Marine Corp. celebrates 237 years

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Sunday is Veterans Day, but that's not the only big day for the military this Veterans Day Weekend.

Saturday, Nov. 10, marked the 237th birthday of the United States Marine Corps and Marines around the Mobile area commemorated it in different ways.

The Fairhope Veterans Day Parade this weekend was led by a Marine. Major Mordecai Arnold served in three wars, including World War II.

He knew how many candles were on the Corps' cake.

Major Arnold said, "The Marine Corps birthday, 237th birthday:  Yes, sir."

Even as he was received a warm welcome of his own, he thought of his fellow Marines.

Arnold said, "I ask one thing of everybody who thanks me: thank the ones who are serving today. They thoroughly deserve any thanks we can give them."

Also, Marines were among the more than 100 volunteers Saturday thanking wounded Marine Corporal Christopher Montgomery for his service, by landscaping his new home.

Montgomery lost both of his legs when he stepped on a roadside bomb while serving his third tour in Afghanistan.

His new home was built courtesy of a national non-profit organization called, "Homes for Our Troops," which builds handicapped-accessible homes for wounded troops, and gives them to the troops free of charge.

Larry Gill with "Homes for Our Troops" said, "We had, I think, about 30 Marines from the local Marine Reserve Unit. They're all in town for the Marine Corps birthday. They came out and got dirty, and planted sod, and raked, and cleaned up."

Knowing that Saturday was the Marine Corps birthday, Corporal Montgomery said, "I figured they planned that."

Sergeant Gwyn Howard was one of the Marines helping landscape Corporal Montgomery's home.

He said, "This here is the birthday right here:  people coming out to help this Marine."

Howard fought in Vietnam in 1965. Back then, Vietnam veterans didn't receive the type of homecoming greeting service members enjoy today.

Howard said, "When I come back, I was spit on," Howard said. "Now, I said, when I got back, there would be no Marine or no serviceman come back the way I did, and I tried to live up to that."

That's one reason Sergeant Howard made sure Corporal Montgomery's housewarming was special.

To learn more about the Marine Corps' history, click here.