TheOldMarine's Blog

For years all Marine Corps Flags and Guidons were a dark blue field with Scarlet and Gold embroidery. BUT...
in 1923 the Commandant, Gen. Lejeune ,decided that the colors looked too much like a Naval Flag,and he ordered all Marine colors be changed to a Scarlet field with Red and Gold embroidery."Aye,Aye,Sir!"

Well some orders take time to reach "every clime and place",
but in 1937, the Shanghai detachment,4th. regiment,got their new Red & Gold colors, held a parade, and retired the"OldBlue".

The order also stated that all old colors be burned !

Well an unknown Marine,probably on the Color Guard, couldn't bring himself to destroy a flag that thousands of fellow Marines had marched under in all matters of conflict, and had shown it to friend and foe alike,. Soooo, he folded it up and hid it in the bottom of his Seabag.
In November 1941, anticipating "bad vibes" from Japs in Shanghai, the Marines were evacuated to the Philippines.

All seabags were stored in a warehouse and later,due to losing the Philippines,all Army,Navy and Marine personel who survived,went into POW camps.

The Japs paid no heed to the bags,and they stayed stored.

At the end of the war,found, these bags were sent to Marine Barracks, Mare Island,Ca. where they were examined and our unknown Marine failed to survive,so an officer found "Old Blue"packed away.
He recognized the prize he had, and he added this to his personal effects. End!

Not Quite...20 years later, he ran across "Old Blue"falling apart and he wanted it to be returned ,somehow, to TheCorps.
He contacted LtCol Bob Calland(ret) at the Smithsonian Inst. and delivered the flag to him. Calland put it in storage in Quantico,Va,
LtCol Calland moved to Solana Beach, Ca. and got involved in establishing The Marine Corps Historical Soc. MCRD,SanDiego.
He then retrived the hidden flag, and presented it to the Command Museum,SanDiego.

The Society had the colors restored ,framed and put on display in the Command Museum in 1991.

Irony....The 4th Regiment was BORN at this base,in 1911, and now their original Flag is again "Flying At Home" and has now escaped the order to be "destroyed by burning "!
OoohRaah ! Semper Fi!

Garnishments to really finish off this chili :

Shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped red onion
An avocado peeled and sliced.

Sprinkle over the top of each bowl of chili,chopped red onion, shredded cheese and around the edge of the bowl three or four slices of the avocado....A bottle of ice cold Rolling Rock makes a
great refreshing finale. A spoonful of chili followed by a bite of avocado followed by a swig of beer. ummmmm.
Bon Ap.

THE END !!

Directions

Heat th oil in a 6 qt, pan.
Add meat,onions & garlic & saute until meat is brown.
Add the next seven ingredients, & bring to a boil over med.-high heat. Reduce heat to med. -low and simmer uncovered for 45 to 55 mins.
Now when you add the tomatoes, just add the juice first. Reserve the tomatoes until the last ten mins. of cooking. That way they will remain whole and not "fall apart"
When you serve ,make sure each bowl has a whole tomatoe in it.
Next blog...... Garnishments . See Ya !

Ingredients :
2 TBs cooking oil
1 lb. lean beef cut into 1"cubes
1 lb, lean pork cut into 1"cubes
2 med. onions ,chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes
1 12 oz. bottle of beer
5 TBs chili powder ( don't short this )
2 jalapeno peppers seeded and chopped
2 TBs ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp sugar

To be continued next

While a student at Baylor, I spent an Easter weekend with my room mate at his family's sheep ranch, in West Texas. They had an old Mexican for their cook. Friday night he served a chili that blew me away !. I asked if he had a recipe for it, and he said he "just threw it together ".
I asked if he would talk me through it and he did. Now he used Mutton, but it tasted good to me. However you can't always find Mutton, so I substitute with Beef and Pork.
Next Blog