WEBVTT 00:07.429 --> 00:09.670 For 250 years , the United States 00:09.670 --> 00:11.789 Marine Corps has stood ready , forged 00:11.789 --> 00:13.845 in the fires of battle , tempered by 00:13.845 --> 00:15.939 sacrifice and bound by a legacy that 00:15.939 --> 00:18.909 spans generations . Every Marine in 00:18.909 --> 00:21.270 every era carries the same enduring 00:21.270 --> 00:24.069 spirit to fight , to adapt , and to 00:24.069 --> 00:27.969 overcome . These qualities are 00:27.969 --> 00:30.136 embodied by Marines like Colonel Leroy 00:30.136 --> 00:32.191 Barton , whose unwavering patriotism 00:32.191 --> 00:34.358 drove him to join the Corps as a pilot 00:34.358 --> 00:36.525 following the attack on Pearl Harbor . 00:37.349 --> 00:40.409 If the commandant wants us to go kick 00:40.669 --> 00:44.430 and take names , yes , we're go do 00:44.430 --> 00:47.150 it . Barton flew combat missions during 00:47.150 --> 00:49.509 World War II . When the war ended , he 00:49.509 --> 00:51.509 briefly stepped away from service , 00:51.509 --> 00:53.287 only to return to the corps and 00:53.287 --> 00:55.342 continue fighting in both the Korean 00:55.342 --> 00:57.740 and the Vietnam War . During Vietnam , 00:57.950 --> 01:00.061 he flew bombing missions and provided 01:00.061 --> 01:02.228 critical support to the Marines on the 01:02.228 --> 01:04.559 ground . We had a guy lost on the 01:04.559 --> 01:08.080 battlefield and none of these airplanes 01:08.080 --> 01:09.969 could go and make a run because , 01:10.279 --> 01:12.501 because they , they couldn't get out of 01:12.501 --> 01:16.150 the way without getting shot so I was 01:16.150 --> 01:19.319 uh thinking when I was in the uh attack 01:19.319 --> 01:22.360 squadron we had , uh , the method of 01:22.360 --> 01:26.260 dropping a bomb . From 10,000 and it 01:26.260 --> 01:28.371 was when you dropped it , you trained 01:28.371 --> 01:31.779 it , you , you trained at the radar and 01:31.779 --> 01:35.540 uh you flew it all the way down and hit 01:35.540 --> 01:37.669 the target . I got 4 . 01:39.410 --> 01:41.410 Targets at the bottom of the , this 01:41.410 --> 01:44.889 cliff , and I can't get at it with any 01:44.889 --> 01:48.690 of the airplanes I got . So , uh , 01:49.150 --> 01:52.580 they trained two guys , and boy , they 01:52.580 --> 01:55.069 came in . Well , they got just about 01:55.069 --> 01:58.250 8000 , the , uh , the 01:58.480 --> 02:02.279 guided bomb is going on down . And it 02:02.279 --> 02:05.360 hit short of a hole and into the hole 02:05.360 --> 02:08.199 and blew up . I was deleted . We got 02:08.199 --> 02:11.720 all 4 of those heavy artillery . 02:12.460 --> 02:15.250 And the navy had a A group that was 02:15.250 --> 02:19.020 flying along . And they They got 02:19.020 --> 02:21.076 that guy that was in the middle of a 02:21.076 --> 02:24.839 bit of battlefield . His actions and 02:24.839 --> 02:26.506 strategic planning led to the 02:26.506 --> 02:28.672 destruction of enemy artillery and the 02:28.672 --> 02:31.080 successful rescue of a downed pilot . I 02:31.080 --> 02:33.080 never got a , never got a medal for 02:33.080 --> 02:36.600 that , but uh . It was the only one 02:36.979 --> 02:40.039 done that way . During the hardship and 02:40.039 --> 02:42.199 dangers he faced , Barton chose to 02:42.199 --> 02:44.532 continue his career in the Marine Corps , 02:44.532 --> 02:47.669 ultimately serving for 32 years . He is 02:47.669 --> 02:49.891 one of the few Marines still living who 02:49.891 --> 02:51.947 fought in World War II , Korea , and 02:51.947 --> 02:54.279 Vietnam . Over his career , Colonel 02:54.279 --> 02:56.910 Barton accumulated over 6500 flight 02:56.910 --> 02:59.190 hours and 56 different aircraft before 02:59.190 --> 03:02.050 retiring as a colonel . While Marines 03:02.050 --> 03:04.217 like Barton took to the skies , others 03:04.217 --> 03:06.389 fought the war on the ground . Lance 03:06.389 --> 03:08.389 Corporal Claude Rollins served as a 03:08.389 --> 03:10.278 mortarman and a machine gunner in 03:10.278 --> 03:12.279 Vietnam . He sustained wounds that 03:12.279 --> 03:14.809 earned him two Purple Hearts , yet his 03:14.809 --> 03:16.865 determination to fight alongside his 03:16.865 --> 03:20.190 Marines never faded . 