Good Afternoon;

<attention gainer - joke here>

<NOTE> <thank ltcol baker, read prepared note about him being a leader, mentor, and friend since 1982, and as my retiring officer.  also speak about colonel minjares, pentagon chaplain, and thank him for the invocation>

Today, I have come to realize that I am a special person.  A special person because of you all here in front of me.  I am special because you are here to honor me.  For that I am humbled.

I want to apologize ahead of time to anyone I forget to recognize.

First, I want to thank:

<LIST> Read list attached >

Friends,

There are no amount of words THAT I CAN SAY THAT WOULD QUANTIFY THE GRATITUDE AND APPRECIATION TO THIS EVENT, THIS DAY, THIS OCCASION.  I AM RETIRING IN THE JOE ROSENTHAL THEATER AT HENDERSON HALL, THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE U.S. MARINE CORPS.  THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS 65TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE IWO JIMA LANDING IS RELEGATED TO A SELECT FEW - THOSE WHO CAN SAY,

"I RETIRED AT HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS (HQMC), AT THE PLACE WHERE JOE ROSENTHAL IS MEMORIALIZED."

I AM GOING TO TALK TO YOU TODAY ABOUT GOD, COUNTRY, CORPS, AND FAMILY, AND WHAT THAT ALL HAS MEANT TO ME AND MY SERVICE FOR THE PAST 28 YEARS TO OUR COUNTRY; AND WHAT IT WILL MEAN TO ME FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.

My God:

i was born in the middle east in a muslim country to a muslim family.  in order for me to Appreciate other faiths and other cultures, my father moved me out of dearborn, michigan to attend high school in a city with little to no arab population because he wanted me to have diverse exposure to different cultures and different faiths than mine - so i could become a better american.

<adlib here> <speak from the heart on these bullets>

·       <Father reaching out to synagogue to help save his business>

·       <Sending me to Catholic school>

·       <growing up with a diverse group of fellow americans in michigan>

My Country america

when i was growing up in cairo egypt, there was war between egypt and isreal, and the rhetoric on the streets of egypt during a time of war, was an anti-american sentiment. 

my father was already living in the us, i was in a boarding home in cairo, my mother, brother, sisiter, were in yemen.  <expound>

i was afraid to come to this country called america based on all the anti-american rhetoric that i heard as a child growing up in war environment in egypt.

when i came to america at the age of 9 (didn't speak english), i saw the good in the people i encountered and that quickly took away all my fears i had about america.

i was very astute at a very young age.  i came to question everything i learned in egypt with what i was actually seeing here on the streets of america.

i became to love my american friends who helped me learn english without an accent, to loving and respecting my teachers for taking notice and caring for me - to shop owners, eating pizza, hamburgers, going skating, and sledding in the snow. 

i became a happy child growing up not having to worry about playing barefoot in the streets, like i did in egypt.

i loved playing baseball, basketball, football, judo, and being silly on weekends with my friends.

<adlib here> <speak from the heart on these bullets>

·       knowing that the other countries i lived in did not have all that.

·       i knew america was a very special place.

·       i wanted to thank america for letting me and my father come to america.

·       i wanted to protect all of that which i held dear to me - freedom, a home, AND A country. 

·       i joined the u.s. marine corps when i was 17 years old.

My Corps

when i arrived marine corps recruit depot san diego, california on the 21^st of june, 1982, one of the first things our drill instructors told us was that we were no longer white, black, yellow, brown, rich, or poor - that we were all green, only different shades of green, and they would not tolerate any thing less than respect for one another and to work as a team. 

they shaved our heads, called us affectionate names such as - dummy, scum, worthless, names i can't repeat here - my affectionate name was toe jam - to this day i don't know why they chose that name for me.

the marine corps became my FAMILY; my fellow marines became my brothers and sisters, no matter what their race, religion, or creed.

WHERE ELSE CAN A PERSON IN THIS WORLD SERVE ALONG SIDE A FELLOW CHRISTIAN WHO HONORED HIM WITH THE INVOCATION AT HIS RETIREMENT CEREMONY?  - IN THE LIKES OF COLONEL DANIEL MINJARES, THE PENTAGON CHAPLAIN.

