Todd Young: “On the campus of Indiana University, a tablet placed on the floor of the student union pays tribute to the men and women…”

“On the campus of Indiana University, a tablet placed on the floor of the student union pays tribute to the men and women who served in the Civil War. Over 80 years ago, in March 1942, three young Hoosiers stood over that marker. They raised their right hands, and they joined those ranks. When the oath began, they were college students in the last days of childhood. When it was complete, they were U.S. marines, the first to fight for their country. They joined a long line of American heroes, dating all the way back to the Revolutionary War. On November 10, 1775, when America contemplated a difficult amphibious assault on the British supply hub in Nova Scotia, the Continental Congress called for the raising of a regiment to execute this difficult expedition. It required a special breed of warrior, capable of fighting on land and sea. Just the type of men 'acquainted with maritime affairs,' as the Continental Congress phrased it, were to be found at Tun Tavern, a brewhouse on Philadelphia's waterfront. On the same day the colonial government passed its resolution, they commissioned Samuel Nicholas to raise this force. Not long after, he walked through the tavern's door and appointed its owner, Robert Mullan, chief recruiter. Together, with the lure of high adventure, mugs full of cold beer, and the call to defend their homes, they enlisted two battalions of men. These men were the first members of the U.S. Marine Corps.”