The Code
Abraham Felber landed at Red Beach on Guadalcanal with the first wave of Marines on August 7, 1942. He was a thirty-six-year-old sergeant and grizzled veteran of the old Corps. As 1st
Sergeant of Headquarters Battery, 11th Marines, it was up to him to pass on the time-honored traditions of the Corps to the younger men. Some of those traditions were contained in an unwritten code that distinguished the Old Breed. According to Felber, the “Code” required certain things of every Marine:
You don’t hold a grudge against your fellow Marine, and you don’t let anyone hold a grudge against you. You settle matters here and now. If words don’t work, then with fists.
You take the responsibility, and you take the blame, even if it’s not yours.
When war comes, you fight, because that’s what you owe your country.
In war, you depend for your life on your fellow Marine, and he depends for his life on you.
You respect your own sailors and airmen doing battle for you. They are fighting and dying in the skies and on the seas to protect you. That’s a service you can’t return to them.
You respect your enemy. They are husbands, fathers, and sons who fight and die just as bravely as you do.
And when the warrior’s day is done, and your nation seems quick to forget your sacrifice and your honor, you remain ever faithful, ever loyal.172
The “Code” was an unusual blend of toughness and compassion that probably had its roots centuries ago among the knights of England. It was harsh and unyielding in war and chivalrous in peace, calling each man to a higher level of personal responsibility for his actions. In the end, it reflects the motto of the Marine Corps: Semper Fidelis . This is a standard that we should all attain to: being always faithful to the cause, even when our efforts are not understood or appreciated. We know that our cause in service to God and his kingdom is ultimately important and worthy of this dedication. We also know that no matter what God is faithful to us.
His master replied, ”Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
—Matthew 25:23