Last night Nadia, Oliver and I attended the United States Marine Corps Ball. The Marine Corps was founded on November 10, 1775 by order of the Second Continental Congress at the Tun Tavern in Philadelphia. 248 years later, the US Marine Corps is an elite military fighting force that has literally seen action all over the world. Battalions of Marines are assigned by the State Department to protect US embassies and the associated diplomatic mission.
The event was at the new InterContinental Hotel in Tashkent. I didn’t know from the history of the company that Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Pan Am President Juan Trippe to start a luxury hotel chain to help boost Latin America’s economy after World War II. With loans from the US government, InterContinental became a successful chain and today they have 208 hotels worldwide.
US Ambassador Hennick gave a good speech, reflecting on his father who served in Vietnam with the Marines Corp. I like that in America, civil servants ultimately control our military forces. The close relationship between the federal government and the military was on full display last night. The marines were in full uniform and performed the traditional cake-cutting ceremony. The night was special for Nadia and me because we could share it with Oliver who attended with his girlfriend. I loved watching Nadia dance with Oliver and his friends.
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