NROTC Fall Ball Ceremony Commemorates the Founding of the Marine Corps
By Bran Poster
Photo courtesy of the NC State NROTC.
While civilians digested candy on the day after Halloween, the NC State, Duke, and Chapel Hill Naval ROTCs were deployed on a very special mission: a birthday ball. Midshipmen, officers and guests convened at Hilton Garden Inn on November 1 to celebrate the 249th birthday of the Marine Corps.
The event began with pomp and ceremony, courtesy of a color guard, sword escort detail and DJ. The traditional birthday message of the Marines’s 13th Commandant John Lejeune, which dates to 1921, was read aloud.
Even for the Marines, birthdays are not complete without a cake. After the reading of Lejeune’s enduring message, a massive sheet cake was cut into pieces with a sword. As is custom, the first slice was given to the guest speaker. The second and third were given to the oldest sailor and oldest marine present, and the fourth was given to the youngest midshipman.
Following the cake-cutting ceremony came video messages from the current Secretary of the Navy, the Chief of Naval Operations and the Commandant of the Marine Corps.
After dinner, attendees were regaled by the oratory of Brigadier General Samuel “Lee” Meyer, guest speaker. Meyer, an NC State alumnus, served in myriad roles before he was promoted to his current rank, from helicopter maintenance officer to presidential military aide. After his speech, midshipmen from each of the three schools present gifted him with command coins as tokens of appreciation for his visit.
The ceremony concluded with a dance.