R 031215Z AUG 23
ALMAR 022/23
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC DMCS//
SUBJ/UNITED STATES COAST GUARD 233RD BIRTHDAY//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  On behalf of the United States Marine Corps, I salute the United States Coast Guard, our Nation's first maritime military force, on the 233rd anniversary of its establishment.
2.  Since its founding on 4 August 1790, the Coast Guard has steadfastly ensured the Nation's safety and security, standing vigilant over American shores and guarding U.S. interests overseas.
3.  During the Second World War the Marine Corps and Coast Guard worked closely together, as Coast Guardsmen crewed many of the landing craft carrying Marines ashore.  Most famously, on 27 September 1942, during the Second Battle of the Matanikau of the Guadalcanal campaign, Signalman First Class Douglas Munro used his Higgins boat to shield Marines from enemy fire as he led their extraction from the beach.  He was slain in the action and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.  His bravery and composure under fire saved many Marine lives, and his actions stand today as exemplars of the self-sacrifice and devotion to duty that characterizes the United States Coast Guard.  Happy 233rd Birthday and Semper Paratus.
4.  Semper Fidelis, Eric M. Smith, General, U.S. Marine Corps, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps.//