Detachment #284 of Bethlehem led a ceremony commemorating the 244th anniversary of the United States Marine Corps Nov. 10. A small crowd of Marine veterans and other citizens attended the ceremony, held at the Marine Corps Memorial in Allentown’s Cedar Beach Park.

The brisk fall weather was perfect for the occasion and a welcome relief from the bitter cold of some previous ceremonies at the park.

The U.S. Marine Corps was founded in 1775 in Philadelphia. Any Marine from the youngest to oldest knows the date. On this day, Marines gathered in the swankiest hotel ballrooms to the loneliest four-man fire team hunkered down in a poncho-sheltered fighting hole in the remotest desert will turn one to the other and wish each other, “Happy Birthday, Marine!”

The Lehigh Valley Detachment of the Marine Corps League and Detachment #284 of Bethlehem participated in the ceremony. Some members of the motorcycle club, Leatherneck Nation, attended. Others attending were family members and friends.

Master Gunnery Sergeant Carl Schroeder, retired Bethlehem Steel electrician and Coopersburg resident, read the 13th Commandant annual message.

Lieutenant General John A. Lejuene’s message, was first promulgated to all Marines in 1921. It has since been a valued tradition to read the message every year, to serve as a unifying document cementing a deep reverence for the history and valor of Marines long dead and an aspirational document for future generations.

Colonel Robert Daday of Allentown, well-known local lawyer, read the current Commandant of the Marine Corps’ message to the assembled group. General David Berger is the 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps, who emphasized the moral values that Marines hold dear.

General David Berger’s message said in part, “The strength of our Corps is our Marines. Our success depends on all Marines embodying the values on which our Corps was founded.”

Commandants of the Bethlehem Detachment # 284 (Terry Stocker of Easton) and the Lehigh Valley Detachment (Jason Smith) both spoke to the attendees.

Ninety-one-year-old Charles W. Helfrich, proudly wearing a distinctive red garrison cap with his detachment affiliation, a red wool jacket emblazoned with the words, “Marine Corps,” attended. Speaking in a strong voice, Helfrich reminded the attendees that he too had been born on Nov. 10.

The finale of the ceremony came as Captain Ralph Brodt III of Bethlehem played the “Marines’ Hymn” on his trumpet and the entire group joined in singing the song. Inter-service rivalry becomes most evident when the singers loudly finish the song with their favorite stanza:

“If the Army and the Navy

Ever look on Heaven’s scenes

They will find the streets are guarded

By United States Marines.”