5 months and 1 03:20.190 --> 03:22.301 day in the Marine Corps when I got to 03:22.301 --> 03:24.750 the . We spent the night there getting 03:24.750 --> 03:26.861 used to artillery going off all night 03:26.861 --> 03:29.160 long . And then we left there and went 03:29.160 --> 03:31.327 to Hoi An where the battalion was at . 03:31.679 --> 03:33.901 When I was standing in the line to draw 03:33.901 --> 03:36.199 weapons when I got to Hoi An after a 03:36.199 --> 03:39.429 few classes . The word dribble back 03:39.429 --> 03:41.373 down the line , pray you don't get 03:41.373 --> 03:44.190 dying Delta . And the guy slammed the 03:44.190 --> 03:47.339 16 in my hands , mile real big and says , 03:47.720 --> 03:50.869 Delta . And then we were told Delta 03:50.869 --> 03:52.910 Company was being detached and sent 03:52.910 --> 03:56.270 back south of ways to Hill 148 , which 03:56.270 --> 03:58.509 was the second mountain pass on Highway 03:58.509 --> 04:01.270 1 north of Danang , and we were gonna 04:01.270 --> 04:03.548 be stationed there and run patrols out . 04:04.339 --> 04:06.506 And this is the first place I actually 04:06.506 --> 04:10.149 really got shot at . I was on watch 04:10.529 --> 04:13.529 in my mortar pit up near the company CP . 04:14.369 --> 04:16.959 And a round came in and went off , we 04:16.959 --> 04:19.126 were , you know , had 155 rounds going 04:19.126 --> 04:21.049 all night long , but this sounded 04:21.049 --> 04:23.410 really different . So I woke up my 04:23.410 --> 04:26.679 squad leader . And the 2nd 1 came in 04:26.679 --> 04:28.846 and he said , What are you doing ? And 04:28.846 --> 04:31.068 I said , I think we're getting hit . He 04:31.068 --> 04:33.235 said , Rawlins , that's outgoing . The 04:33.235 --> 04:35.457 3rd round came in and he says , oh no , 04:35.457 --> 04:37.623 that's incoming and about that time it 04:37.623 --> 04:39.623 really got lively . There was stuff 04:39.623 --> 04:41.670 going off all over the place . 155s 04:41.670 --> 04:43.837 didn't get a single round off , killed 04:43.837 --> 04:46.670 the section chief . 81's got one round 04:46.670 --> 04:50.670 off . And unfortunately the pit up 04:50.670 --> 04:52.837 high where we were at , we didn't have 04:52.837 --> 04:54.892 any HE all we had was a oon rounds . 04:56.649 --> 04:59.000 So what we did was timed them so that 04:59.000 --> 05:01.859 the loom would pop on the ground in the 05:01.859 --> 05:04.026 jungle on the mountain behind us where 05:04.559 --> 05:07.839 the NBA were firing from so we can set 05:07.839 --> 05:11.350 the jungle on fire to maybe get them be 05:11.350 --> 05:14.119 a little less accurate at least . But 05:14.119 --> 05:16.341 then that's where I got my first Purple 05:16.341 --> 05:18.563 Heart was running M sweeps from there . 05:18.563 --> 05:21.350 We had gone up to the mountains at the 05:21.350 --> 05:23.950 west side of the valley . And we were 05:23.950 --> 05:26.006 snooping and pooping around up there 05:26.160 --> 05:29.589 and we find an NBA base camp . With a 05:29.589 --> 05:32.250 barracks with rifle racks , racks , 05:32.730 --> 05:34.841 serving tables along the side of this 05:34.841 --> 05:37.019 little stream in a mess hall , so we 05:37.019 --> 05:39.869 set up there for the night . During the 05:39.869 --> 05:42.920 night , a mortar round hit close to us 05:42.920 --> 05:44.920 and we all set up , what was that ? 