Welcoming New Marine Security Guards

Gregory B. Starr
Acting Assistant Secretary
Remarks at Marine Security Guard Class 2-08 Graduation Ceremony 
United States Marine Corps Base
Quantico, Virginia
February 29, 2008
(as prepared for delivery)

Good Morning,

General Conway, Mr. Geoffroy, Colonel Cruz, Sergeant Major Nugent, Members of Marine Security Guard Class 2-08, family, friends, faculty and staff of the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group.

As the Acting Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security at the Department of State, I am honored to be here for what I know is a distinctive moment in your careers and in your lives. I would like to welcome you and your families and friends who have come to Quantico to celebrate your graduation. This is a very proud day for you, the Marine Corps, and Diplomatic Security.

The United States Marine Corps and Diplomatic Security have had a long and mutually advantageous relationship for almost 60 years. During the Winter of 1948/1949, the Marine Security Guard program was formally established with volunteers from the Marine Corps. Since that time, we have shared many challenges together -- the most recent at the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade.

The Marine Corps Embassy Security Group, as it is known today, is an elite group of men and women who have been specially selected for this duty. Congratulations, graduates, on becoming a part of this select team. You have trained hard, successfully completed a rigorous 6 to 8 week program, and now, as you join your fellow Marine Security Guards – serving at 149 posts in 130 countries around the world -- I know that our Embassies and Consulates will continue to be well-protected.

The Marine Security Guard program is unique in that members of the military work so closely with members of the Foreign Service. During my career, I have served as the Regional Security Officer, in Tel Aviv, Israel; Tunis, Tunisia; Dakar, Senegal; and Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At each post, I worked with the Marine Security Guards on a daily basis. I counted on them to protect our facilities, our people, and our classified material. You are one of our greatest assets abroad.

As new members of the Foreign Service family, you will play an essential role in helping our country achieve its goals in world affairs. The primary role of Marine Security Guards is to be our missions’ “first line of defense,” to protect classified information and equipment from unauthorized disclosure, and provide internal security protection for U.S. citizens and U.S. Government property during exigent circumstances. To everyone who enters the embassy, you are looked at as a symbol of American values of integrity, courage, loyalty, and commitment. As a Marine Security Guard at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate, you do not just stand at Post One. You stand for America. You are America’s “Ambassadors in Blue.”

Graduates, I salute your devotion to duty, honor, and country as together we work to bring freedom and stability to our 21^st century world. On behalf of the Department of State and Diplomatic Security, I want to congratulate you and welcome you to the State Department family.

Semper Fi.