The color guard for 2nd Marine Division (Forward) prepares

The color guard for 2nd Marine Division (Forward) prepares to present the colors Nov. 10, prior to the unit’s cake-cutting ceremony celebrating the 236th Marine Corps Birthday. Marines and sailors with 2nd MarDiv (Fwd), enjoyed cake and refreshments after the ceremony and wished each other a happy birthday. Marines around the globe, whether in combat zones or at their home bases and stations, pause to celebrate the Marine Corps birthday each year on Nov. 10, honoring the Corps’ proud history and traditions and those Marines who have gone before them. That particular date was chosen because the Marine Corps traces its lineage to Nov. 10, 1775, when the Second Continental Congress resolved to raise two battalions of Continental Marines. It is customary for the ceremony to include the reading of Maj. Gen. John A. Lejeune’s birthday message; a Marine Corps order issued in 1921 summarizing the history, mission, and tradition of the Corps; the reading of the current commandant’s birthday message; and a cake-cutting ceremony, when possible.