NROTC San Diego Holds Annual Navy/Marine Corps Birthday Ball 2009

NROTC USD (San Diego, Calif.) – The San Diego Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps consolidated two historic birthday parties into one ceremony on Oct. 16 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, California.
            The Navy/Marine Corps Birthday Ball is an annual celebration to preserve the traditions of naval heritage and integrate NROTC members into a service that honors the many years of its existence.
            More than 400 attendees including: Officer Instructors, Navy Officer Candidates, Marine fleet returnees, Midshipmen, and their guests gathered to celebrate the Navy and Marine Corps Birthdays.  Students comprising the NROTC battalion attend San Diego-area schools such as: University of San Diego, San Diego State University, University of California San Diego, California State University San Marcos and Point Loma Nazarene University.
The ball’s guest speaker, Rear Admiral Philip H. Greene, Jr., Director Navy Irregular Warfare Office, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, talked about the growing importance of Irregular Warfare in today’s military operations as well as wishing Happy Birthday to both the Navy and Marine Corps.

The ceremony marked the first real tradition of its kind that many of the incoming freshmen have been able to share in.  For many of them it is their first real glimpse of how the Navy and Marine Corps celebrates the legacy that they will one day strive to sustain.

-OC Seymour