The Marine Corps turns 251 on November 10, and the nation pauses for Veterans Day on Nov. 11.
Every year at this time, Marines everywhere stop to honor a bond that began in 1775 at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia. We mark the occasion with a sacred cake-cutting ceremony, passing the first slice from the oldest Marine in the room to the youngest. It isn’t just a ritual. It’s the passing of knowledge, heritage, and the unshakable oath of Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful) from one generation to the next.
Earning the title
Becoming a Marine was my lifelong dream, and I earned the title at Parris Island, S.C. It did not come easily. It took 13 grueling weeks of boot camp, battling sand fleas and straining to stand motionless at attention under the baking, humid southern sun. But when I finally stood on that parade deck, heard the dismissal and knew I was a U.S. Marine, it was one of the proudest moments of my life.
What the Marines gave me was irreplaceable: discipline, focus and the honor of being part of a team far bigger than myself. When you join the service, no matter what branch you choose, you join a band of brothers and sisters. It is the ultimate championship team. We are linked for life: once a Marine, always a Marine. The Corps is a brotherhood that will never quit on anyone, and in return, a person never quits on the Corps. My life is far better because of the Corps than it would have been without it.
The ultimate championship team
In good times and bad, Marines and our military brothers and sisters never leave one another behind. That same truth holds in sports. Whether it’s helping a teammate survive a brutal conditioning drill, pushing each other through one last heavy set in the weight room or digging deep in the trenches to convert on fourth-and-one, you stand together. You win as a team, and you lose as a team.
Spending my days on high school and college sidelines and in small-town weight rooms across southeastern New Mexico, I see that same spark. I see young men and women straining under heavy iron, chasing championships and learning what it means to pull for the person next to them. That championship feeling they chase on the field is a lot like what it feels like to be in the Corps. Military discipline takes that Friday night grit and raises it to a sacred duty. It takes that local teamwork and turns it into a lifelong commitment to protect the person on your left and your right.
Answering the call to serve
To the young athletes sitting in our locker rooms who feel that call to serve: know that there is no nobler profession on the face of the earth. I served my country for four proud years in the Marine Corps, and I can tell you without hesitation that they were the best years of my life. If you choose to put on the uniform, I believe they will be the best years of your life, too. You will find a brotherhood, a purpose and a pride that time can never erase.
Honoring those who served
You will also learn the weight of that uniform. Freedom has never been free. Countless men and women signed their names on the dotted line, fully aware that service meant stepping into harm’s way. Many paid the ultimate price, not for fame or recognition but out of a deep love for God, for their families and for this country. Their sacrifice bought and paid for every breath of freedom we enjoy today.
Even now, after all these years, every time I see that photo of the Marines raising the Stars and Stripes atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, I still get chills. It’s more than an iconic image. It’s a symbol of resolve, sacrifice, and the invincible spirit of the American military.
To my fellow Marine brothers and sisters: Happy 251st birthday and Semper Fi. To every veteran across Eddy and Chaves counties and this entire nation, no matter your branch of service, I hold you in the highest honor and send you my deepest love and respect. Thank you for your service and sacrifice and for keeping the greatest country in the world free. God bless our veterans, and God bless the United States of America.
JT Keith can be reached at 575-430-0061 or on X at @JTKEITH1.
