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United States Marine Corps
Emblem of the United States Marine Corps.svg
Emblem of the United States Marine Corps
Founded 10 November 1775 (1775-11-10)
(248 years, 4 months)
Country  United States
Type
Role
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 Seal of the United States Department of the Navy.svg 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 Flag of the United States Marine Corps.svg
Seal USMC logo.svg
Emblem ("Eagle, Globe, and Anchor" or "EGA") Eagle, Globe, and Anchor.svg
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.

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".

Flags, USMC
The Eagle, Globe and Anchor along with the U.S. flag, the Marine Corps flag and the Commandant's flag

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

Teufel Hunden US Marines recruiting poster
A recruiting poster making use of the "Teufel Hunden" [sic] nickname

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

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Cuerpo de Marines de los Estados Unidos para niños

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