Marine Corps Base Quantico -- From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli, for 238 years the Marine Corps has been kicking down doors and taking names while displaying the Corps’ values. Next month Marines around the Corps will honor and remember that proud tradition by celebrating another Marine Corps Birthday.
This year Service Company and Security Battalion will have their ball Nov. 15, while Headquarters and Service Battalion’s will fall on Nov. 16. The venue for this event is much closer to home this time around. Both Marine Corps Balls will be held at The Clubs at Quantico.
“The thing about the Marine Corps is that we are a unique organization,” said Sgt. Maj. Michael W. Moore, Headquarters and Service Battalion sergeant major. “It is not about the personal gains, individual or unit, it is about the Corps as a whole. In keeping up with Lt. Gen. John A. Lejeune’s message, the Marine Corps Ball is about bringing together Marines of all ages, past and present, to celebrate the great establishment we call the Marine Corps. Regardless of the venue, it’s not just an event to have fun, it is to celebrate the great history of the Corps.”
As of Oct. 4, a few of the details, such as the guest of honor and how shuttles will operate, have yet to be finalized. However, a majority of the planning is in the final stages or already set in stone.
The prices of this year’s tickets are as follows: $50 for lance corporals and below, $55 for corporals and sergeants, and $60 for staff noncommissioned officers and above. A Marine will be able to bring up to four guests for the same price they paid for their admission. After four guests, the admission will be $60. Tickets are on sale now and can be bought from unit ball representatives.
“No matter the changes, I’m still excited to attend the Marines Corps Ball,” said Cpl. Brandon Harrisel, administrative clerk, Tenant Activity Company. “Any time you can get officers and NCOs together laughing, sharing a drink and toasting to the fact ‘America does not need a Marine Corps, it wants one,’ it’s going to be a great time. I’m going to buy my tickets this week.”
For Marines who are opting to get a room for the night, The Crossroads Inn, located beside The Clubs at Quantico, is currently offering a discounted price for their rooms. Instead of paying $86 or $88 for an efficiency or suite, if a Marine reserves a room on Nov. 15 or 16, they will only pay the standard room rate of $78.
“This is my 28th and final Marine Corps ball on active duty,” Moore said. “My first Marine Corps Ball was located at a school house in Oklahoma, and it was a very eye-opening experience. It taught me that the Marine Corps is a greater organization than I originally thought ,and it was where I learned that there is more to the Marine Corps than meets the eye.”
Correspondent: antwaun.jefferson@usmc.mil