Marines recall sacrifice at 228th birthday ball

An evening of toasts, laughter and dancing was kept somber for 200 Marines and their families by a small white table with a place setting for one and a single red rose.

The table, set up in remembrance of the military's prisoners of war and those missing in action, was part of an overriding theme for the 228th birthday ball of the local Cpl. Mason O. Yarbrough Detachment of the Marine Corps.

"So many sacrifices, so many people who aren't here tonight," said guest speaker Rod Jetton, a member of the Missouri House of Representatives and a former Marine. "That's what this ball is about, thinking about those sacrifices."

The ball, held at Cape Girardeau's Holiday Inn Convention Center, included a presentation of colors, dinner and the traditional cake cutting ceremony, during which the oldest and youngest Marines present the first slices of cake to each other. Those activities were followed by an evening of dancing.

Much of the evening was steeped in tradition that began with the first Marine Corps birthday celebration in 1921. The original anniversary message, written by Gen. John Lejeune in that year, was read aloud, along with the 2003 message from Gen. M.W. Hagee.

"Once a Marine, always a Marine," said Dick Decker, detachment post master. "And our tradition continues with Operation Iraqi Freedom."

The original guest speaker, Maj. Gen. Kevin B. Kuklok, was re-deployed to Iraq recently. Jetton, who finished his tour of active duty in 1996 but still serves as a captain in the Marine Corps Reserves, stepped in with a message for his comrades.

"As Marines, we always talk tough about war," Jetton said. "But I know there's no one who would want to avoid war more than the people in this room. But we also know that isn't always possible."

cclark@semissourian.com

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