WHERE ELSE CAN A PERSON IN THIS WORLD SERVE ALONG SIDE A FELLOW JEW WHO HONORED HIM WITH THE COORDINATION, IMPLEMENTATION, AND NARRATION OF HIS RETIREMENT CEREMONY?  - IN THE LIKES OF MASTER GUNNERY SERGEANT STEPHEN GOULD.

WHERE ELSE CAN A MUSLIM PERSON IN THIS WORLD BE HONORED AND RETIRED IN FRONT OF A DIVERSE BACKGROUND OF FRIENDS, IN A HOLLOWED HALL OF PRESTIGE NAMED AFTER A JEWISH AMERICAN? - IN THE LIKES OF JOSEPH ROSENTHAL.

I JOINED A CORPS THAT WAS FOUNDED IN A TAVERN.

I JOINED A CORPS THAT ADOPTED THE MAMALUKE SWORD AS PART OF ITS UNIFORM.  A SWORD FROM THE MIDDLE EAST, IN TRIPOLI, LIBYA.

I JOINED A CORPS THAT HAS CONDUCTED SO MANY HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS FOR THIS WORLD BECAUSE ALTHOUGH IT IS TRAINED TO FIGHT AND KILL, IT EXTENDED THE HAND OF PEACE AND THE HAND OF COMPASSION TO SO MANY MILLIONS AROUND THE WORLD IN COUNTRIES SUCH AS LEBANON, BANGLADESH, IRAQ, NORTHERN IRAQ, AND HERE AT HOME IN NEW ORLEANS DURING HURRICANE KATRINA."

i was mentored:

i wasn mentored by so many great leaders who were compassionate and caring for my well being as a marine, and as a person.  my career would not have been possible without them - in essence, i carry a piece of their leadership and character in me.

gunny procop

LTCOL baker, USMC

LTCOL ryan, USMC

ltcol patzman, USMC

sgtmaj faulkner, USMC

CWO THRASHER, USMC

colonel hattey, USMC

major valiant, USMC

general robeson, USMC

general ghormley, USMC

admiral hunt, USN

ambassador krajeski

colonel carlsen, USA

LTCOL ALLEY, USA

LTCOL thompson, USMC

MGYSGT styka, USMC

CDR CULL, USN

MCPO carnley, USN

CDR kreuser, USN

LTCOL flores, USMC

maj zukowski, usmc

MAJ emmerson, USMC

My Family

i grew up separated from my mother, sister, and brother at age 5. 

·       my father sent me to ethiopia to live with my grand father for one year,

·       then came back to get me and took me to a boarding home in cairo, egypt, while he returned to the united states.

the next time i saw my mother was when i was 14, when i returned to yemen to see her, my sister, and my two brothers for three months, then i returned back to the us, to my home!

our family was finally united in april of 1982 here in america as one family. 

i got to enjoy the family atmosphere for three months before i had to ship off to boot camp and join another family, the us marine corps family.

i have always valued the importance of family, and wanted to give my children a home so that they could grow up as a family.

as much as i tried to keep a family atmosphere for my children, the challenges of serving my corps to protect my country did not allow me to do that.

my daughters saw a part-time father who was in their mind - always gone. 

i was gone on deployement and missed many important dates in their lives.

<adlib here> <talk about the many missed dates in their lives, missed birth of daughter, etc.>

i want everyone to know here today that the family of military service members deserve all the credit, and know that they are the true heroes.  their country's defense hinges on the family support of its service members.  without that i doubt we would be as strong a country as we are today.

the certificate of appreciation that my wife and daughters received today does not do them justice for what they have had to sacrifice for my service to my corps and country, but also to my selfishness to enjoy what i wanted to do. 

i chose the corps, they didn't.

Conclusion:

looking out at all of you today, i see a bright future for me.

i am not retiring from life, only beginning a new chapter.

i am now a marine for life.  no one can ever take away my rank, my service, or my honor from me.

i will forever be - first sergeant jamal s. baadani (retired).