05:44.920 --> 05:46.976 What was that ? I don't know . So we 05:46.976 --> 05:49.142 laid back down . The 2nd round came in 05:49.142 --> 05:51.364 and got like 7 or 8 of us . Not heavy , 05:51.364 --> 05:53.476 but everybody got shrapnel . I mean , 05:53.476 --> 05:55.587 all you could hear was people going , 05:55.587 --> 05:55.339 I'm hit , I'm here . Are you hit ? Yeah , 05:55.519 --> 05:58.100 I'm hit . So we got back to the company . 05:59.470 --> 06:01.670 And they were calling in a medevac for 06:01.670 --> 06:05.149 the rest of us wounded and old CH 34 06:05.149 --> 06:07.309 came in and landed . We loaded up on 06:07.309 --> 06:10.109 the chopper , get up to 1300 ft , and 06:10.109 --> 06:13.010 we're heading for the dang . And about 06:13.010 --> 06:15.209 that time , the bullets started coming 06:15.209 --> 06:18.190 through the chopper . The guy sitting 06:18.190 --> 06:21.760 right across from me got hit . She's 06:21.760 --> 06:24.239 screaming . Black smoke's going by the 06:24.239 --> 06:27.250 windows . We're trying to pass a fire 06:27.250 --> 06:29.472 extinguisher , squirt it on something . 06:29.920 --> 06:32.839 And the engine quit . So we're auto 06:32.839 --> 06:36.820 gyrating down . Me and the gunner 06:36.820 --> 06:38.876 are getting a machine gun out of the 06:38.876 --> 06:40.820 window and ammo out from under the 06:40.820 --> 06:42.820 bench because as soon as we hit the 06:42.820 --> 06:44.820 ground , he's screaming form of 360 06:44.820 --> 06:46.820 because Charlie didn't know nothing 06:46.820 --> 06:48.764 better than a chopper down . We go 06:48.764 --> 06:50.820 pouring out of the helicopter and we 06:50.820 --> 06:52.931 look up and we're about 100 m outside 06:52.931 --> 06:55.890 of an artillery compound . Rawlins 06:55.890 --> 06:58.001 remains deeply proud of his service , 06:58.001 --> 07:00.279 something he says he will never forget . 07:01.329 --> 07:03.410 I mean there was one day during the 07:03.410 --> 07:05.929 Battle of Wate City , we took 12 KIA 07:05.929 --> 07:08.269 and , and . First Battalion . 07:10.209 --> 07:12.209 You know , when you think about the 07:12.209 --> 07:14.265 casualties we lost and the guys that 07:14.265 --> 07:16.376 wouldn't get medevaced even when they 07:16.376 --> 07:18.487 were hit because they weren't hit bad 07:18.487 --> 07:21.820 enough . The camaraderie that happens 07:21.820 --> 07:25.730 between Marines . It's like the biggest 07:25.730 --> 07:27.674 and best fraternity in the world . 07:32.510 --> 07:34.869 Decades later , a new generation answer 07:34.869 --> 07:36.950 our nation's call , fighting in the 07:36.950 --> 07:39.006 deserts of Iraq and the mountains of 07:39.006 --> 07:41.869 Afghanistan . The torch was passed from 07:41.869 --> 07:43.980 those who stormed jungles and beaches 07:43.989 --> 07:46.211 to those who fought from house to house 07:46.211 --> 07:48.589 in Fallujah . No matter the climb or 07:48.589 --> 07:50.256 the place , the Marine Corps' 07:50.256 --> 07:52.478 determination to fight and win remained 07:52.478 --> 07:54.670 unchanged . Gunnery Sergeant Timothy 07:54.670 --> 07:56.670 Troth served as a machine gunner in 07:56.670 --> 07:58.790 both Iraq and Afghanistan , where the 07:58.790 --> 08:00.901 global war on terrorism defined a new 08:00.901 --> 08:04.299 era of conflict . I will say that 08:04.299 --> 08:06.466 something that really sticks out to me 08:06.466 --> 08:08.688 was the first patrol I went out on . It 08:08.688 --> 08:10.855 was a mounted patrol . We were doing a 08:10.855 --> 08:13.220 relief in place with 19 since I was a 08:13.220 --> 08:15.700 249 gunner saw gunner . They put me in 08:15.700 --> 08:17.644 the lead vick in the turret on the 08:17.644 --> 08:19.700 first patrol I went out on . We went 08:19.700 --> 08:21.811 down this road called Route Dusters , 08:21.811 --> 08:24.220 and I remember looking at every little 08:24.220 --> 08:27.489 crack in the ground . Every little rock 08:27.739 --> 08:29.795 and thinking like there's no way I'm 08:29.795 --> 08:31.961 making it through this deployment , no 08:31.961 --> 08:34.539 possible way . I remember consciously 08:34.539 --> 08:38.390 thinking , uh . I'm gonna die a United 08:38.390 --> 08:40.349 States Marine , and that's OK . 