Speech
Remarks by Ambassador Joseph A. Mussomeli, 2006 Marine Corps Ball
InterContinental Hotel, Phnom Penh
November 17, 2006
Good evening. What a great night. Welcome to Embassy Phnom Penh’s first United States Marine Corps Ball in a very, very long time. The last one, if I calculate this right, was way back in 1974. 32 years ago. In 1974 none of our Detachment -– other than the Gunny, of course – had yet been born. In 1974 not only did I have hair, I even had a ponytail! A lot has changed in the world and in Cambodia during those 32 years. But the Corps remains steadfast. The Corps remains as it always has been since its founding in 1775, 231 years ago.
A few names of a few places to remember: Chapultepec Castle, Belleau Woods, Chosin Reservoir, Khe Sanh, Fallujah. Why list these places? Well, the most obvious assumption – even if it is a mistaken one -- is that these places were all great battles in which our Marines fought. Chapultepec Castle was the fortress in Mexico City which the Marines stormed during the Mexican War of 1846-1848. It is why the Marine Hymn includes the phrase “from the Halls of Montezuma.” And Belleau Woods was where during WW I the Marines showed the world -- or at least our European allies who were not yet convinced – their courage. In fact during that battle our European allies urged the Marines to retreat, warning them that the German lines were just too strong. The Marine reply: “Retreat? Hell. We just got here.” Almost half a century later, those words inspired the Marines who were being encircled by the Chinese army at the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean conflict. When the Marines were asked if they were retreating, one of them responded: Retreat? Hell. We’re just attacking from another direction.” At Khe Sanh in the Vietnam War and much more recently in Fallujah and elsewhere in Iraq again our Marines have shown themselves to be the best we have.
But that isn’t why I chose these battles. There were far more battles with far more heroes throughout the Corps’ 231 years. Choosing these particular battles has nothing to do with the Marines who always acquit themselves bravely. Instead, these battles were chosen because of the wars themselves. All these wars were controversial, and most of them unpopular as well. During the Mexican War one of America’s most famous writers, Henry David Thoreau, went to jail, refusing to pay a tax in protest against the war. In WW I hundreds more went to jail in protest. In Korea, public support for the war waned after three bloody years of fighting. And, of course, in Vietnam we all remember how both politicians and the public changed their views as the years went by and the body count mounted. The same today about Iraq. Our allies, our politicians, the American people, go one way than another, think one thing than another, say one thing than another. But not the Marines.
The Marines remain steadfast. Always. They do their duty. Always. They remain the tenacious, determined, pigheaded warriors that keep our nation free and the world safe. In a world too often inclined to always take the easy path, to ignore obligations and promises, it is somehow reassuring to know the Marines.
You know in my life I have met dozens of people who have let me down, who have been a disappointment. But I have never met a Marine that ever let me down. You can always count on a Marine.
And lest any of you think I am biased for the Marines, I should confess that there has never been a Marine in my family. In fact one might say I come from a very anti-Marine household. My father was in the Army for 34 years. Both my brothers served in the Army. All my uncles also joined the army. When I was growing up I recall my father saying nasty things about the other branches of the military. Of course, it was a lot easier for him to criticize the Navy and the Air Force—very soft targets as we say today—but he would also say negative things about the Marines.
How bad was it in my family? Here is a true story. One day, when I was about 5 years old, I was playing alone with my toy soldiers—I had several hundred of them—and one of my sisters walked by and asked which were my favorite. Stupidly I admitted that I liked the Marines the best. She squealed with delight knowing how angry my father would be, and she ran off to tell all my other siblings. They came back breathless and asked if it were true, and being far more outspoken as a child than I am now, I said yes, the Marines were my favorite and then I added: “And when I’m older, I’m going to join the Marines.”
Gasps of horror, then silence, and then some dire warnings: “Dad is going to really whack you.” “You just wait and see.” “You’re in big trouble now.” “You’re dead meat.” Well, being whacked was almost a daily occurrence anyway so I wasn’t too worried, except I knew how much my father disliked the Marines so I was really, really concerned I might not be able to sit down for several days after he got done beating me.
When my father came home that night all my brothers and sisters competed to tell him the good/bad news that his youngest son was a traitor. My father looked stunned, then he looked down at me, and just kept staring silently. Finally a huge, broad smile spread across his face and he quietly said to me, “Joe, my son, if you want to join the Marines, go right ahead and try.” I was so relieved and surprised, and my siblings of course were all very disappointed not to witness the beating of the century.
And it wasn’t until many years later that I understood my father’s smile. It wasn’t even a smile; it was a smirk. Whatever complaints he might have had against the Marines, he at least realized that the Marines had standards. And having standards he knew there was no way in hell the Marines would ever let me enlist. And I guess that realization was in many ways worse than the beating I had feared getting.
I have talked enough. I would end by just reiterating the gratitude and respect all of us have for our Marines. If I have any complaint against the Marines it is only that they do their job too well. As I get older I find it more and more unreasonable that such terrific young men and women should ever risk their lives for someone as old and over-the-hill as me. It seems wrong, it seems like a waste, that the best we have should risk themselves for the rest of us. But they do so with a courage, with a tenacity, with a steadfastness that puts the rest of the world to shame.
Marines. Congratulations and Happy Birthday. Semper Fi.