WEBVTT 00:02.183 --> 00:04.282 (rifle clicking) 00:08.784 --> 00:11.070 (quiet ominous music) 00:12.205 --> 00:13.454 (thunder rumbling) 00:18.170 --> 00:20.430 - To this day, young men and women 00:20.520 --> 00:22.520 choose to raise their right hand 00:22.995 --> 00:24.329 (indistinct voices) 00:26.110 --> 00:28.277 and swear an oath to something greater 00:28.277 --> 00:29.277 than themselves. 00:31.756 --> 00:33.399 (dramatic music) 00:33.399 --> 00:35.572 (jet engine roaring) 00:36.029 --> 00:38.680 (explosion) (machine gun firing) 00:55.615 --> 00:57.013 (shouting) 01:16.470 --> 01:18.526 - [Man] If I was gonna die, I was gonna die 01:18.526 --> 01:19.699 with my boots on. 01:20.562 --> 01:21.942 Let's do it. 01:30.589 --> 01:32.949 - [Walter Boomer] Combat is ugly. - [Marine] You see, I don't like this. 01:34.252 --> 01:35.720 I don't have a flashlight. 01:36.620 --> 01:37.833 - He's gone. - [Marine] How do you know? 01:37.833 --> 01:39.585 - Because he was laying right there. 01:39.585 --> 01:40.867 He's not there no more. 01:40.867 --> 01:42.578 I shot him like five times when I... 01:42.887 --> 01:44.808 - If you think combat is 01:44.808 --> 01:46.757 great, then you haven't been there. 01:47.836 --> 01:49.535 - [Sergeant Major David Wilson] So we were taking fire, 01:49.535 --> 01:51.176 all day long. 01:51.176 --> 01:54.660 Lieutenant Calvin bent over to grab his radio. 01:54.660 --> 01:57.723 A tracer round came through the 01:57.723 --> 01:59.670 left armhole of his flak jacket 01:59.670 --> 02:01.452 and out the right armhole, 02:01.452 --> 02:03.961 and just barely penetrated the skin. 02:03.961 --> 02:06.205 Crazy thing is that when he was 02:06.205 --> 02:07.895 a young enlisted Marine, 02:07.895 --> 02:10.830 he got a tattoo on his back that said "Marine". 02:11.369 --> 02:12.939 And the tracer 02:12.939 --> 02:15.025 underlined the word "Marine". 02:15.025 --> 02:17.941 That's the kind of story that people won't believe 02:17.941 --> 02:20.044 unless you show it to them. 02:20.790 --> 02:23.057 - I've been shot a few times, 02:23.057 --> 02:24.829 and blown up, and stabbed. 02:26.787 --> 02:28.829 I owe my life to 02:28.829 --> 02:30.506 Navy Corpsmen. 02:30.506 --> 02:32.213 Those are unsung heroes. 02:33.300 --> 02:35.792 - [Jack Riley] When you're in a battle and you're wounded 02:35.792 --> 02:38.134 but you know you can still 02:38.134 --> 02:39.846 pull a trigger, 02:39.846 --> 02:41.905 the thing that keeps you going 02:41.905 --> 02:44.746 is the man to your left and the man to your right. 02:45.119 --> 02:46.656 - [Sergeant Major Carlos Ruiz] Since its birth, 02:46.656 --> 02:48.559 the Marine Corps has sought to find 02:48.559 --> 02:50.110 those exceptional individuals 02:50.110 --> 02:52.372 who embody the qualities of toughness, 02:52.372 --> 02:54.102 grit, honor, 02:54.102 --> 02:55.861 courage and commitment, 02:55.861 --> 02:57.629 qualities required of a 02:57.629 --> 02:59.431 professional warfighting force 02:59.431 --> 03:02.072 that is not only capable but willing to do 03:02.072 --> 03:03.999 the hard things on behalf of the nation. 03:04.369 --> 03:06.524 - [General Eric Smith] Victory in every clime and place 03:06.524 --> 03:08.644 does not happen by chance. 03:08.644 --> 03:11.674 From the unforgiving jungles of the South Pacific, 03:11.674 --> 03:14.331 to the snow-covered mountains of Korea, 03:14.331 --> 03:17.245 to the bloody streets of Hue and Fallujah, 03:17.245 --> 03:20.318 Marines have prevailed because they had moral courage, 03:20.318 --> 03:22.131 steel backbones, 03:22.131 --> 03:25.227 and a ruthless commitment to a tradition of excellence. 03:26.220 --> 03:28.188 - With preparation comes confidence. 