November 10 marks the birthday of the United States Marine Corps, which traces its roots back to the early days of the American Revolution.
On that fateful day of November 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress voted to establish two battalions of Marines.
Legend has it that Congress commissioned Robert Mullan, the proprietor of Tun Tavern (Philadelphia, PA), to raise two battalions of Marines, under the leadership of Samuel Nicholas, the first appointed Commandant of the Continental Marines.
Since that day, the U.S. Marines have been the first branch of the armed forces to serve in every war, and have mounted over 300 assaults on foreign shores, from the arctic to the tropics.
In 1883, the Marine Corps adopted Semper Fidelis as its official motto (Semper Fidelis is also the title of the official musical March of the Marine Corps). Translated from Latin, Semper Fidelis means “Always Faithful.” U.S. Marines use an abbreviated verbal version, “Semper Fi,” to voice loyalty and commitment to their Marine comrades-in-arms.
The Three Corps Values: Honor, Courage, Commitment.
They make up the bedrock of the character of each individual Marine. They are the foundation of the Corps. These three values, handed down from generation to generation, have made U.S. Marines the Warrior Elite. The U.S. Marine Corps: the most respected and revered fighting force on earth.
Once a Marine, Always a Marine. No matter where you find yourself in the world, after you become a Marine, you are never again alone or on your own.
U.S. Marine Mascot:
The Marine Corps mascot is an English bulldog named Chesty. This mascot was named after Marine Lt. Gen. Louis B. “Chesty” Puller, the only Marine to earn five Navy Crosses.
During World War I many German reports had called the attacking Marines “teufel-hunden,” meaning Devil-Dogs. Teufel-hunden were the vicious, wild, and ferocious mountain dogs of German Bavarian folklore.
Soon afterward, a U.S. Marine recruiting poster depicted a snarling English Bulldog wearing a Marine Corps helmet. Because of the tenacity and demeanor of the breed, the image took root with both the Marines and the public. The Marines soon unofficially adopted the English Bulldog as their mascot.
At the Marine base at Quantico, Virginia, the Marines obtained a registered English Bulldog, King Bulwark. In a formal ceremony on 14 October 1922, Brigadier General Smedley D. Butler signed documents enlisting the bulldog, renamed Jiggs, for the “term of life.”
U.S. Marine Corps
