
Announcements
Prayer Requests: Shake & Bake’s office employee-family-staff, Steamer’s family, Blindside’s family, CHIPS’ mom, the Flanagan Four
Devo: Proverbs 27:17 Iron Sharpeneth Iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend
A team has checks & balances, one person watches the other one’s back. They help them if they falter or lose sight of the goal, just like in friendship. A good friend isn’t someone who always agrees with you, what you do, or what you say. A real friend is someone that is willing to challenge you, to be better as a person. A team player encourages his fellow team mates to be better players. Teamwork and friendship both work in very similar ways.
Well done today, dudes. We thank Tipper, Moist, and No Help for their service and what each one of them brings to F3Lexington. Thank you guys!