It’s a special day today for a lot of my good friends who are members of an elite wing of the United States Armed Forces.  That’s right, leathernecks, it’s time to wish happy birthday to the United States Marine Corps!  Oorah, devildogs!

There is no branch of the service that commands the loyalty and respect that the Marine Corps does, and there’s no branch of the service that has been more romanticized by popular culture.  From the paint-blistering tirades delivered by real-life Gunnery Sergeant R. Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket to John Wayne’s cinema heroics in The Sands of Iwo Jima, the love affair between Hollywood and the Marines has a long and storied history.

One of the reasons behind this might be the fact that so many Marines have gone on to become huge Hollywood stars, so they give back to the Corps that gave so much to them.  Among some of the famous Marines who made it big in Hollywood are Gene Hackman, Brian Dennehy, Lee Marvin, and Steve McQueen.  If they’re not funny enough, there’s also Drew Carrey, Jonathan Winters, Bea Arthur (one of the first female Marines), Don Adams (Inspector Gadget and Maxwell Smart), Captain Kangaroo Bob Keeshan, and Bozo the Clown Bob Bell.  For those who love music, musicians Freddy Fender, Nate Dogg, Shaggy, CJ Ramone and both of the Everly Brothers are jarheads.  The founders of both Dominos Pizza (Tom Monaghan) and Little Caesar’s Pizza (Mike Illich) are also Marines, and I bet the active enlisted service wishes those two provided the chow.

That’s before you count the artists, authors, boxers, professional wrestlers, Congressmen, governors, astronauts, and other public figures who have worn dress blues.  Truly, the Marines have given a lot for, and a lot to, the United States, and I’m proud to have had many friends and relatives who have gone into the service of the Corps.

Semper Fi from your pal at PopFi!

Tags: usmc, united states marine corps, marine corps birthday, usmc birthday, marine birthday, military, us military, 233rd birthday, 233rd anniversary of the marine corps, famous marines

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