At the BIGGEST Marine Corps Birthday Ball in the world, SgtMaj Carlos A. Ruiz motivates Marines, veterans, and guests in New Orleans, Louisiana, November 10, 2023 at the Caesars Superdome. Ruiz is the 20th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps. More than 2,700 Marines, veterans and family members from Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES) and Marine Forces South (MARFORSOUTH) came together to celebrate. #usmc #248 #nola #marine #marines #marinecorps #marforres #marforsouth

Transcript:

All Together, Twenty! 20! 20! 20! 20! 20! 20! keep it going. And now…. Live from the Superdome in New Orleans Louisianaaaaaaaaa The 20th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlos……Ruiz I had nothing else but to give him a high five. Happy birthday! Listen to me, there’s about 2,700 people in this building Happy Birthday It seems like just 3 months ago I was here General Bellon, I love that man and then he fired me. go find a job somewhere else Where do I start… General Bellon did teach me And he didn't say learn this just by watching. He would say I woke up with a word in my head. I woke up with a word. This sentiment is thing in my head like he just spoke about And in the years that I worked with him, I started listening to my burning and what I woke up with was the word inheritance inheritance, and I'll come back to that. I'm so happy to see you. To be here, to come home like this feels home. Right? Ever felt like you’re just home. That's what I feel like. I've come home and to see you and I don't even know three quarters of you. but to me your home and so when I say so happy to see you what I mean by that is That the best version of you is here for the next couple of hours like you got dressed up you took time with your uniform, the ladies you took your precious time and getting things just perfect. I know because I was telling Andrea “Honey the curls are going to stay, let's go. “We're going to be late.” No, it's true. So you're here because there's so many things to think about you got Israel. You got Ukraine. You got our Commandant, you got our new ACMC You got Marines forward-deployed. You got their families and that's just the beginning of the things that has Marines. We worry about. But I see children in the room. So if you're a parent you look at them and you worry about them. I see spouses in the room. You worry about them and their health you worry about how you're going to pay for a college education you worry about writing a check or putting on the credit card and paying for childcare. And you know, there's only $42 left in your bank account. How are you going to make it for now until paycheck? There's so many things to worry about today. So when you show up with your best self, it's a reminder that you still exist that you're still there. That there's something in you that says this is really me. This is Carlos. And I can get dressed and I can set foot on the field, literally and show up like a Marine and then I'm taken to the video. Because I've seen that video. I don't know a thousand and 2 times. And by the way, it took a lot of cuts “sergeant major, say in the world.” I say, “I'm saying in the world.” whatever so the people in the video the veterans.

So the people in the video the veterans there's a sergeant there's a colonel there and then in this room, there's veterans ooh-rah and you have your medals and you have your suit on or dress whatever you got and you showed up and it just hits me. When someone puts a mic in front of their faces and say “speak about what it means to be a Marine.” And they speak with such Authority. But they know exactly how it feels what a Marine does and they haven't put on a uniform in decades or closing in on a decade. And why is that? You in the room, much like they you probably walk a little slower. You probably your eyesight is not as sharp. The waist is probably not as small. I'm going to stop right there, but they speak with such Authority about what it means to be a Marine. We're Marines until we die. and it takes 2 weeks notice for that who talks like that? Do you talk like that? It really the question is will you talk like that? Because they inherited spirit. Inherited this thing that just takes over your soul and grips you to want to put on a uniform be a Marine. And then they do certain things to pass it on to us and you saw, you saw it live right here, passing of the cake. And thousands upon thousands of Marines felt that eagle globe and anchor press onto the palm of their hand when they're minted as Marines. That Spirit gets passed on. You see it at promotions you see it in award ceremonies, you seen on the faces where weird things happen Like people stop their vehicle while the Colors go up or you stop moving. you remember that? You stopped moving. Salute, colors go up, but if you remember when you were young you were probably diving into your car. When the 5-minute warning happened you started walking a little faster. Not me, yes you…..