A Farewell to the Corps

From my earliest days, I was always awed by the character of the
Marine Corps, by the passion and love that inspired the sacrifices of
Marines like my father and his friends.  As a young boy, I admired
the warriors and thinkers who joined our family for a meal or a
visit, Marines like "Howlin' Mad" Smith, Lemuel C. Shepard, Gerald C.
Thomas and Keith B. McCutcheon. I wondered about the source of their
pride, their selflessness and their sense of purpose.

Now, at the twilight of my career, I understand those Marines.  I now
that they were driven by love for the institution to which they had
dedicated their lives and by the awesome responsibility they felt to
the Marines who shared their devotion and sacrifice.

Today, that same motivation burns deep with the heart of each of us. 
The ethos of our Corps, purchased so dearly by those heroes of old,
reaches into our soulds and challenges us to strive tirelessly for
excellence in all that we do.  It profoundly influences the acitons
of every Marine who has ever stood on the yellow footprints at our
recruit depots or taken the oath as an officer of Marines.

The ethos of our Corps is that of the warrior.  It is defined by two
simple qualities:  our two touchstones.  The first is our Touchstone
of Valor. When we are summoned to battle, we don our helmets and flak
jackets; we march to the sound of the guns; we fight and we win -
guaranteed. The second is our Touchstone of Values.  We hold
ourselves and our institution to the highest standards, to our core
values of honor, courage and committment. These two touchstones are
inextricably and forever linked. They form the bedrock of our success
and, indeed our very existence.

Our Touchstone of Valor is the honor roll of our Corps' history. 
Bladensbur, Bull Run, Cuzco Well, Belleau Wood, Guadalcanal, Tarawa,
Iwo Jima, Inchon, the Chosin Reservoir, Hue City, Kuwait - the blood
and sacrifice of Marines in these battles, and countless others, have
been commemorated in gilded script and etched forever on the black
granite base of the Marine Corps War Memorial.

The names of these places now serve as costant reminders of our
sacred responsibility to our nation and to those whose sacrifices
have earned the Marine Corps a place among the most honored of
military organizations. The memory of the Marines who fought in these
battles lives in us and in the core values of our precious Corps.

To Mairnes, honor, courage and committment are not simply words or a
bumper sticker slogan. They reflect our deepest convictions and
dramatically shape everything we do.  They are central to our efforts
to make Marines men and women of character who can be entrusted to
safeguard our nation and its ideals in the most demanding of
enviornments. We imbue Marines with our core values from their first
moments in our Corps because we know that Marines, not weapons, win
battles. We also know that success on the battlefield and the support
of the citizens whose interests we represent depend on our ability to
make moral and ethical decisions under the extreme stress of combat
or in the conduct of our daily lives.

As an institution, we have had to fight hard to maintain our 
standards. to some, they may seem old-fashioned, out-of-step with
society or perhaps even "extremist," but we know that our high
standards are the lifeblood of the Corps, so we have held the line!

In this regard, what individual Mairnes are doing everyday counts far
more than anything that is done in Washington.  The standards of our
Corps are not simply maintained by generals, colonels, and sergeants
major, but far more imortantly, by leaders throughout the Corps at
every level.

The Marine Conviction that "Semper Fidelis" is a way of life, not
just a motto, speaks powerfully to the citizens who we serve.  It
also unites us with our fellow Marines, past and present - inspiring
us to push harder, to reach further and to reject the very notion of
failure or compromise. Sustanined and strengthened by the ethos of
our Corps, you have accomplished a great deal during the past four
years. I have been humbled to have been a part of your achievments
and witness to your selfless devotion. Time and again, Marines
distinguishd themselves in contingencies around the world and 
across the spectrum of conflict.  Marines from across the total force
were the first to fight, the first to help and the first to show
America's flag - consistently demonstrating our resolve and readiness
to win when called to action.

With the involvement of the Fleet Marine Force and input from the
entire Corps, the Warfighting Laboratory has looked hard at the 21st
Century strategic environment.  Mairnes "stole a march" on change by
testing new concepts and emerging technologies, exploring new tools
for developing leaders and decision makers and experimenting in the
"Three-Block_War."

Our recruiters, drill instructors and small unit leaders have
implemented the transformation process and are recruiting, training
and developing the "Strategic Corporals" for tommorrow's conflicts. 
Led by Marines at the Combat Development Command, we have deepened
our understanding of Operatinal Manuevers From the Sea (OMFTS) and
its enabling concepts and technologies as well as its many
challenges.

The men and women serving in the many thankless billets at
Headquarters Mairne Corps and in the joint arena have develped and
articulated our requirements for the future and have secured the
resources to translate OMFTS into a reality.  Our supporting
establishment, at every post and station, has epitomized selflessness
and dedication while providing for our readiness requirements.

All these things are important, and they are the accomplishments of
every Marine.  None of them, however, is as signficant as maintaining
our hands on the twind touchstones of our Corps.

The words of my father ring as true today as when he first wrote them
more than 50 year ago.  "We exist today - we flourish today - not
becuase of what we know we are, or what we know we can do, but
because of what the grassroots of our country believes we are and
believes we can do... The American people believe that Marines are
downright good for the country; that the Marines are masters of a
form of unfailing alchemy which converts unoriented youths into 
proud, self-reliant stable citizens - citizens into whose hands the
nation's affairs may safely be entrusted...  And, likewise, should
the people ever lose that conviction - as a result of our failure to
meet their high - almost spiritual - standards, the Marine Corps will
disapear."

May God bless each and every one of you, and may God bless our Corps!
                                                                        
Semper Fidelis,

C.C. Krulak
General, U.S. Marine Corps
Commandant of the Marine Corps