General Weber Talks About Veterans Day

Catching Up With the Former County Judge as Tuesday’s Important Holiday Approaches

Americans will come together on Tuesday, Nov. 11 - Veterans Day - to honor the sacrifices made by members of our nation’s armed services.

For a few proud veterans, the day before marks an extra special occasion. Monday, Nov. 10, is the 250th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. The U.S. Army and Navy also celebrated 250th anniversaries earlier this year.

Last week the Record spoke with Fayette County’s highest ranking Marine Corps veteran, retired three-star general and former Fayette County Judge Joe Weber, about the momentous occasion.

“Veterans Day is always important,” Weber said. “It honors all those who served and the contributions they made to the country, the sacrifices they made, not only them, but their families as well. And so it’s always special, but I think even more special, as the country prepares for its 250th anniversary next year, but also this year is the anniversary of the Marine Corps, 250 years, as well as the U.S. Army, both special, special birthdays for those two services.”

Weber spent 36 years in the Marine Corps, retiring in 2008 as a Lt. General. He spoke about what drove him to enter the service as a young man.

“My father was a veteran and my coach was a veteran,” he said. “I was raised in a very small Catholic school. Patriotism was big and, you know, join the service or serve your country in some way. And so off to A&M I went, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to be in the military for 36 years.”

Weber joined the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M University. After graduation he accepted a commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps with a two-anda- half year commitment.

“And then, wow, 36 years later,” he said. “What really kept me in is I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed working with the young men and women who joined the military and were looking for something in their lives and wanted to give back. These young men and women in the service – to see them mature and grow and excel – there’s a lot of satisfaction in that.”

Weber said veterans play a very important role in our country even after they leave the military.

“They encourage young men and women to look at the service, to think about joining and becoming a veteran themselves,” Weber said. “I think it’s awesome on anybody’s resume to say that you’re a veteran of the armed forces of our great nation.”

Weber, like all Marines, takes great pride in his branch of the armed services, which celebrates its 250th anniversary on Monday.

“I think we’ve always been different from the very beginning,” Weber said of the Marine Corps. “When you start your service in a tavern – a bar – as they did back in 1775 at Tun Tavern (in Philadelphia) on Nov. 10 – you kind of wonder what’s going to come out of that. But I think its been the spirit of adventure and sticking together, toughness. It’s a bond.

“Esprit de corps – I think it’s especially strong in the Marine Corps,” he continued. “I think it’s because of our history and our traditions. We want to live up to the things our predecessors did in the corps.”

Weber said he encourages all young people thinking about a career in the military to consider the Marines.

“You won’t meet a Marine who won’t tell you the Marines are the best,” he said. “We have a lot of pride. It’s a great organization. It’s tough and demanding. But the rewards are there.”