08:42.979 --> 08:44.923 The Taliban would , they would use 08:45.349 --> 08:47.869 unconventional tactics . They're very 08:47.869 --> 08:50.869 hardened tactically sound warriors that 08:50.869 --> 08:53.679 you have to respect . The first day 08:54.390 --> 08:57.109 That I physically saw somebody like 08:57.109 --> 08:59.165 site picture , site alignment , like 08:59.349 --> 09:01.571 hostile act , hostile intent , positive 09:01.571 --> 09:03.738 identification , hit all the wickets . 09:03.820 --> 09:06.900 And I was , uh , surreal would be the 09:06.900 --> 09:08.900 word . And I'm like looking over my 09:08.900 --> 09:11.780 sights of the 249 and I see one guy up 09:11.780 --> 09:15.219 on a roof . Uh , like in the prone , 09:15.640 --> 09:17.549 then , then like 2 or 3 more just 09:17.549 --> 09:20.270 running around in between the compounds . 09:20.599 --> 09:22.880 One of them made the , this really 09:23.119 --> 09:25.469 stupid decision to just come out up 09:25.469 --> 09:27.960 onto the road . Uh , and then , you 09:27.960 --> 09:31.039 know , probably me , my team leader , 09:31.200 --> 09:33.559 we probably all hit that guy and then 09:33.700 --> 09:36.200 he fell down , got back up , fell down 09:36.200 --> 09:38.619 again , then rolled in the canal . That 09:38.619 --> 09:41.539 was my like most profound experience of 09:41.539 --> 09:43.039 that deployment for sure . 09:47.429 --> 09:49.651 Today , the fight continues to evolve . 09:49.909 --> 09:52.020 Marines adapt to new technology , new 09:52.020 --> 09:54.242 domains , and new challenges in defense 09:54.242 --> 09:56.242 of our nation . The battlefield may 09:56.242 --> 09:58.298 change , but the warrior spirit does 09:58.298 --> 10:01.479 not . I can still remember the very 10:01.479 --> 10:03.368 first time I dropped ordinance in 10:03.368 --> 10:05.701 combat , for real , for me , uh , I was , 10:05.701 --> 10:08.669 it was forward over Iraq and it's , 10:08.760 --> 10:10.816 it's at nighttime , and we knew that 10:10.816 --> 10:13.239 there was a , a compound with a lot of 10:13.239 --> 10:15.239 high ranking terrorist officials in 10:15.239 --> 10:17.461 there and there was a meeting happening 10:17.461 --> 10:16.859 and we're told like , hey , stand by , 10:16.880 --> 10:19.047 we've got signals intelligence , which 10:19.047 --> 10:19.039 is telling us that something's 10:19.039 --> 10:21.039 happening out there . About an hour 10:21.039 --> 10:23.095 later , you get the call like , OK , 10:23.095 --> 10:22.429 it's go time , we're gonna do this . 10:22.440 --> 10:24.607 And so you're getting everything set , 10:24.607 --> 10:26.718 ready to go . Um . And you know , and 10:26.718 --> 10:28.940 at that point in time , you know , I've 10:28.940 --> 10:30.884 had years of training , uh , but I 10:30.884 --> 10:30.419 still think at that , you know , like 10:30.419 --> 10:32.641 the , the nervousness , like am I gonna 10:32.641 --> 10:34.697 screw this up ? Am I gonna blow this 10:34.697 --> 10:36.808 opportunity to execute what I've been 10:36.808 --> 10:36.309 asked to do , you know , a lot of 10:36.309 --> 10:38.587 aviators will save the little lanyards , 10:38.587 --> 10:40.642 safety lanyards from their bombs and 10:40.642 --> 10:42.865 everything like that , and , um , those 10:42.865 --> 10:41.830 lanyards that night , those are the 10:41.830 --> 10:43.941 ones that I have saved because that , 10:43.941 --> 10:43.929 that was such a big deal for me . That 10:43.929 --> 10:46.040 was my first chance to actually prove 10:46.040 --> 10:48.207 to myself that when the bell is rung , 10:48.207 --> 10:50.429 I could answer it and I , and I could , 10:50.429 --> 10:52.485 and my , my train would hit . As the 10:52.485 --> 10:54.651 cops modernized , Good no transitioned 10:54.651 --> 10:57.179 to the F-35B Lightning 2 and the MQ9A 10:57.179 --> 10:59.346 Reaper , remaining at the forefront of 10:59.346 --> 11:01.150 today's cutting edge aviation 11:01.150 --> 11:04.210 technology . But the next generation uh 11:04.210 --> 11:06.432 underneath me , the captains , uh , the 11:06.432 --> 11:08.654 lieutenants right now are getting ready 11:08.654 --> 11:10.877 to uh to take over missions , the lance 11:10.877 --> 11:13.099 corporals who are who are getting ready 11:13.099 --> 11:12.570 or or hitting the fleet , like there 11:12.570 --> 11:14.514 are some constants . There , there 11:14.514 --> 11:16.570 remains things are the same . That's 11:16.570 --> 11:16.289 one thing I hit on a lot to young 11:16.289 --> 11:18.456 pilots and aviators . I tell them that 11:18.456 --> 11:20.789 those friction points will still remain . 11:20.789 --> 11:23.067 That fog of war , that doesn't go away , 11:23.067 --> 11:25.122 that exists and it will exist in the 11:25.122 --> 11:26.900 next fight . Regardless of what 11:26.900 --> 11:29.011 tomorrow's threat brings , the Marine 11:29.011 --> 11:31.178 Corps is ready for it . And so I think 11:31.178 --> 11:33.345 it's that it's that just innate nature 11:33.345 --> 11:35.345 as Marines to look inwardly to make 11:35.345 --> 11:37.511 sure that what we're doing is relevant 11:37.511 --> 11:37.090 and can meet the needs of the future 11:37.090 --> 11:39.530 that keeps us futureproof . The world 11:39.530 --> 11:41.809 looks and judges the Marine Corps , and 11:41.809 --> 11:43.976 we know that they're going to continue 11:43.976 --> 11:46.253 to watch us and they're going to adapt , 11:46.253 --> 11:45.890 but I'll tell you what , time and time 11:45.890 --> 11:48.168 again , the Marine Corps adapts faster . 11:48.168 --> 11:50.168 The enemy is a living and breathing 11:50.168 --> 11:52.334 object , and they're going to continue 11:52.334 --> 11:51.909 to look at what we do to get better . 11:52.510 --> 11:54.566 They can look at us , but as history 11:54.566 --> 11:56.677 has shown , even when the margin gets 11:56.677 --> 11:58.880 short . The Marine Corps finds another 11:58.880 --> 12:01.359 way to continue to evolve . We expect 12:01.359 --> 12:03.526 so much of our Marines , and we expect 12:03.526 --> 12:05.303 them to continuously evolve and 12:05.303 --> 12:07.470 evaluate themselves . Our expectations 12:07.470 --> 12:09.803 for them to evolve will remain the same , 12:09.803 --> 12:11.859 and because of that , because that's 12:11.859 --> 12:13.859 where we put our focus on is making 12:13.859 --> 12:13.559 better Marines , that's how we will 12:13.559 --> 12:15.892 maintain the edge against our adversary , 12:15.892 --> 12:18.059 no matter whether it's now , no matter 12:18.059 --> 12:19.615 whether it's 2050 or 2100 . 12:22.940 --> 12:25.640 And now a new generation steps forward . 12:25.979 --> 12:28.090 The next chapter of our beloved corps 12:28.090 --> 12:30.340 begins , written by those just earning 12:30.340 --> 12:32.960 the title of Marine , ready to carry 12:32.960 --> 12:36.440 250 years of legacy into the future . 12:36.869 --> 12:38.925 They inherit not only the history of 12:38.925 --> 12:40.425 our organization , but the 12:40.425 --> 12:43.020 responsibility to keep it alive .