Boxer Celebrates Navy’s 249th Birthday

Sailors assigned to the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) and embarked Marines, assigned to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), held a ceremony on the mess decks to celebrate the Navy’s 249th birthday, Oct. 13, 2024.

The theme of this year’s celebration is warfighting, strength and readiness, highlighting the Navy’s ability to operate anywhere, at any time, to promote security, deter aggression, and defend shared ideals.

For the last 249 years, the United States Navy has been there to answer the call. From the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, and from the skies around the world, we continue to operate in support of our Allies and Partners, defending our protected interests, bringing lifesaving supplies to those in need, and countless other missions.

During Boxer’s celebration ceremony, Capt. Brian Holmes, commanding officer, recalled the story of Lt. Cmdr. John D. Bulkeley, a Medal of Honor recipient who showed extraordinary heroism during World War II as the commander of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three in the same waters that Boxer is currently operating in today.

Under Bulkeley’s command, the PT boats of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three severely damaged and destroyed multiple Japanese enemy planes, surface combatants and merchant ships, and dispersed landing parties and enemy forces for over four months in the waters surrounding the Philippines. His team was also responsible for safely bringing General Douglas MacArthur and his family out of the island of Corregidor in the Philippines, sailing through heavily-patrolled enemy waters, allowing him to evade capture and lead the counteroffensive in the Pacific that ultimately changed the course of WWII.

“That same courage and that same determination that Lt. Cmdr. Bulkeley showed in World War II, we still celebrate today,” said Holmes. “I take great pride in knowing that we are the same Navy today that we were 249 years ago – strong, capable, and ready. I am incredibly proud to be sailing in the same waters, with the crew of Boxer and the embarked 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, where Lieutenant Commander Bulkeley and those who have gone before us so bravely operated in defense of our nation’s security.”

The United States Navy was born through the sacrifice and determination of the men and women who served a noble cause to defend the people of the United States of America, tracing its origins back to the American Revolution.

“Soon after the War on Independence, the U.S. Constitution empowered the new Congress to provide and maintain the Navy,” said Chief Aviation Ordnanceman Corey Gadson during the ceremony. “Acting on this authority, Congress established the Department of the Navy on April 30, 1798, and in the years that followed, the first ships were constructed: the Constellation, Constitution, Congress, Chesapeake, United States and the President, known as the six frigates.”

In the last 249 years, the Navy has since grown to become a symbol of freedom for both the American people and the world, protecting the air and seas, deterring aggression and operating alongside our Allies and Partners in support of shared interests of peace and stability.

“Today, we have more than 280 ships – with 77 more under construction or on order – manned and backed by more than 300,000 Sailors,” said Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd Class Alana Reyes. “We are our nation’s vital maritime maneuver force – persistent, versatile, and capable of winning any fight and ready for the challenges of the future.”

Boxer and embarked elements of the 15th MEU are conducting routine operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

Boxer is a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship homeported in San Diego. Commissioned February 11, 1995, Boxer is the sixth ship to bear the name. Boxer’s crew is made up of approximately 1,200 officers and enlisted personnel and can accommodate up to 1,800 Marines.