
The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States armed forces. While concerned almost exclusively with shipboard security service and amphibious warfare in its formative years, the Marine Corps has evolved to fill a unique, multi-purpose role within the modern United States military. The Marine Corps is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 176,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. Only the United States Coast Guard, part of the Department of Homeland Security, is smaller. Both the Marine Corps and the United States Navy fall under the umbrella of the United States Department of the Navy. While organizationally separate forces, the two services work closely together. ==Mission== The Marine Corps serves as a versatile combat element, and is adapted to a wide variety of combat operations. The Marine Corps was initially composed of infantry combat forces serving aboard naval vessels, responsible for security of the ship, its captain and officers, offensive and defensive combat during boarding actions, by acting as sharpshooters, and carrying out amphibious assaults. The Marines fully developed and used the tactics of amphibious assault in World War II, most notably in the Pacific Theater of Operations . Since its creation in 1775 the Corps' role has expanded significantly. The Marines have a unique mission statement, and, alone among the branches of the U.S. armed forces, "shall, at any time, be liable to do duty in the forts and garrisons of the United States, on the seacoast, or any other duty on shore, as the President, at his discretion, shall direct." In this special capacity, charged with carrying out duties given to them directly by the President of the United States, the Marine Corps serves as an all-purpose, fast-response task force, capable of quick action in areas requiring emergency intervention. The Marine Corps possesses Organic_(military) ground and air combat elements, and relies upon the US Navy to provide sea combat elements to fulfill its mission as "America's 9-1-1 Force." Ground combat elements are largely contained in three Marine divisions, or "MarDivs." The 1st Marine Division is based out of Camp Pendleton, California, the 2nd out of Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, while the third is based on Okinawa, Japan. Recon battalions are composed of the elite Marines, and their mission is to scout the enemy or even to penetrate the enemy line. Air combat elements are similarly grouped in the first, second and third Marine wings. Marine tactics and doctrine tends to emphasize aggressiveness and the offensive, compared to Army tactics for similar units. The Marines have been central in developing groundbreaking tactics for maneuver warfare; they can be credited with the development of Air assault and modern amphibious assault. The Marines also maintain an operational and training culture dedicated to emphasizing the infantry combat abilities of every Marine. All Marines receive training first and foremost as rifleman, and thus the Marine Corps at heart functions as an infantry corps. The Marine Corps is famous for the saying "Every Marine is a rifleman." While the Marine Corps does not necessarily fill unique combat roles, only when combined do the United States Army, Navy, and US Air Force overlap every area that the Marine Corps covers. As a force, the Marines consistently use all essential elements of combat (air, ground, sea) together. While the creation of joint commands under the Goldwater-Nichols Act has improved interservice coordination between the larger services, the Marine Corps' ability to permanently maintain integrated multi-element task forces under a single command provides a special ability to respond to flexibility and urgency requirements. The Marines argue that they do not and should not take the place of the other services, any more than an ambulance takes the place of a hospital. Nonetheless, when a pressing emergency develops, the Marines essentially act as a stopgap, to get into and hold an area until the larger machinery can be mobilized. The opinions of other military men and politicians have, at times, differed, and President Harry S. Truman considered abolishing the Corps as part of the 1948 reorganization of the military. As Harry Truman said, "The only propaganda machine that rivals that of Stalin is that of the United States Marine Corps." Truman, a former U.S. Army artillery captain, felt that the Marines were useless, despite their many successes in World War Two and Korea. The United States Marine Corps is mainly used as an immediate resource of troops that can be deployed immediately to any part of the world. The Marines do not win wars by themselves. Their mission is to hold an area until the heavy reinforcements (i.e. the Army) arrive. Note that in the Second Iraq War Marines were deployed first while Army units organized themselves. An example of this coordinated, time-sensitive capability could be seen in 1990, when the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (22nd MEU) conducted Operation Sharp Edge, a noncombatant evacuation operation, or NEO, in the west Africa city of Monrovia, Liberia. Liberia suffered from civil war at the time, and civilian citizens of the United States and other countries could not leave via conventional means. Sharp Edge ended in success. Only one reconnaissance team came under fire, with no casualties incurred on either side, and the Marines evacuated several hundred civilians within hours to U.S. Navy vessels waiting offshore. ==Creation and history== The Marine Corps was originally created as the "Continental Marines" during the American Revolutionary War, were formed by a resolution of the Continental Congress on November 10, 1775, and first recruited at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They served as landing troops for the recently created Continental Navy. The Continental Marines were disbanded at the end of the war in April 1783 but re-formed on July 11 1798. Despite the gap, Marines worldwide celebrate November 10 as the Marine Corps Birthday. Historically, the United States Marine Corps has achieved fame in several campaigns, as referenced in the first line of the Marines' hymn: "From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli". In the early 19th century, First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon led a group of seven Marines and several hundred Egypt Mamluk soldiers in deposing the dictator of Tripoli. Separately, the Marines took part in the Mexican-American War (1846–1848) and Battle of Chapultepec, or the Castle of Chapultepec, which overlooked Mexico City. The Marines were placed on guard duty at the Mexican Presidential Palace, "The Halls of Montezuma." After these early 19th-century engagements, the Marine Corps occupied a small role in American military history. They saw little significant action in the American Civil War, but later become prominent due to their deployment in small wars around the world. During the latter half of the 19th century, the Marines saw action in Korea, Cuba, the Philippines, and China. During the years before and after World War I, the Marines saw action throughout the Caribbean in places such as Haiti and Nicaragua. These actions became known as "The Banana Wars," and the experiences gained in counter-insurgency and guerrilla operations during this period was consolidated into the Small Wars Manual. In World War I, the battle-tested, veteran Marines served a central role in the U.S. entry into the conflict, and at the Battle of Belleau Wood, Marine units were in the front, earning the Marines a reputation as the "First to Fight". This battle marked the creation of the Marines' reputation in modern history. Rallying under the battle cries of "Retreat hell! We just got here!" (Captain Lloyd Williams) and "Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?" (Gunnery Sergeant Dan Daly, two time Medal of Honor receipient), the Marines drove German forces from the area. The Germans referred to the Marines in the battle as "Teufelhunde", literally, "Devil Dogs", a nickname Marines proudly hold to this day. [[Image:WW2 Iwo Jima flag raising.jpg|thumb|(Joe Rosenthal / ©Associated Press)
U.S. Marines raise the American Flag on Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945]] In World War II, the Marines played a central role in the Pacific War, and the war saw the expansion of the Corps from two brigades to two corps with six divisions and five air wings with 132 squadrons. The battles of Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa saw fierce fighting between U.S. Marines and the Imperial Japanese Army. The secrecy afforded their communications by the now-famous code talkers program, is widely seen as having contributed significantly to their success. During the Battle of Iwo Jima, the Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima of five Marines and one Navy hospital corpsman raising the U.S. flag on Mt. Suribachi was taken. The acts of the Marines during the war added to their already significant popular reputation, and the USMC War Memorial in Arlington, VA was dedicated in 1954. The Korean War saw the Marines land at Inchon and assault north into North Korea along with the Army. As U.S. forces approached the Yalu River, the People's Republic of China, fearing an incursion by American forces, sent armies over the river to engage American forces within Korea. At the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, the First Marine Division fought Chinese forces, vastly outnumbered but vastly better equipped and trained. Recovering equipment left by Army forces who had scattered in disordered retreat, the Marines regrouped, assaulted the Chinese, and inflicted heavy casualties during their fighting withdrawal to the coast. The Marines also played an important role in the Vietnam War at battles such as Da Nang, Hue City, and Khe Sanh. Marines were among the first troops deployed to Vietnam, as well as the last to leave during the evacuation of the American embassy in Saigon. After Vietnam, Marines served in a number of important events and places. In 1983, a Marine barracks in Lebanon was Marine barracks bombing, causing the highest peacetime losses to the Corps and leading to the American withdrawal from Lebanon. Marines were also responsible for liberating Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War, as the Army made an attack to the west directly into Iraq. In 1995, Marines performed a successful mission in Bosnia, rescuing Captain Scott O'Grady, a downed Air Force fighter pilot, in what is called a TRAP (Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel). Most recently, in 2003 and 2004, the Marines served prominently in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the occupation of Iraq, where a light, mobile force was and is especially needed. ==Reputation of the Marine Corps== The Marine Corps has a widely-held reputation as a fierce and effective fighting force and the Marines take pride in their gung-ho attitude, are indoctrinated with a strong belief in their chain of command and the importance of ''esprit de corps'', a spirit of enthusiasm and pride in themselves and the Corps. The Marine Corps is popularly seen as possessing a degree of fame and infamy among the enemies they fight, and examples of this effect are readily seized upon and publicized by the Corps and its supporters. During the 1991 Gulf War, U.S. Army General Norman Schwarzkopf used a public demonstration of a Marine landing on Kuwait and the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr to pin down Iraqi units, while the Army then executed a sweep from the West. Most recently, Iraqis in the Persian Gulf War and 2003 invasion of Iraq were said to have taken special note of Marine Cobra helicopters and the distinctive look of the Marine combat uniform. The Marines have taken steps to build on this psychological advantage by, for instance, developing a new utility uniform that makes Marines easier to distinguish from other US servicemen. See the [http://www.marcorsyscom.usmc.mil/sites/mcub/PAGES/uniform_plates.htm Web site of the Permanent Marine Corps Uniform Board (PMCUB)] for illustrations of the various Marine uniforms. The Marine Corps has also recently initiated a martial arts program; an idea borrowed from the South Korean Marines, who train in martial arts and who, during the Vietnam War, were widely rumored to all be black belts. This program marks another step in a series of calculated efforts to bolster the perception of the Marine Corps as a fierce and effective "warrior culture" both with outside observers, and with its own servicemembers. While the reputation of the Marine Corps has remained largely positive in recent years, at least within the United States, the Corps has still struggled with occasional negative press and perceptions. In many conflicts, members of the other United States armed forces have complained that the Marine Corps often emphasizes its prowess at the expense of the reputation of Army or Navy units which are nearby. An example occurred at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War, when a Marine officer (probably Lt. General Chesty Puller) disparaged the undermanned Army infantry regiment which took the initial Chinese attack. Additionally, the aggressive tradition of the Marine Corps, and the Corps' widespread efforts to inculcate its Marines and the American public with this image have also sometimes backfired, leading to numerous accusations of sexism, racism and bullying over the years. ==Symbols== The Marine motto "Semper Fidelis" means "Always faithful" in Latin. This motto often appears in the shortened form "Semper Fi!" It is also the name of the official march of the Corps, composed by John Phillip Sousa. The colors of the Marine Corps are scarlet and gold. They appear on the flag of the United States Marine Corps, along with the Marine Corps emblem: the eagle, globe, and anchor, with the eagle representing service to the country, the globe representing worldwide service, and the anchor representing sea traditions. The emblem, adopted in its present form in 1868, derives partially from ornaments worn by the Continental Marines and the Royal Marines, and is usually topped with a ribbon reading "Semper Fidelis". Two styles of swords are worn by Marines. The Marine Corps officer sword is a Mameluke sword, similar to the sword presented to Lt. Presley O'Bannon after the Battle of Derna during the First Barbary War. Noncommissioned officers carry a different style of sword, similar in style to a Civil War cavalry sabre, making them the only enlisted personnel in the U.S. military authorized to carry a sword. Marines have several generic nicknames, mildly derogatory when used by outsiders but complimentary when used by Marines themselves. They include "jarhead" (it was said their hats on their unifom made them look like mason jars), "gyrene" (perhaps a combination of "G.I." and "Marine"), "leatherneck," referring to the leather collar that was a part of the Marine uniform during the Revolutionary War period, and "Devil Dog" (German: Teufelshunde) after the Battle of Belleau Wood. In the 1991 Gulf War, Iraqi soldiers nicknamed the Marines "Angels of Death." Another so-called term of endearment for Marines was "blackboots." This was due to supply shortages, leaving tan, desert boots unavailable to most Marine units. Somalians and Haitians called Marines participating in relief operations "whitesleeves" because of the way they roll up the sleeves of their Fatigues_(uniform), called "cammies" colloquially. ==Organization== Here is the typical organization for ground units: *Fire team: four Marines *Squad: three fire teams and a corporal or sergeant as squad leader *Platoon: three squads, a platoon sergeant, and a lieutenant as platoon commander *Company (military unit): three platoons, a Navy corpsman, a company gunnery sergeant, first sergeant, a first lieutenant as executive officer, and captain as commander *Battalion: three or four companies, commanded by a lieutenant colonel *Regiment: three or four battalions, commanded by a colonel *Brigade: uncommon in the Marine Corps, but typically made up of one or more regiments and commanded by a brigadier general *Division (military): three or four regiments, officers and others, commanded by a major general Battalions and larger units have a sergeant major, and an executive officer as second in command, plus officers and others for: Administration (S-1), Intelligence (S-2), Operations (S-3), Logistics (S-4), Civil Affairs [wartime only] (S-5), and Communications (S-6). As of 2004, there are four Marine divisions: * the US 1st Marine Division in Camp Pendleton, California; * the US 2nd Marine Division in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; * the US 3rd Marine Division in Camp Smedley Butler in Okinawa, Japan; and * the US 4th Marine Division is a reserve unit headquarted in New Orleans, Lousiania, with units scattered throughout the continental United States. In World War II, two more Marine Divisions were formed: the US 5th Marine Division and U.S. 6th Marine Division, which fought in the Pacific War. These divisions were disbanded after the end of the war. Typical aviation units are squadron, group and wing. There are four Marine aircraft wings: * the US 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in Okinawa, Japan; * the US 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing in Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina; * the US 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California; and * the US 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, a reserve unit. There are also four Force Service Support Groups; the 4th FSSG is a reserve unit. ===Air-ground task forces=== The Marine Corps organization is flexible, and task forces can be formed of any size. Modern deployed Marine units are based upon the doctrine of the Marine air-ground task force, or MAGTF. A MAGTF can generally be of any of three sizes, based upon the amount of force required in the given situation; however, all MAGTFs have a similar organization. A MAGTF is comprised of four elements: the command element (CE), the ground combat element (GCE), the air combat element (ACE) and the combat service support element (CSSE). *Command element — A headquarters unit that directs the other elements *Ground combat element — Usually infantry, supported by armor (tanks), and artillery, but including special units such as scouts or Force Reconnaissance, snipers and forward air controllers *Air combat element — The total airpower strength of the MAGTF, the ACE includes all aerial vehicles (both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter), their pilots and maintenance personnel *Combat service support element — This element includes all of the support units for the MAGTF: communications, combat engineers, motor transport, medical and supply units, and certain specialized groups such as air delivery and landing support teams The smallest type of MAGTF is the Marine expeditionary unit. It is based upon a rifle battalion with usually an aircraft squadron (helicopters or both rotor- and fixed-wing) and an appropriately sized support unit attached. The specific makeup of the MEU can be customized based upon the task at hand—more artillery, armor, or air units can be attached, including squadrons of F/A-18 Hornet and Harrier jets. There are usually three MEUs assigned to each of the U.S. Navy Atlantic and Pacific Fleets, with another MEU based on Okinawa. While one MEU is on deployment, one MEU is training to deploy and one is standing down, resting its Marines, and refitting. Each MEU is rated as capable of performing special operations. A Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) is larger than a MEU, and is based upon a Marine regiment, with larger air and support contingents. A Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), as deployed in Iraq in 2003, comprises a Marine division with an artillery regiment, several tank battalions, several LAV battalions, as well as an air wing. The I Marine Expeditionary Force as deployed in the Persian Gulf War ultimately consisted of the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions as well as considerable Marine air and support units. ==Appearance== Marines are often confused with soldiers, who are in the United States Army. Some differences in appearance are: * Marines do not wear Beret. * Marines wear boots only with the utility uniform, not other uniforms. * Marines do not salute unless they are wearing a hat (known as a "cover"). * Marines do not wear covers indoors, unless they are "under arms", i.e. carrying a weapon or wearing a duty belt. * The Marine service uniform, roughly equivalent to business attire, has a khaki shirt. The equivalent Army uniform has a light-green shirt. Enlisted Marines wear their rank insignia on the sleeve of the service shirt, officers on the collar. Army soldiers wear their rank insignia on epaulets over the shoulder. * The Marine class "A" service coat is olive green (as opposed to forest green for the Army) and has a waist-belt. The Marine service uniform is worn with either a barracks (service) cover, which has a bill and a round top, or a garrison cover, which comes to a peak. * Marines are less generous with awards and unit identification. For example, with the exception of breast insignia denoting a few specialized qualifications such as airborne (parachute), pilot or scuba qualification, or red stripes on trouser legs of NCO's, E4 and above, sewn on the trouser legs and covers of some logistics Marines, Marines do not normally wear any insignia or device on their utility uniforms denoting their unit, MOS (military occupational specialty), or training. Further, many senior Marines involved in ground combat operations eschew the wearing of multiple rank insignia on the theory that it simply makes them targets (as in Vietnam). Enlisted Marines know who their leaders are, regardless of whether or not they are wearing rank insignia. ===Utility uniform=== Differences in the utility uniform include: * The cover (hat) of the utility uniform is constructed differently. Marine covers have eight sides and corners (hence the name "eight-point cover"). * Marines wear green-colored "skivvie" undershirts with their utility uniform, even in the desert. Soldiers wear brown undershirts. (Note, as of 2004, the Marine Corps has announced the intention to switch to brown undershirts when desert camouflage is worn.) * Soldiers roll up the sleeves of their utility uniform so the camouflage is facing out. Marines roll their sleeves so that the lighter-colored underside faces out. * Marines "blouse" their boots. That is, they roll the cuffs of their trousers back inside and tighten them over the boots with a cord or an elastic band known as a boot band. Soldiers either blouse their boots or tuck their trousers directly into their boots. * Marines do not wear any rank insignia or other device on the utility cover. The front of the cover has instead the Marine Corps Eagle, Globe, and Anchor emblem. * On their utility uniforms, Marine officers typically wear their rank insignia on both collars, while Army officers typically wear insignia on one collar and an insignia identifying their specific occupational specialty (i.e. infantry, artillery, armor) on the other. In a garrison environment, Marine officer's insignia is usually shiny metal, and is affixed in a manner similar to a pin, while Army officers usually wear a subdued stitched-on insignia. * Marines wear a colored belt, often referred to as a "rigger's belt", that is color coded to represent their specific qualification under the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. * Marines used to wear black combat boots with the utility uniform, as do the Army and Air Force. But in 2002, light-brown combat boots were introduced along with a new type of camouflage, the "MARPAT" uniform. (See photo.) Effective 1 October 2004, black combat boots were declared obsolete and no longer authorized for general wear by Marines. Exception is made for black safety boots worn for certain tasks, such as parachuting. * As of 2006, the old-style camouflage utility uniform, also worn by the Army and Air Force, will be declared obsolete. The only utility uniform authorized for Marines will be the MARPAT uniform. * As of 2004, both the Army and the Air Force have announced plans to replace their old-style "pickle suit" camouflage utility uniforms with newer designs similar to the Marine Corps digital "MARPAT" pattern. ==Ranks== This list is in ascending order. It includes pay grades and abbreviations in the style used by the Marine Corps. Enlisted: **E-1, Private (rank), Pvt **E-2, Private First Class, PFC **E-3, Lance Corporal, LCpl *Noncommissioned Officers, or NCOs: **E-4, Corporal, Cpl **E-5, Sergeant, Sgt *Staff Noncommissioned Officers, or SNCOs: **E-6, Staff Sergeant, SSgt **E-7, Gunnery Sergeant, GySgt **E-8 ***Master Sergeant, MSgt ***First Sergeant, 1stSgt **E-9 ***Master Gunnery Sergeant, MGySgt ***Sergeant Major, SgtMaj ***Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps NOTE 1: The E-8 and E-9 levels each have two ranks per pay grade, each with different responsibilities. Gunnery Sergeants indicate on their annual evaluations, called "fitness reports," or "fitreps" for short, their preferred promotional track: Master Sergeant or First Sergeant. The First Sergeant and Sergeant Major ranks are command-oriented, with Marines of theses ranks serving as the senior enlisted Marines in a unit, charged to assist the commanding officer in matter of discipline, administration and the morale and welfare of the unit. Master Sergeants and Master Gunnery Sergeants provide technical leadership as occupational specialists in their specific MOS. First Sergeants typically serve as the senior enlisted Marine in a company, battery or other unit at similar echelon, while Sergeants Major serve the same role in battalions, squadrons or larger units. NOTE 2: The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps is the senior enlisted Marine of the entire Marine Corps, personally selected by the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Warrant Officers *W-1, Warrant Officer 1, WO1 *W-2, Chief Warrant Officer 2, CWO2 *W-3, Chief Warrant Officer 3, CWO3 *W-4, Chief Warrant Officer 4, CWO4 *W-5, Chief Warrant Officer 5, CWO5 NOTE 3: A Chief Warrant Officer, CWO2-CWO5, serving in the MOS 0306 "Infantry Weapons Officer" is designated as a special rank: "Marine Gunner". A Marine Gunner replaces the Chief Warrant Officer insignia on the right collar with a bursting bomb insignia. Other Warrant Officers are sometimes informally also referred to as "Gunner" but this usage is not considered correct. Commissioned officers: *Company-grade officers **O-1, Second Lieutenant, 2ndLt **O-2, First Lieutenant, 1stLt **O-3, Captain, Capt *Field-grade officers **O-4, Major, Maj **O-5, Lieutenant Colonel, LtCol **O-6, Colonel, Col *Generals **O-7, Brigadier General, BGen **O-8, Major General, MajGen **O-9, Lieutenant General, LtGen **O-10, General, Gen NOTE 4: There has never been any 0-11 "five-star" General rank thus far in the Marine Corps, though such a rank could theoretically be created at any time by act of Congress. Currently, no officer in any branch of the U.S. military holds such a grade. ==Commandants== The Commandant of the Marine Corps functions as the highest-ranking officer of the Marine Corps. Even though higher-ranking Marine officers occasionally exist, the commandant is still in charge of the Marine Corps. The commandant is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and reports to the Secretary of the Navy, but not to the Chief of Naval Operations. As of 2004, Marine Generals Peter Pace (Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) and James L. Jones (Commander in Chief of the United States European Command; Supreme Allied Commander; and a former commandant of the Marine Corps) are senior in time in grade to the commandant. However, the commandant does not report to them. The commandant is responsible for keeping the Marine Corps in fighting condition and does not serve as a direct battlefield commander. However, he is the symbolic and functional head of the Corps, and holds a position of very high esteem among Marines. As of 2005, the Commandant of the Marine Corps is General Michael W. Hagee, who became Commandant in January of 2003. ==Initial training== Training for commissioned officers occurs through ROTC , the Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps; OCS, Officer Candidate School, including the Platoon Leaders Course (PLC), or the United States Naval Academy. After that, all officers spend their first six months, regardless of accession route or further training requirements, at The Basic School at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. The Basic School, solely for freshly commissioned second lieutenants learning the art of infantry and combined arms warfare, is an example of the unique approach the Corps takes to fostering the credo that "Every Marine is a rifleman first". Enlisted Marines attend boot camp, at either MCRD Parris Island or Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. All women attend Parris Island. Men attend either, depending on whether they leave from the western or eastern part of the country. Enlisted Marines then attend U.S. Marine Corps School of Infantry training at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune or Camp Pendleton. Infantry Marines begin their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) training immediately with the Infantry Training Battalion (ITB), while all other Marines train with the Marine Combat Training (MCT) Battalion before continuing on to their MOS schools. In 1997, the school at Camp Lejeune expanded the MCT program to integrate female Marines. This basic infantry training for all Marines is one element of the philosophy that "Every Marine is a Rifleman." ==Marine bases and stations== ''Main article: List of U.S. Marine Corps bases'' *Marine Barracks 8th & I, Washington, D.C. *Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California *Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina *Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina *Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Japan *Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan *Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California *Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina *Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona *Marine Corps Base Camp Butler, Japan *Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina *Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California *Marine Corps Base Hawaii *Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia *Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Georgia *Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, California *Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina *Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California *Camp Le Monier, Djibouti, Africa ==Miscellaneous== * Marines guard U.S. embassies and other foreign missions, in cooperation with the Diplomatic Security Service. Marines also stand guard at the White House. * The president's helicopter is Marine One, part of HMX-1, in Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. * Marines do not serve as chaplains or medical workers. Naval personnel fill those roles. They wear Marine uniforms when serving with the Marines, unless there is a corresponding Navy uniform. * Three infamous List of famous U.S. Marines are Lee Harvey Oswald, espionage and Charles Whitman. * Four former Marines have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor: Lee Marvin (won for ''Cat Ballou''), Steve McQueen (nominated for ''The Sand Pebbles''), George C. Scott (won for ''Patton'' but returned the statue) and Gene Hackman (won for ''The French Connection''). Another, director Sam Peckinpah, was also nominated for writing the original screenplay for ''The Wild Bunch''. ==See also== Drum_and_bugle_corps_%28modern%29">Image:Usmc dci finale 2002.jpg|thumbnail|150px|The \"Commandant's Own\" Drum_and_bugle_corps_%28modern%29 * Force Reconnaissance * Marine * Drum_and_bugle_corps_%28modern%29#Commandant.27s_Own *Lists ** List of weapons of the US Marine Corps ** List of famous U.S. Marines ==External links== * [http://www.usmc.mil/ Official Web site] * [http://www.marines.com marines.com] * [http://www.drumcorps.mbw.usmc.mil/ Commandant's Own Drum & Bugle Corps] * [http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/HD/Home_Page.htm United States Marine Corps History and Museums Division] * [http://204.2.118.231/store/mchf/index.asp Marine Corps Heritage Foundation] * [http://www.fighttimes.com/magazine/magazine.asp?issue=3&article=93 History of the Marine Corps Martial Art Program] United States Marine Corps
==Archived discussions== Talk:United States Marine Corps/Part of the Navy discussion ==USMC/USN/DON== I reverted a one-line edit adding the sentence "In 2000 the Marines were amalgamated into the US Navy to form one efficient fighting force." Please read the archived discussion if there's any confusion on the issue, or please support that claim with evidence of this organizational change that we've managed to miss for the past four years. User:Fox1 16:42, 9 Nov 2004 (UTC) ==Unarchived discussion== Dan Rather was not really a Marine. He failed out of recruit training for medical reasons. User:Chadloder 20:09 Mar 29, 2003 (UTC) == Reputation of the Marine Corps? == In my opinion, this article is not unbiased -- especially the section Reputation of the Marine Corps. I think that this part of the article is written from an US point of view. Internationally, for example in Europe, the USMC is not necessarily considered to be the "world's best elite fighting force" that some Americans want it to be. Some reasons for this: 1) The way the personnel are selected. Almost anyone can get in. There is not an aim to choose only the best and the most fittest for service. 2) Basic training is relatively short and contains primarily general military skills. For example, British Army and French Foreign Legion outweigh USMC in these areas. Moreover, I would like to see examples to support the argument ''The Marine Corps' reputation often affects enemy planning and operations before and after combat''. This sounds more like a legend than a fact. My goal is not to undermine the fame of the US Marine Corps. It is an accomplished military force which has performed well in many war theaters. But I would like to see this article stripped of "marine lore" and (understandable) national proudness, which don't belong into an encyclopedia. --User:Oswd 00:30, Jul 12, 2004 (UTC) I would largely agree that the phrase "best elite fighting force" is hyperbole. Obviously it's subjective, but it also seems like vague language. "Force" is not, to my knowledge, any kind of quantifiable organizational type, which makes me question why the Corps would be place above even other U.S. elite units with higher entrance standards. The Corps is, I believe, the LARGEST "elite force" in the world. I've seen that factoid referenced in several printed publications (again, I recognize the rather hazy nature of both "elite" and "force"). --User:Fox1 Upon further reflection, I dislike this entire section, and I wish I had time to rewrite it. I removed the comment about actively recruiting 17 year-olds and "more aggressive" individuals after two days of looking failed to turn up any differences between the services in regards to recruitment age (not that I expected to find anything, since age is mandated across the DoD, not by the individual services). I think the article would be better served by dispersing information about differences in tactics and mentality across the other sections as appropriate IF they can be backed up. Otherwise, I see no reason to use the reputation section as a mask for poorly NPOVed information. Keeping the section would be fine, if there is at least an attempt to use real examples, instead of the author's own generalizations. --User:Fox1 This section, and perhaps some parts of the other sections as well, have somewhat gone out of the hand. This article is not even near to an encyclopedia article, but a praise to the superiority, brutality and toughness of the US Marines. I am not the right person to rewrite this article, but I ask whoever edits this article to transform it towards an objective description of the US Marine Corps -- not a collection of stories telling which enemy fears the marines and how much. --User:Oswd 20:47, Dec 11, 2004 (UTC) == Second to What?== the aticle opens ''The United States Marine Corps (USMC) forms the second-smallest branch of the United States Armed Forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve members as of 2002''. This leaves the reader wondering what is the smallest? Can this be clarified in the article please? User:Dainamo 00:21, 31 Jul 2004 (UTC) Please do not try to strike the U.S. Coast Guard from the list of the U.S. Armed Forces. They are by law (Title 14) and by organization a separate armed force. User:GABaker 3 Sep 2004 == Platoons == Platoon leaders in the Marines are known as "platoon commanders." It differs from the Army, which has "platoon leaders." [Moved comment from top of this page.] == Famous Marines == Moved list to own page. User:Maurreen 16:15, 16 Sep 2004 (UTC) == section order == I think the article could be better organized, but I'm not sure what order is better. Any thoughts? User:Maurreen 17:41, 16 Sep 2004 (UTC) == More Casualties? == The sentence unceremoniously tacked on to the end of that section seems badly implemented and quite possibly untrue. In fact, in the few times I've seen applicable comparisons, Marine Corps casualties have been significantly less, both in terms of Marine casualties and non-combatant ones. That said, this also ignores the fact that Marine Corps and U.S. Army tactics and casualty rates may not be comparable in this way, owing to the superficially similar but technically varied nature of their respective missions. User:Fox1 30 Sep 2004 ==Infamous Marines== What is the disagreement with describing Lee Harvey Oswald, Clayton Lonetree and Charles Whitman as infamous former Marines? Is there any doubt? User:Maurreen 04:44, 12 Oct 2004 (UTC) :I changed the wording when I added a third entry, to switch from dual to plural form. If you think there's too much validation wording there now, feel free to change. I had planned on adding Oliver North, with a disclaimer regarding him regaining (or maintaining) some legitimacy in the public eye. Ended up thinking it was better to leave him out. :The one question I would have is whether that sublist would serve better on the famous Marines page? Seems odd to put the INfamous ones in the main entry, and the less controversial ones somewhere else. :--User:Fox1 12 October, 2004 ::The famous Marines, in a good way, are too many to list on the main page. I did add Clayton Lonetree to the "famous Marines" list; the others were already on it. I think having some negative information on the main USMC page makes it a little more balanced. But I see your point. I won't argue if you take it out. Or another idea would be to list just a few of the famous ones here. User:Maurreen 13:15, 12 Oct 2004 (UTC) ==Ranks== I made all the ranks lowercase. They are not proper nouns unless they are immediately before a name. User:Maurreen 05:30, 12 Oct 2004 (UTC) :Well, I had used title/heading capitalization, but I could see how lowercase would be correct, depending how you looked at the structure of the list, grammatically. I thought it looked better in caps, but it could just be that that's how I'm used to seeing them. :On a related note, I was always taught that the noun "Marine" was always capitalized ("soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines." "He is a Marine."). This seems to be how this article has been handled, how it was practiced in reporting according to government style manuals, and in any official documents that I can find or remember, but I've had the capitalization changed to lowercase in other articles. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any references to the issue specifically in civilian style manuals (they lump all service titles together, from what I've seen), so I don't have anything to back my assertions up on this issue. :--User:Fox1 12 Oct, 2004 ::Associated Press style makes "Marine" uppercase; New York Times style makes it lowercase. There isn't clear consensus, but I'm used to AP. I see your point about capitalization in a list, but I think that might encourage people to capitalize the ranks in body copy, which I see a lot of. User:Maurreen 14:08, 12 Oct 2004 (UTC) ==Infantry training== Isn't there an infantry school at Lejeune, also? Do people go from Parris Island to Camp Pendleton? User:Maurreen 16:28, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC) :Holy crap, I can't believe I didn't include that. Nice catch, now I have to go edit School of Infantry, too. Guess that's my Hollywood bias for ya'. User:Fox1 16:31, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC) ::Thanks. :) ::Also, it would be good for both articles if we could indicate when women started going. Do you have any ideas about that? I went to boot camp in 1980 and didn't even get to the rifle range for at least a few years. I was very disappointed. User:Maurreen 16:45, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC) :::Done on this page, however, I'm starting to think the topic might deserve a subsection of its own. Especially since the Corps' slow adoption of limited gender integration has been thrown around by journalists and others as a cause for quite a few things, good and bad. User:Fox1 16:59, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC) ::::You're really quick. User:Maurreen 17:16, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC) ==Del link== I deleted the link to * [http://www.teufelhunden1775.us/ Teufelhunden 1775]. It's only one page, and little there. User:Maurreen 06:20, 21 Oct 2004 (UTC) ==Code talkers== This was deleted: "Some high military officers have said the United States would never have won the Battle of Iwo Jima without the secrecy afforded by the code talkers." I'm restoring it. If anyone disagrees, let's talk. User:Maurreen 05:27, 19 Nov 2004 (UTC) :Can you provide the source? User:Jinian 15:47, 19 Nov 2004 (UTC) ::It's in the third paragraph of Code talker. If the problem is giving too much credit, maybe there's another way. I just think the code talkers are worth mentioning here. User:Maurreen 15:57, 19 Nov 2004 (UTC) :::Umm, the code talker article doesn't provide a source either. It simply states it, without saying who said it or when it was said. See what you think of my change. That's good. Thanks. User:Maurreen 05:49, 20 Nov 2004 (UTC) ==Boots== *Are the new boots really brown, or closer to tan? *Is Oct. 1, 2004, the date the black boots were declared obsolete, or the effective date of that declaration? :User:Maurreen 05:40, 22 Nov 2004 (UTC) *Should be the effective date, the declaration was, I believe, dated about 12 months prior. Also, they're a light brown or a tan... I'm not very good with colors, but either description would probably fit. User:Fox1 14:01, 22 Nov 2004 (UTC) ==Bases== 1MAW is listed as being in Okinawa, but its HQ is in Hawaii, so why not say it is in Okinawa and Hawaii? Also, the list of Marine Bases needs help from someone at least minimally knowledgeable; it says MCLB Albany is in New York, which sounds like a joke... :I think where most of the unit is, is more important than the headquarters. But you can add the HQ info if you wish. User:Maurreen 03:53, 23 Nov 2004 (UTC) ::Are there are a bunch of H-53 squadrons in Hawaii too -- and ASEK? I think that is probably too much detail for this article. And what is ASEK? User:Maurreen 17:52, 23 Nov 2004 (UTC) : You had said "where most of the unit is, is more important than the headquarters." I meant to point out that more than just the headquarters is in Hawaii; that is why I mentioned the H-53 squadrons and ASEK (Aviation Support Element, Kaneohe). I didn't mean they should be listed :) Here is a reference to both: http://www.combatindex.com/links/us_marines/usmc_cmd_marforpac.html. Anyway, thats enough for me, it was only a suggestion, not something I have religious feelings concerning. =="Soldiers"== I put "soldiers" in lowercase, as is standard. User:Maurreen 04:21, 30 Nov 2004 (UTC) == Service uniform == This paragraph has undergone a few evolutions. So if anyone objects to what I'm doing, let's talk. As of now it reads: "The Marine service uniform, roughly equivalent to business attire, is comprised of dark green trousers (or optional skirt for females) and a khaki shirt. The equivalent Army uniform is two different shades of green." I'm going to change it. For one thing, the word "trousers" is inappropriate for women. And I doubt the skirt is optional, but I've been out for awhile, so I could be wrong. User:Maurreen 05:07, 2 Dec 2004 (UTC) :The optional skirt reference was not so much right or wrong as ambiguous. Females are required to have both the skirt and the slacks, but, absent specific mention in the Uniform of the Day orders, it's at the Marine's discretion which to wear. So... it's not optional to have and maintain the skirt, but its wear can be optional for day-to-day dress. I suspect this is similar to what you experienced, but just letting you know in case it has changed. User:Fox1 19:31, 2 Dec 2004 (UTC) ::Fox1, I realized I might have misunderstood whether your comments were just explanation or you'd prefer to change the current wording. User:Maurreen 06:09, 15 Dec 2004 (UTC) :::Current wording seems fine to me, I was just pointing out what may have been the confusion of the word "optional." :::However, is the army shirt really light green? As above, I'm not good with colors, but it always seemed a pale blue-green, maybe a teal or something similar. I would like to see a reference to the official name for the hue, but I can't locate one. User:Fox1 01:52, 16 Dec 2004 (UTC) I found the Army uniform regulation [http://www.usapa.army.mil/pdffiles/r670_1.pdf here], but it's not much help. On pages 91-92, they call it Army green shade 415. If you want to change it from "light green", that's OK with me. User:Maurreen 05:35, 16 Dec 2004 (UTC) ==Generals== I changed "general grade officers" to "generals." But maybe it should be "flag grade officers." User:Maurreen 05:58, 2 Dec 2004 (UTC) *"general grade" is a correct, although not often used, term. Guess it's a style decision. User:Fox1 19:44, 2 Dec 2004 (UTC) == CMC/SMOMC and capitalization == Another capitalization talk segment! Now, we've gone over the various capitalization issues here a few times, and I think we were pretty much in agreement so far, but I was surprised to see the Commandant and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps' titles in lowercase. I understood the rationale behind de-capitalizing the ranks, but I was 99% sure that those two, as titles specific to a single high-ranking person (like POTUS), were capitalized. I checked the only document I could find specifically addressing the issue (the US Govt Printing Office style manual for 2000) and did a quick google news poll of usage of the term Commandant, and there was clear consensus for capitalization. I couldn't find enough instances of use of the title SMOMC in non-governmental press to get a good consensus, but combining hits for SMOMC and the Sergeant Major of the Army begins to show a fairly strong trend towards capitalization. I'll hold off on changing it to see what you have to say. User:Fox1 20:21, 2 Dec 2004 (UTC) :I am used to titles capitalized only before a name, which is supported by the Associated Press and New York Times style guides. :The Wikipedia:Manual of Style is not very clear to me, but seems to favor capitals only when referring to a specific person (that is, the person holding the rank at a given time). :But if you feel strongly about it, I won't argue if you capitalize them. User:Maurreen 04:45, 3 Dec 2004 (UTC) ==Pockets== Is it really true that some Marines don't use their utility pockets whatsoever? User:Maurreen 06:09, 15 Dec 2004 (UTC) :Just speaking from personal experience, we certainly used our utility pockets in the field. However, while in garrison, the general rule was not to carry anything in the utility or blouse pockets which would affect the lay of the cloth and be visible. It occurs to me that I don't ever recall seeing this articulated in a written order, but it seemed to be universally done, nonetheless. :That said, I'm not sure that point merits inclusion in the list, as I knew individuals of all 3 cammie-wearing services (yes, I'm excluding Navy docs, seebees, seals and masters at arms) who sewed their pockets shut, cut out the back panel, etc in order to look sharper for garrison inspections, and I've never known any historical references to WWII or otherwise to be referenced. User:Fox1 01:48, 16 Dec 2004 (UTC) After reading over it again, I removed that bullet. None of the things referenced in it were really useful ways to distinguish a Marine from a soldier, which is the stated purpose of the list. Plus, they were all matters of custom or ettiquette rather than actual regulations anyway. User:Fox1 02:06, 16 Dec 2004 (UTC) ==Wikipedian category== I've created :Category:Wikipedian military. User:Maurreen 06:32, 18 Dec 2004 (UTC) ==Intro== Does anyone agree with the recent change to the intro? [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_Marine_Corps&diff=0&oldid=9073734] == Fouled Anchor? == For years I've thought that the Marine symbols were an eagle, globe and fouled anchor. Am I wrong on that last part? This article just says anchor. I know its not a big difference and I might even be wrong. User:KorbenDirewolf 23:17, 11 Jan 2005 (UTC) :I just happened to have [http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/HD/Historical/Customes_Traditions/Emblem_Seal.htm hqmc.usmc.mil] open. /Customes_Traditions/Emblem_Seal.htm says ::In 1776, the device consisted of a "foul anchor" of silver or pewter. The foul anchor still forms a part of the emblem today. (A foul anchor is an anchor which has one or more turns of the chain around it). Changes were made in 1798, 1821, and 1824. In 1834 it was prescribed that a brass eagle be worn on the hat, the eagle to measure 3 ½ inches from wingtip to wingtip. :: : ::The emblem recommended by this board [in 1868] consists of a globe (showing the Western Hemisphere) intersected by a foul anchor, and surmounted by a spread eagle. On the emblem itself, the device is topped by a ribbon inscribed with the Latin motto "Semper Fidelis" (Always Faithful). The uniform ornaments omit the motto ribbon. :: : :: [In 1954] an American bald eagle replaced the crested eagle depicted on the 1868 emblem, :User:Wwoods 04:56, 12 Jan 2005 (UTC) According to [http://www.mca-marines.org/leatherneck/faq.htm Leatherneck magazine], sometimes the anchor is fouled and sometimes it is not. User:Maurreen 04:59, 12 Jan 2005 (UTC) Of course, the official site given by Wwoods is a better reference. User:Maurreen 06:27, 12 Jan 2005 (UTC) Officially, the upper arm of the stock should always be fouled, the only time it would be shown unfouled is by artistic license (low resolution/someone can't draw). That said, in day to day speech I've never heard the fouling referenced, and the insignia is always referred to by the name "eagle, globe and anchor." The fouling is there, but it isn't considered one of the 3 major symbolic elements, in much the same way as other details such as the ribbon in the eagle's mouth or the north and south american continents on the globe. I certainly wouldn't argue against mention of these elements, but some separate reference to the iconic "E.G.A." should remain in its uncluttered form. User:Fox1 04:05, 14 Jan 2005 (UTC) :I agree with User:Fox1. User:Maurreen 05:23, 14 Jan 2005 (UTC) :It probably would look better left as it is. User:KorbenDirewolf 02:37, 18 Jan 2005 (UTC) ::Also, thanks to everyone for replying to my question. User:KorbenDirewolf == Number abbreviations == For some Marine references, and also some Navy references, I've seen "2d" and "3d" for "2nd" and "3rd". Is one version incorrect, or are they interchangable, or what? Should we standardize on one--if so, which? User:Wwoods 02:00, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC) :I think "2nd", "3rd", etc. is more common in general. User:Maurreen 05:39, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC) ==Battle of Bull Run== The article is mistaken in claiming the Marines have never suffered a rout. At the First Battle of Bull Run they ran like the mighty Mississippi. I would make the change, but would prefer one of you Smart Guys on MC history would have better words than I. User:PaulinSaudi_17:18,_3_Feb_2005_(UTC)">User:PaulinSaudi 17:18, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC) :I have to say, I think you're simply being contrary. The article currently reads "The U.S. Marines have never undertaken a full, large-scale retreat." It does not say "never been routed" or even "never suffered a defeat." There was only one battalion of Marines at Bull Run, and they were the last of the infantry screening that artillery battery to break. It's already been qualified with the note on the Chosin withdrawal, and this really doesn't merit further cluttering up the article. No change needed. User:Fox1 00:56, 4 Feb 2005 (UTC) ==Belt== Is this true? : "Marines may wear a khaki "web belt" with a brass buckle with their utility trousers, but more commonly wear a colored belt, often referred to as a "rigger's belt", that is color coded to represent their specfic qualification under the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program." :User:Maurreen 07:01, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC) ::Sounds like a bad joke to me. --User:Alexwcovington (User talk:Alexwcovington) 09:39, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC) Yes, this is correct. Part of the aforementioned martial arts program, which is rather more holistic and far-reaching than just a hand to hand combat training program, by the way. I was only around for the very early stages of the program, but we had a few Marines earn their belts. Advancement in the program also influences promotion... but I'm getting off the point. Yeah, the belt thing is true. User:Fox1 01:37, 10 Feb 2005 (UTC) :I went ahead and restored the bullet, here's a reference for you (ALMAR 043/01), with my emphasis added: ::SUBJ/ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MARINE CORPS MARTIAL ARTS PROGRAM// ::Rmks/1....2. The marine corps martial arts program, implemented in October 2000, is a natural extension of these basic tenets. Although it is a skill progression program offering martial arts training through a system of belt rankings from tan through sixth degree black belt, it is much, much more. It is a reflection of our warrior ethos that provides a vehicle for enhanced unit cohesion and increased self-worth. :There ya go, also, if anyone ends up being interested, Marine Corps Martial Arts Program is, as you can see, a red link. I might get around to it at some point, otherwise. User:Fox1 01:55, 10 Feb 2005 (UTC) ::Thanks for keeping us current. User:Maurreen 02:05, 10 Feb 2005 (UTC) == Marines: Semper Fi == Although i am not a Marine, i do know several things about the corps. First, the Marines differ from the regular US Army in that Marines are adept and ready to be the first ones to fight. The Marines are designed as an adaptable to any situation thrown in their way. Although the Marines may not be taught the same material as the Special Forces or any special operations detachment, they are probably America's best frontline force. The Marines are trained in Land, Sea, and Air. :Goverments like to make the population think that they are well defended by their armed forces and that the budget is being well spent. This article already reads too much like a hagiography, with its odd attention to little details. I would like to see a more robust article that doesn't seem to pander to delights of US teenagers. User:Garzo 11:59, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC) :I'm really not sure what the anonymous poster was suggesting be done with the article, or whether he was suggesting anything at all. That being said, your comment wasn't much better. If you have any more "robust" suggestions on what can be improved, feel free to voice them, or, better yet, make the improvements yourself. Otherwise you just look like an individual with a POV chip on their shoulder, who found a chance to use the word "hagiography" without it looking too absurd. User:Fox1 01:14, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC) :Ok, User:Garzo, from your user page I see that you're apparently a priest, which causes your use of the word hagiography to seem a lot less contrived.... thusly, I retract the appropriate portion of my snarky reply. The rest stays. And remains snarky. User:Fox1 01:21, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC) ==Reorganise== I think all of the pages - US armed forces, US Department of Defense, and all the services (US Army etc.) need to be reorganised, First so that there is not uneeded overlap, and Second so that Army, Navy etc. are all set out the same way (eg. similar headings and article structure, just with different content.) *United States armed forces *United States Department of Defense *United States Army *United States Navy *United States Air Force *United States Marine Corps *United States Coast Guard and maybe Joint Chiefs of Staff etc. :Some of this could be good. But ... I'm wary of overstandardization, and I prefer "U.S." to "United States" in this context. User:Maurreen 06:45, 22 Mar 2005 (UTC) ==NCOs and Swords== I'd like to address this issue here on the talk page parallel with the discussion on the talk page of the User_talk:164.167.34.67 who made this change: There has been some confusion about whether USMC NCOs are in fact the only NCOs authorized to carry a sword. There is a Naval Reg available that states that USN Chief Petty Officers are authorized to carry the (I think I remember the year right) 1890 issue cutlass. However, careful reading of this regulation will show that this is only the case for CPOs serving in the corresponding period uniform aboard the USS Constitution. Thus, this is not an authorized modern uniform, it is simply a special case for historical display purposes. If I'm wrong, please find the reg that shows me to be so, because I really pored over them a couple months ago when this first came up, and the above was my conclusion. Thanks. User:Fox1 11:57, 18 May 2005 (UTC) ==former== Minor note on the Famous Marines section: see [http://www.answers.com/topic/former-marine answers.com]. Using "retired" is more appropriate. :The issue I have with the "once a Marine, always a Marine" thing is that there's really no other way to accurately describe an individual who served as an active-duty or reserve member of the Corps, but left the Corps before being eligible to retire. I really can't think of any term that simultaneously covers that (rather common) eventuality while not violating the "once a Marine" ethos. :User:Fox1 16:38, 3 Jun 2005 (UTC)
Military of the United StatesMarine Corps
#REDIRECT United States Marine Corps
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
Words begining with United_States_Marine_Corps:
United_States_Marine_Corps
United_States_Marine_Corps
United_States_Marine_Corps
United_States_Marine_corps
United_States_Marine_Corps/Part_of_the_Navy_discussion
United_States_Marine_Corps_Reserve
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States armed forces. While concerned almost exclusively with shipboard security service and amphibious warfare in its formative years, the Marine Corps has evolved to fill a unique, multi-purpose role within the modern United States military. The Marine Corps is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 176,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. Only the United States Coast Guard, part of the Department of Homeland Security, is smaller. Both the Marine Corps and the United States Navy fall under the umbrella of the United States Department of the Navy. While organizationally separate forces, the two services work closely together. ==Mission== The Marine Corps serves as a versatile combat element, and is adapted to a wide variety of combat operations. The Marine Corps was initially composed of infantry combat forces serving aboard naval vessels, responsible for security of the ship, its captain and officers, offensive and defensive combat during boarding actions, by acting as sharpshooters, and carrying out amphibious assaults. The Marines fully developed and used the tactics of amphibious assault in World War II, most notably in the Pacific Theater of Operations . Since its creation in 1775 the Corps' role has expanded significantly. The Marines have a unique mission statement, and, alone among the branches of the U.S. armed forces, "shall, at any time, be liable to do duty in the forts and garrisons of the United States, on the seacoast, or any other duty on shore, as the President, at his discretion, shall direct." In this special capacity, charged with carrying out duties given to them directly by the President of the United States, the Marine Corps serves as an all-purpose, fast-response task force, capable of quick action in areas requiring emergency intervention. The Marine Corps possesses Organic_(military) ground and air combat elements, and relies upon the US Navy to provide sea combat elements to fulfill its mission as "America's 9-1-1 Force." Ground combat elements are largely contained in three Marine divisions, or "MarDivs." The 1st Marine Division is based out of Camp Pendleton, California, the 2nd out of Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, while the third is based on Okinawa, Japan. Recon battalions are composed of the elite Marines, and their mission is to scout the enemy or even to penetrate the enemy line. Air combat elements are similarly grouped in the first, second and third Marine wings. Marine tactics and doctrine tends to emphasize aggressiveness and the offensive, compared to Army tactics for similar units. The Marines have been central in developing groundbreaking tactics for maneuver warfare; they can be credited with the development of Air assault and modern amphibious assault. The Marines also maintain an operational and training culture dedicated to emphasizing the infantry combat abilities of every Marine. All Marines receive training first and foremost as rifleman, and thus the Marine Corps at heart functions as an infantry corps. The Marine Corps is famous for the saying "Every Marine is a rifleman." While the Marine Corps does not necessarily fill unique combat roles, only when combined do the United States Army, Navy, and US Air Force overlap every area that the Marine Corps covers. As a force, the Marines consistently use all essential elements of combat (air, ground, sea) together. While the creation of joint commands under the Goldwater-Nichols Act has improved interservice coordination between the larger services, the Marine Corps' ability to permanently maintain integrated multi-element task forces under a single command provides a special ability to respond to flexibility and urgency requirements. The Marines argue that they do not and should not take the place of the other services, any more than an ambulance takes the place of a hospital. Nonetheless, when a pressing emergency develops, the Marines essentially act as a stopgap, to get into and hold an area until the larger machinery can be mobilized. The opinions of other military men and politicians have, at times, differed, and President Harry S. Truman considered abolishing the Corps as part of the 1948 reorganization of the military. As Harry Truman said, "The only propaganda machine that rivals that of Stalin is that of the United States Marine Corps." Truman, a former U.S. Army artillery captain, felt that the Marines were useless, despite their many successes in World War Two and Korea. The United States Marine Corps is mainly used as an immediate resource of troops that can be deployed immediately to any part of the world. The Marines do not win wars by themselves. Their mission is to hold an area until the heavy reinforcements (i.e. the Army) arrive. Note that in the Second Iraq War Marines were deployed first while Army units organized themselves. An example of this coordinated, time-sensitive capability could be seen in 1990, when the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (22nd MEU) conducted Operation Sharp Edge, a noncombatant evacuation operation, or NEO, in the west Africa city of Monrovia, Liberia. Liberia suffered from civil war at the time, and civilian citizens of the United States and other countries could not leave via conventional means. Sharp Edge ended in success. Only one reconnaissance team came under fire, with no casualties incurred on either side, and the Marines evacuated several hundred civilians within hours to U.S. Navy vessels waiting offshore. ==Creation and history== The Marine Corps was originally created as the "Continental Marines" during the American Revolutionary War, were formed by a resolution of the Continental Congress on November 10, 1775, and first recruited at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They served as landing troops for the recently created Continental Navy. The Continental Marines were disbanded at the end of the war in April 1783 but re-formed on July 11 1798. Despite the gap, Marines worldwide celebrate November 10 as the Marine Corps Birthday. Historically, the United States Marine Corps has achieved fame in several campaigns, as referenced in the first line of the Marines' hymn: "From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli". In the early 19th century, First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon led a group of seven Marines and several hundred Egypt Mamluk soldiers in deposing the dictator of Tripoli. