United States Marine Corps facts for kids
Quick facts for kids United States Marine Corps |
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Emblem of the United States Marine Corps
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| Founded | 10 November 1775 (249 years, 1 month) |
| Country |  United States |
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| Part of |  Department of the Navy |
| Headquarters | The Pentagon Arlington County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Nickname(s) | "Jarheads", "Devil Dogs", "Teufel Hunden", "Leathernecks" |
| Motto(s) | Semper fidelis |
| Colors | Scarlet and Gold |
| March | "Semper Fidelis" |
| Mascot(s) | English bulldog |
| Anniversaries | 10 November |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief |  President Donald J. Trump |
| Secretary of Defense |  Christopher C. Miller (acting) |
| Secretary of the Navy |  Kenneth Braithwaite |
| Commandant |  Gen David H. Berger |
| Assistant Commandant |  Gen Gary L. Thomas |
| Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps | SMMC Troy E. Black |
| Insignia | |
| Flag |  |
| Seal |  |
| Emblem ("Eagle, Globe, and Anchor" or "EGA") |  |
| Song | "The Marine's Hymn" |
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combined arms, implementing its own infantry, artillery, aerial, and special operations forces. The U.S. Marine Corps is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States.
The Marine Corps has been part of the U.S. Department of the Navy since 30 June 1834 with its sister service, the United States Navy. The USMC operates installations on land and aboard sea-going amphibious warfare ships around the world. Additionally, several of the Marines' tactical aviation squadrons, primarily Marine Fighter Attack squadrons, are also embedded in Navy carrier air wings and operate from the aircraft carriers.
The history of the Marine Corps began when two battalions of Continental Marines were formed on 10 November 1775 in Philadelphia as a service branch of infantry troops capable of fighting both at sea and on shore. In the Pacific theater of World War II the Corps took the lead in a massive campaign of amphibious warfare, advancing from island to island. As of 2022, the USMC has around 177,200 active duty members and some 32,400 personnel in reserve.
Contents
Mission
As outlined in 10 U.S.C. § 5063 and as originally introduced under the National Security Act of 1947, three primary areas of responsibility for the U.S. Marine Corps are:
- Seizure or defense of advanced naval bases and other land operations to support naval campaigns;
- Development of tactics, technique, and equipment used by amphibious landing forces in coordination with the Army and Air Force; and
- Such other duties as the President or Department of Defense may direct.
This last clause derives from similar language in the Congressional acts "For the Better Organization of the Marine Corps" of 1834, and "Establishing and Organizing a Marine Corps" of 1798. In 1951, the House of Representatives' Armed Services Committee called the clause "one of the most important statutory – and traditional – functions of the Marine Corps". It noted that the Corps has more often than not performed actions of a non-naval nature, including its famous actions in Tripoli, the War of 1812, Chapultepec, and numerous counter-insurgency and occupational duties (such as those in Central America, World War I, and the Korean War). While these actions are not accurately described as support of naval campaigns nor as amphibious warfare, their common thread is that they are of an expeditionary nature, using the mobility of the Navy to provide timely intervention in foreign affairs on behalf of American interests.
The Marine Band, dubbed the "President's Own" by Thomas Jefferson, provides music for state functions at the White House. Marines from Ceremonial Companies A & B, quartered in Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., guard presidential retreats, including Camp David, and the marines of the Executive Flight Detachment of HMX-1 provide helicopter transport to the President and Vice President, with the radio call signs "Marine One" and "Marine Two", respectively. The Executive Flight Detachment also provides helicopter transport to Cabinet members and other VIPs. By authority of the 1946 Foreign Service Act, the Marine Security Guards of the Marine Embassy Security Command provide security for American embassies, legations, and consulates at more than 140 posts worldwide.
The relationship between the Department of State and the U.S. Marine Corps is nearly as old as the Corps itself. For over 200 years, marines have served at the request of various Secretaries of State. After World War II, an alert, disciplined force was needed to protect American embassies, consulates, and legations throughout the world. In 1947, a proposal was made that the Department of Defense furnishes Marine Corps personnel for Foreign Service guard duty under the provisions of the Foreign Service Act of 1946. A formal Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the Department of State and the Secretary of the Navy on 15 December 1948, and 83 marines were deployed to overseas missions. During the first year of the program, 36 detachments were deployed worldwide.
Culture
Official traditions and customs
As in any military organization, the official and unofficial traditions of the Marine Corps serve to reinforce camaraderie and set the service apart from others. The Corps's embrace of its rich culture and history is cited as a reason for its high esprit de corps. An important part of the Marine Corps culture is the traditional seafaring naval terminology derived from its history with the Navy. "Marines" are not "soldiers" or "sailors".
The Marine Corps emblem is the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, sometimes abbreviated "EGA", adopted in 1868. The Marine Corps seal includes the emblem, also is found on the flag of the United States Marine Corps, and establishes scarlet and gold as the official colors. The Marine motto Semper Fidelis means Always Faithful in Latin, often appearing as Semper Fi. The Marines' Hymn dates back to the 19th century and is the oldest official song in the United States armed forces. Semper Fi is also the name of the official march of the Corps, composed by John Philip Sousa. The mottos "Fortitudine" (With Fortitude); By Sea and by Land, a translation of the Royal Marines' Per Mare, Per Terram; and To the Shores of Tripoli were used until 1868.
