ADMIRAL TURNER'S SPEECH FILES MARINE CORPS BIRTHDAY ADDRESS BY STANSFIELD TURNER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01554R003600090001-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 16, 2001
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: November 10, 1973
• Content Type: SPEECH

Approved For Rel
Navy Declassification/Release Instructions on File.
MARINE CORPS BIRTHDAY ADDRESS by
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Thank you Bob.
I am most honored to be here at my second Marine
Corps Birthday Ball as President of the Naval War College.
Last year's Ball still looms in my memory.
I recall being very impressed as the Marines whom I
knew only as academics marched in wearing full dress
regalia - swords flashing - I was surprised the only thing
to get cut up was the cake.
I recall that so many of the Marines I knew only as
quietly stoic - never smilingtbut always militarily efficient
in demeanor - These men, suddenly were gracious, loquacious,
and outgoing for the evening. In fact, there were some who
had to go out assisted by two friends.
Seriously, there is a lot of good-natured banter which
goes back and forth between our two services, but all in
fun. We are proud to carry the Marines all over the world's
oceans. Without them we would have to leave our gray hotels
and go charging up some foreign beach getting sand in our
socks - without us they wouldn't have their free rides to foreign
shores and would probably try to walk across the Pacific as
they all seem to think they can tonight.
That's enough repartee. I-learned the hard way last year,
that-my.remarks maybe returned in.kind. Bob Slay arranges
this program.so he gets in the last word. As I recall the
evening, it took him 35 minutes of speaking until his last word
was finally uttered.
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The year that has passed since your 1972 birthday party
has seen the end of our involvement in Vietnam and the return
of our POW's. Let me be the first to say that in my
opinion there was no outfit or strategy which came closer
to succeeding in Vietnam than you did in I Corps. Where the
Army would send in a newly arrived Lieutenant Colonel with
his battalion down south, in the north you would find a
Marine Sargeant with his CAP team. These fourteen
dedicated men worked closely with the villagers, at the very
level wherein the enemy derived his strength. If that war
could have been won - this was the way -- at the personal
face-to-face level` fighting side by side with the villagers
whose only goal.was to survive.
I truly admire the dedication of every member of the
Corps-from General through private- from
strategist and tactician
through infantry commander and rifleman., There is no other
organization in any man's county which can compare. Two
weeks ago - during our alert - I had to take a plane out of
Quonset Point. I drove over in uniform, three stars on the
license plate and a three star flag flying. We pulled up at
the gate and were greeted by the usual khaki-clad sentry.
My driver flashed his ID card and started to drive on in. That
marine would have no part of it. We could`.not proceed until
I had rolled down the window and handed him my ID card for close
inspection. There could be no compromise - the rules had to
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be obeyed. That young man typifies the Corps to me. He
was ready to take on three stars in defense of a dead air
station containing only one small transport and a helo.
In this era of the All Volunteer Force, when all the
other services have closely reexamined their traditions,
their procedures, their discipline, their very military
bearing, it is comforting to know a service which has
for. years been All Volunteer,yet.the chief of this
service, when the Navy appeared to be relaxing its regulations
the chief explicitly avowed to march off in just the opposite
direction - to retain the traditional values which have made
the Corps world reknown.
Whether on duty at an embassy or legation in some out
of the way corner of the world - guarding the entry to a
Naval base, air station or the War College - serving
onboard ship or in Southeast Asia - dressed in fatigues or
in dress canvas - For 198 years there has been no service
with your record - there has been no organization i history
which better shows to all what this nation of ours should stand for
than the United States Marine Corps.
Gentlemen, Happy Birthday - my hat is off to you.
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