‘Oorah’ to 243 years
Local vets, cadets celebrate Marine Corps birthday Saturday
Veterans of the United States Marine Corps gathered for breakfast at The Cellar early Saturday morning to celebrate the 243rd birthday of their beloved branch of service.
Around 8 a.m. a group of about ten former Marines and their families were standing together trading stories and conversation as they held mugs of hot coffee in their hands.
Rick Cadillo, a former Marine and now sergeant with the Porterville Police Department, helped to organize the breakfast. He and his wife greeted those who walked through the door with large friendly smiles.
Tables were pushed together to make one long banquet-style table to accommodate anyone who was there to join the celebration. Lining the center of the tables were red, silver and blue decorations, and a yellow placemat displaying a large Marine Corps emblem. At the end of the dining table stood a pristine uniform.
All heads in the room swung towards the door as Cadillo re-entered, followed by seven Cadet Corps students. Each student wore a crisp, clean white uniform. Some of the uniforms were full of badges and medals, but each student wore their uniform with pride as they filed into their seats at the table.
As soon as all had taken a seat, including the people who came in a little late, Cadillo led the group in the Pledge Of Allegiance before a prayer was said over everyone in attendance. Soon after the invocation, ordering began.
The Cellar provided the table with their regular menus, but a special dish was also prepared. A classic military SOS meal, consisting of a ground beef and gravy over toast, two links of sausage and scrambled eggs, was available to those who wanted to order it.
Conversation continued across the table after orders had been placed. Pete Lara Jr., who was not a Marine himself but whose son has served, carried on a conversation about the Porterville Military Academy.
The Cadet Corps students spoke amongst themselves, but when addresses by another mem-
ber of the group always used ‘sir' or ‘ma'am.' Two additional cadet students came late and hurried to the seats next to their fellow companions. Stories, knowledge and memories filled the room even after breakfast plates were served.
A waitress approached Cadillo to tell him that an anonymous person had purchased all of the SOS meals at the table. Cadillo was very grateful and stated that he wished he knew who the person was so he could thank them.
As meals were being finished, Cadillo announced that he was going to play the Marines birthday message, featuring the newest medal of honor recipient, retired U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Major John Canley.
The table fell into complete silence for the seven-minute emotional video, during which Major Canley spoke of highlight events any Marine could face, including boot camp, promotion and deployment. A sense of camaraderie and pride filled the air as the birthday message captivated the veterans.
“There is a lot of tradition and the Marine Corps birthday is one,” said Cadillo at the conclusion of the video. “Those of us who have served our time and moved on, we still want to honor that with events like this.”