United States Marine Corps facts for kids

Quick facts for kidsUnited States Marine Corps
	Emblem of the United States Marine Corps
Founded	10 November 1775; (245 years, 7 months)
Country	United States
Type	Maritime land force; Combined arms;
Role	Amphibious warfare; Expeditionary warfare;
Size	180,958 active personnel (as of 2020); 38,500 reserve personnel (as of 2017); 1,304 manned aircraft (total includes 11 VH-3D and 8 VH-60N of HMX-1 not listed by WAF 2018);
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 (also known as USMC) is one of the six branches of the military of the United States in the United States Department of Defense. It was created in 1775 as a special maritime service. Samuel Nicholas founded it. He was the first commissioned officer in the Corps. The birthplace of the Marines is in Philadelphia at the Tun Taven.

Although it is part of the U.S. Naval Service, it is a separate military branch with its own special ranking structure. It also has its own Naval Aviation.

The Marines have been involved in many conflicts, and had important roles in key battles such as Tripoli, Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, and Inchon Bay. Every Marine receives infantry training to be ready for battle at all times. Marine Corps training is also known for being especially challenging; at 13 weeks long, Marine Recruit Training is the longest basic training of the six military branches. United States Marines place a large emphasis on morale. This is reflected in their motto, semper fidelis (meaning "always faithful"), often shortened to semper fi.

Images for kids

Marines in Afghanistan.
U.S. Marines in training
The Marine Band, dubbed "The President's Own"
U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit training
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
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
Maj. Samuel Nicholas, first Commandant of the Marine Corps, was nominated to lead the Continental Marines by John Adams in November 1775.
U.S. Marines storming Chapultepec castle under a large American flag, paving the way for the fall of Mexico City
Five USMC privates with fixed bayonets, and their NCO with his sword at the Washington Navy Yard, 1864
Georges Scott, American Marines in Belleau Wood, 1918
Former French Foreign Legion Lieutenant, and U.S. Marine Corps officer Peter J. Ortiz, who served in the European theater, often behind enemy lines
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.
F4U Corsairs providing close air support to Marines of the 1st Marine Division fighting Chinese forces in North Korea, December 1950
U.S. Marines of "G" Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines in action during Operation Allen Brook in South Vietnam, 1968
Beirut Memorial at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
U.S. Marines from 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines during the Desert Storm deployment in 1990–1991
U.S. Marines from 1st Battalion, 7th Marines entering a palace in Baghdad in April 2003
U.S. Marines dismounting from an Assault Amphibious Vehicle in Djibouti
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.
Two of the first female graduates of the School of Infantry-East's Infantry Training Battalion course, 2013
Marine recruits on a Squad Rush course
Marine recruits at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego
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.
The Eagle, Globe and Anchor along with the U.S. flag, the Marine Corps flag and the Commandant's flag
A recruiting poster making use of the "Teufel Hunden" nickname
Marines training in martial arts
Marines firing MEU(SOC) pistols while garrisoned aboard a ship
Marine Amphibious Assault Vehicles emerge from the surf onto the sand of Freshwater Beach, Australia
A Marine M1 Abrams tank offloading from a Landing Craft Air Cushioned vehicle
Marine parachutists jumping from an MV-22 Osprey at 10,000 feet
A Marine and sailor training with rifles in Iraq
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.