03:29.300 --> 03:31.602 The more prepared you are, the more you rehearse, 03:31.602 --> 03:33.670 the more you drill, 03:33.670 --> 03:35.457 the more confident you get. 03:35.457 --> 03:37.751 And so we're ready to go. 03:38.786 --> 03:41.038 - [Ruiz] The Marine standard is the only standard, 03:41.038 --> 03:43.592 and discipline is the currency of our Corps. 03:43.592 --> 03:46.073 This is the bedrock of our ethos 03:46.073 --> 03:48.658 and what makes us unique from any other 03:48.658 --> 03:50.609 fighting force in the world. 03:52.299 --> 03:53.580 - [1st Sergeant Jennifer Morales] Discipline and being lethal, 03:53.589 --> 03:55.137 I see it every single day, 03:55.137 --> 03:58.758 from the fire team to the squad to the platoon level. 03:58.758 --> 04:01.070 When the Marines are running up, recon, 04:01.070 --> 04:03.226 running through the low trail, going to the dojo, 04:03.226 --> 04:05.216 making themselves more lethal and fit. 04:05.216 --> 04:07.152 And that directly correlates 04:07.152 --> 04:09.279 to when we go do, you know, 04:09.279 --> 04:11.646 Ranges 400 or do a company cliff assault. 04:11.646 --> 04:13.918 That's only going to continue to play it on 04:13.918 --> 04:16.462 when they go overseas and take care of business. 04:17.053 --> 04:18.059 - [Ruiz] Today, 04:18.059 --> 04:20.460 we continue to prepare for the next fight. 04:20.460 --> 04:22.304 And while the faces, 04:22.304 --> 04:24.410 weapons and formations are new, 04:24.410 --> 04:27.794 the fighting spirit of the individual Marine has never changed. 04:28.422 --> 04:31.500 When the nation calls and the order is given to send in the Marines, 04:31.500 --> 04:33.763 every friend and every foe 04:33.763 --> 04:35.426 understands that help, 04:35.426 --> 04:36.923 or destruction, 04:36.923 --> 04:38.249 is on the way. 04:38.899 --> 04:41.102 - [CWO4 Anthony Viggiani] Right now, we have more capabilities than 04:41.102 --> 04:42.592 we ever had in the past, 04:42.592 --> 04:45.626 from weapon systems platforms and technology, 04:45.626 --> 04:47.505 to be able to be 04:47.505 --> 04:50.310 lighter and faster and more lethal. 04:52.019 --> 04:54.149 - [Smith] As Marines, we do not decide 04:54.149 --> 04:55.856 when the next fight will come, 04:56.339 --> 04:58.547 but we do decide who wins. 04:58.547 --> 05:01.241 - [Ruiz] The Marines who came before have paved the way. 05:01.241 --> 05:03.486 They prevailed against all odds, 05:03.486 --> 05:06.516 in the face of unimaginable hardship, 05:06.516 --> 05:08.733 and yet they kept their humanity. 05:08.733 --> 05:11.316 They kept their honor clean. 05:12.239 --> 05:14.742 - [Smith] The character of war will change. 05:14.742 --> 05:16.585 The battlefield will evolve 05:16.585 --> 05:18.774 and the equipment will modernize. 05:18.774 --> 05:20.875 But the warrior ethos of our Corps 05:20.875 --> 05:22.263 stands firm. 05:22.263 --> 05:24.713 We do not simply say that we're first to fight. 05:24.713 --> 05:27.496 We work hard every day to prove it. 05:27.496 --> 05:29.352 - [Morales] To our adversaries, I would say 05:29.352 --> 05:31.805 if you see that US Marines and you see that MARPAT, 05:31.805 --> 05:33.274 I would say you'd better stand by. 05:33.274 --> 05:34.982 Because if you don't think these Marines 05:34.982 --> 05:37.687 are working every single day to better their craft and skills, 05:37.687 --> 05:39.191 you got another thing coming. 05:39.191 --> 05:42.718 Because these Marines aren't going to stop until the mission is accomplished and you're destroyed. 05:46.040 --> 05:48.482 - [Tony Rodriguez] It's funny when you're a 05:48.482 --> 05:51.873 lance corporal and you got combat action, 05:52.755 --> 05:54.460 Navy unit commendation, 05:55.207 --> 05:56.949 Marine Corps expeditionary medal, 05:56.949 --> 05:58.449 and a sea service. 05:58.449 --> 06:00.296 And they look at you like, where have you been? 06:01.426 --> 06:02.611 Nowhere. 