251st Marine Corps Birthday Celebrated by Service Members, Local Leaders, and Wider Community at On Cue Sports Bar & Grill

On November 10, the On Cue restaurant on Main Street welcomed a crowd of military service members, local leaders, and the wider community to celebrate the 251^st birthday of the Marine Corps. This was not the first time such an event was held in a tavern, master of ceremonies Robert MacDougall remarked humorously, nor is it likely to be the last. With a choice of steak or crab cakes, all in attendance were treated to a delicious meal and the chance to witness a ceremony featuring guest speaker General Randall West that honored the legacy of those who are most prepared when the people they defend are least prepared.

At the Marine Corps 251st birthday celebration held at On Cue, the evening’s MC, Robert MacDougall, handed the mic to guest speaker General Randall West. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh

One thinks of June 6, 1944. What could have been a losing hand turned out to be a royal flush, played by strategic minds calculating the high cost of a pivotal moment: the penetration of the Western Front, the point at which the tides of war turned and led to the liberation of Western Europe. That D-Day moment says so much about what was being honored at the birthday celebration. So much of that preparedness is the willingness to put everything on the line when the outcome isn’t guaranteed. That willingness comes with an awareness of how high the stakes are. It is nothing less than the freedom of one’s brother or sister, father or mother, wife or child.

General West, 2nd from left, was honored with the first slice of cake, while to the far right the oldest Marine present received a slice, and (below) the youngest Marine was likewise honored.

The general reflected on service in the Gulf War of 1990-91, highlighting the value of freedom which the American soldier wants not only for himself but for the citizens of other countries like Kuwait. Standards of common decency must be upheld not only locally but abroad. Upholding those standards is always the goal for the Marine Corps and the armed services in general. As a result, an instant bond forms among those who served, and it was visible at the birthday celebration as soldiers exchanged details of their service and incidental stories that came to mind on the spur of the moment.

In honor of the fallen, a special table was set with a tilted chair and an inverted wine glass.

This event is part of a wider national tradition that honors November 10, 1775, as the Marine Corps’ birthdate.