Ladies and Gentlemen, distinguished guests, Excellencies, my fellow Ambassadors and Heads of Mission, members the diplomatic corps, officers and enlisted of the United States, Mongolia, and our allied armed forces, welcome.
Happy Birthday Marines!  Two hundred and fifty years young.  I look at the table here where our Marine Security Guard Detachment are all seated, looking mighty sharp in their dress blues.  You guys don’t look a day over two hundred.  I’m always happy to come to a Marine Birthday Cake Cutting Ceremony because I’m still younger than the oldest Marine in the room tonight, Major James Lobb.  But someday, that will catch up to me.  I want to ask every Marine in this room to stand up so we can applaud you on your birthday.
I do hope that tonight, like every Marine Birthday Ball we’ve attended in the past, will be an evening of fun and friendship, not the least to pay tribute to this group of warriors who are also our colleagues and friends at the U.S. Embassy.  Since it was Veterans Day in the U.S. earlier this week – if you are currently serving or have served – in uniform, in the service of the United States, Mongolia, or any of our allies, please also stand up and be recognized.  Thank you all for your service.  As we do every year this month with our allies, we honor those who have served in uniform, we also remember the fallen who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.  “They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old.  At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.”
The United States Marine Corps was born 250 years ago, in a tavern in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Captain Samuel Nicholas was commissioned to raise two battalions of Continental Marines to serve as landing forces for the Continental Navy, so he set up his recruiting headquarters at a popular bar called the Tun Tavern.
We gather today not just to offer heartfelt birthday wishes, but to speak of a force that is less an organization and more a testament to the strength of human character.  A force, in which regular men and women, from all walks of life, from all 50 states across our Union, are transformed into Marines.  Marines who master their fears, believe in themselves, and follow a warrior ethos that pushes the limits of what human beings can do in the face of overwhelming death and danger.  That is the essence of the United States Marine Corps, and its traditions and values they embody, that continue unbroken and unchanged for 250 years.
There are many fine fighting forces in the world, but the Marines are forged through intense discipline, constant training, and fierce concentration to exist on a level of their own.  And at that level, these men and women, by simply stepping forward and volunteering, have chosen a harder path. They don’t seek comfort; they seek to better themselves through discomfort. They don’t fear the difficult; they embrace the challenge to make possible the impossible. From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli, from Belleau Wood to Iwo Jima, from the frozen Chosin to the deserts of Fallujah, the Marine Corps has written its history in the language of its blood. That’s why when Marines make the rank of corporal, they earn the right to wear the blood stripe along their pantleg.  To symbolize the blood that Marines shed in the Battle of Chapultepec in 1847.
We praise them today not just for their battles that they have won, but for their character, their discipline, and their selfless devotion to duty. They are the few, the proud, and they stand as a shield for the innocent, for our democracy, and our way of life.
And for us here tonight, and in hundreds of U.S. diplomatic facilities around the world, we celebrate the indispensable role that Marines play in American diplomacy.  The partnership between the Marines and the U.S. diplomatic service dates to the earliest days of our Republic, with Marines escorting American consular officers and diplomats, defending our Posts and personnel, and protecting our interests.  For 77 years, since 1948, Marine Security Guards have stood side-by-side with State Department colleagues during periods of calm and crisis.  Today, our more than 1,900 Marine Security Guards carry the proud tradition of serving our Nation as Ambassadors in Blue.  Serving in the Marine Security Guard program is competitive in the Marine Corps, but it isn’t always about living in posh capitals and drinking champaign at cocktail parties.  MSGs have responded to numerous attacks and crises at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world. In many cases, they were the first line of defense, exhibiting professionalism and courage under fire.  And the places where MSGs were present and responded to attacks are numerous:  The 1968 Tet Offensive Attack and 1975 evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, Vietnam; the siege on the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran in 1979; the attack on the U.S Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan that same year. The bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon in 1983; the bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 1998.  The slaughter of five off-duty Marine guards in San Salvador, El Salvador in 1985; the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya in 2012; the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq in 2019.   