06:02.611 --> 06:04.744 I just went where the Marine Corps sent me. 06:06.959 --> 06:09.700 - [Riley] We are people who are 06:10.140 --> 06:13.890 dedicated to the service to others. 06:13.989 --> 06:17.079 If there's somebody that's in trouble, 06:17.089 --> 06:20.457 a Marine is not going to turn and walk away. 06:21.879 --> 06:24.045 They're going to do whatever is necessary, 06:25.063 --> 06:27.630 to the point of giving their life. 06:28.920 --> 06:31.012 - [Wilson] Admiral Chester Nimitz 06:31.012 --> 06:33.675 said about Iwo Jima, 06:34.190 --> 06:36.279 "uncommon valor was a common virtue." 06:37.779 --> 06:39.818 The stories I hear at reunions 06:39.818 --> 06:42.430 should be on Silver Star citations. 06:43.779 --> 06:45.946 - The Marine Corps history is very important 06:46.549 --> 06:49.582 and I'm glad that it's still being taught. 06:49.582 --> 06:51.602 I'm glad that 06:51.866 --> 06:54.741 my fellow Marines that didn't come back 06:54.741 --> 06:56.423 are being remembered, 06:56.423 --> 06:58.493 are being discussed, 06:58.493 --> 07:00.545 in squad bays till this day. 07:00.932 --> 07:02.228 (Marines shouting) 07:02.549 --> 07:04.284 - Marines are tough. 07:06.200 --> 07:08.311 I think there's something about a young 07:08.311 --> 07:10.422 man or young woman who comes into the 07:10.422 --> 07:12.910 Marine Corps that they perhaps were 07:12.920 --> 07:15.760 born with and didn't even know it. 07:15.769 --> 07:17.792 - You can do it, you can do it all. 07:18.864 --> 07:21.243 You are capable of more than you think 07:21.243 --> 07:23.809 and there are so many people 07:24.680 --> 07:27.186 in the Marine Corps who 07:27.186 --> 07:29.261 want to enable that. 07:29.261 --> 07:31.764 You're now fighting for your brothers and sisters. 07:32.529 --> 07:34.022 - What was common then, 07:34.559 --> 07:37.791 and from what I can tell, what's common now, 07:38.935 --> 07:40.480 is the camaraderie. 07:40.480 --> 07:42.495 You watch my back, I'll watch your back. 07:42.495 --> 07:45.611 Don't want to let people down on either side of you. 07:45.611 --> 07:47.490 - There's no better thing than camaraderie 07:47.490 --> 07:50.628 and talking through it and sharing 07:50.628 --> 07:53.273 certain pieces with individuals, 07:53.273 --> 07:55.971 because it creates a bond that is unbreakable. 07:56.831 --> 07:58.751 - Everybody wants to be a champion. 07:58.751 --> 08:01.526 Everybody really wants to be part of the best. 08:02.298 --> 08:03.782 (intense music) 08:05.410 --> 08:08.336 - [Smith] Marines, you are the strength of our Corps, 08:08.336 --> 08:10.778 and your actions determine the fate 08:10.778 --> 08:13.322 of millions of future warriors 08:13.322 --> 08:16.365 and their ability to stand on your shoulders. 08:16.365 --> 08:18.065 I know that you're ready. 08:18.630 --> 08:20.279 - As we come together to celebrate 08:20.279 --> 08:22.058 our 248th birthday, 08:22.058 --> 08:25.333 I encourage every Marine to reflect on our history 08:25.333 --> 08:27.894 and think about the moment when you asked yourself, 08:27.894 --> 08:29.662 do I have what it takes? 08:29.662 --> 08:32.749 You are on a journey that few have dared to be. 08:33.090 --> 08:35.524 - Take pride in what you represent. 08:35.524 --> 08:37.656 You are the pinnacle 08:37.656 --> 08:39.581 of professional warriors 08:39.581 --> 08:41.573 and the model for others to follow. 08:41.573 --> 08:44.846 Sergeant Major Ruiz and I are proud to stand among you 08:44.846 --> 08:47.241 and we'll be with you every step of the way. 08:47.241 --> 08:49.201 - [Both] Happy birthday, Marines, 08:49.201 --> 08:50.875 and semper fidelis. 08:51.780 --> 08:53.679 - We're Marines till we die. 08:56.020 --> 08:59.749 And we require a two-week notice for that. 09:00.458 --> 09:02.528 (dramatic music)