Two styles of swords are worn by marines: the officers' Mameluke Sword, similar to the Persian shamshir presented to Lt. Presley O'Bannon after the Battle of Derna, and the Marine NCO sword. The Marine Corps Birthday is celebrated every year on 10 November in a cake-cutting ceremony where the first slice of cake is given to the oldest marine present, who in turn hands it off to the youngest marine present. The celebration includes a reading of Commandant Lejeune's Birthday Message. Close Order Drill is heavily emphasized early on in a marine's initial training, incorporated into most formal events, and is used to teach discipline by instilling habits of precision and automatic response to orders, increase the confidence of junior officers and noncommissioned officers through the exercise of command and give marines an opportunity to handle individual weapons.
Unofficial traditions and customs
Marines have several generic nicknames:
- Devil Dog: German soldiers during the First World War said that at Belleau Wood the marines were so vicious that the German infantrymen called them Teufel Hunden – 'devil dogs'.
- Gyrene: commonly used between fellow marines.
- Leatherneck: refers to a leather collar formerly part of the Marine uniform during the Revolutionary War period.
- Jarhead has several oft-disputed explanations.
Some other unofficial traditions include mottos and exclamations:
- Oorah is common among marines, being similar in function and purpose to the Army, Air Force, and Space Force's hooah and the Navy's hooyah cries. Many possible etymologies have been offered for the term.
- Semper Fi is a common greeting among serving and veteran marines.
- Improvise, Adapt and Overcome has become an adopted mantra in many units.
The Marines have historically had issues with extremism in their ranks, particularly White supremacy. In 1976 the Camp Pendleton Chapter of the Ku Klux Klan had over 100 members and was headed by an active duty marine. In 1986, a number of marines were implicated in the theft of weapons for the White Patriot Party. The USMC, along with the rest of the military, has since made a serious effort to address extremism in the ranks.
Veteran marines
The Corps encourages the idea that "marine" is an earned title, and most Marine Corps personnel take to heart the phrase, "Once a marine, Always a marine". They reject the term "ex-marine" in most circumstances. There are no regulations concerning the address of persons who have left active service, so a number of customary terms have come into common use.
Images for kids
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Marines in Afghanistan.
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U.S. Marines in training
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The Marine Band, dubbed "The President's Own"
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U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit training
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A machine gunner from 1st Platoon, Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment in cold weather gear armed with a Squad Automatic Weapon taking part in a security patrol around Ramadi, Iraq, 27 December 2006
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Continental Marines landing at New Providence in March 1776 during the Battle of Nassau, the very first amphibious landing of the Marine Corps, during the American Revolutionary War
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Maj. Samuel Nicholas, first Commandant of the Marine Corps, was nominated to lead the Continental Marines by John Adams in November 1775.
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U.S. Marines storming Chapultepec castle under a large American flag, paving the way for the fall of Mexico City
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Five USMC privates with fixed bayonets, and their NCO with his sword at the Washington Navy Yard, 1864
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Georges Scott, American Marines in Belleau Wood, 1918
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Former French Foreign Legion Lieutenant, and U.S. Marine Corps officer Peter J. Ortiz, who served in the European theater, often behind enemy lines
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Photograph of the Marine Corps War Memorial, which depicts the second U.S. flag-raising atop Mount Suribachi, on Iwo Jima. The memorial is modeled on Joe Rosenthal's famous Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.
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F4U Corsairs providing close air support to Marines of the 1st Marine Division fighting Chinese forces in North Korea, December 1950
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U.S. Marines of "G" Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines in action during Operation Allen Brook in South Vietnam, 1968
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Beirut Memorial at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
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U.S. Marines from 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines during the Desert Storm deployment in 1990–1991
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U.S. Marines from 1st Battalion, 7th Marines entering a palace in Baghdad in April 2003
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U.S. Marines dismounting from an Assault Amphibious Vehicle in Djibouti
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Opha Johnson (far right) in 1946, with Katherine Towle (far left). They are looking at Opha Johnson's uniform being worn by PFC Muriel Albert.
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Two of the first female graduates of the School of Infantry-East's Infantry Training Battalion course, 2013
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Marine recruits on a Squad Rush course
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Marine recruits at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego
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An illustration of U.S. Marines in various uniform setups. From left to right: A U.S. Marine in a Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform with full combat load circa late 2003, a U.S. Marine in a (full) blue dress uniform, a U.S. Marine officer in a service uniform, and a U.S. Marine general in an evening dress uniform.
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Marines training in martial arts
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Marines firing MEU(SOC) pistols while garrisoned aboard a ship
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Marine Amphibious Assault Vehicles emerge from the surf onto the sand of Freshwater Beach, Australia
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A Marine M1 Abrams tank offloading from a Landing Craft Air Cushioned vehicle
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Marine parachutists jumping from an MV-22 Osprey at 10,000 feet
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A Marine and sailor training with rifles in Iraq
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A soldier from the 1st Infantry Regiment provides security for a joint Army-Marine patrol in Rawa in 2006. The shoulder sleeve insignia has the logo of the 2nd Marine Division.
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See also
In Spanish: Cuerpo de Marines de los Estados Unidos para niños