And just today, just a few hours ago, we received news of Marines continuing to protect our embassy and diplomatic personnel in Port-au-Prince, Haiti from armed gangs shooting at us over the past few days.
When the call comes, when the hour is darkest, America knows where to look. They look for the eagle, globe, and anchor. America’s 911 force.  They look for those who run toward the sound of the guns.
The heroism and bravery of Marines remind us that courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.
From these terrible moments of death and destruction, also come inspiring stories of ordinary Marines performing extraordinary acts of courage and devotion to duty. Like Corporal Charles McMahon and Lance Corporal Darwin Judge, who were the last two U.S. service members killed in action during the Vietnam War on April 29, 1975, while serving as Marine Security Guards at the U.S. Embassy in Saigon.  As North Vietnamese forces closed in on Saigon, Cpl. McMahon and LCpl. Judge were assigned to the Tan Son Nhut Air Base to maintain security and assist with the final, desperate evacuation efforts of U.S. embassy personnel and American citizens.
Their post came under heavy artillery barrage. Amid the chaos and bombardment, they remained at their posts, protecting the airfield and the people waiting to be evacuated. It was during this barrage that both men were killed by a rocket attack.
Then there’s the story of Corporal Robert V. McMaugh, a Marine Security Guard assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. On April 18, 1983, a van packed with 2,000 pounds of explosives was driven into the Embassy. Cpl. McMaugh was the Marine standing watch at “Post 1,” the main entrance, and the point of initial impact.
As the suicide bomber accelerated toward the building, Cpl. McMaugh did not flee. He stayed at his position, attempting to stop the vehicle and sound the alarm. He was last seen trying to lock the gate and activate the crash bar, actions that demonstrated exceptional bravery and an unswerving commitment to his duty to protect the lives inside the embassy.
The ensuing explosion was devastating, killing 17 Americans, including Cpl. McMaugh and several other U.S. service members and civilians, and dozens of Lebanese citizens.
These Marines’ commitment to their duty and the protection of others in the face of direct enemy attacks embodies the selfless spirit of the Marine Corps.
I’m selecting just a few stories to tell tonight for the sake of brevity, but there are countless stories like these waiting to be told.  Stories of sacrifice and courage, stories of duty, honor, and commitment.  G.K. Chesterton once said, “a true warrior fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”  The Marines I just described to you paid the ultimate sacrifice because they were protecting those behind them.  And protecting their fellow Marines to their right and to their left.  And for them and the Marines who have paid with their lives since the founding of the Corps, we owe them an eternal debt of gratitude.
We are fortunate to have an outstanding group of Marines here at the U.S. Embassy in Ulaanbaatar who personify the best of the Marine Corps.  This Marine Security Guard Detachment is small, but they pack a mighty punch.  They play an oversized role in the life and work of our embassy family.  They are more than just our protectors; they are important members of our community.  They are among the first people we see when we enter the chancery and the last ones to whom we say goodbye when we leave for the day.  They are our neighbors and our friends, and we couldn’t ask for better group of Marines.
So thank you SSgt Oliver, Sgt. Truong, Cpl. Moreno, Cpl. Rowland, LCpl. Aguilar, LCpl. Garcia, on behalf of the U.S. Embassy, for everything that you do to keep us safe.  You are away from your families.  Away from the creature comforts of home, yet you strive every day to maintain the highest standard of the U.S. Marines Corps in our Embassy.  We are all grateful for what you bring to enrich our lives and to keep us safe.  Let’s give them all a round of applause.
Army General George S. Patton once said: “The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!”  He sums up why the Marines are in a class of their own.  Why their fighting spirit makes them an elite, and why stories of their courage and bravery will live on in the annals of American history and inspire future generations of Americans to serve.  Marines who have come and gone, and those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice will live on in the pantheon of America’s heroes.  We pray for the health and safety of our Marines here and everywhere in the world where they are serving.  God Bless our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, Guardians, and all who serve in our Nation’s cloth.  May God Bless Mongolia, God Bless the United States of America, and May God Continue to Bless and Protect the United States Marine Corps.  Happy Birthday, Devil Dogs.  Semper Fidelis.

Published Date:2025-11-17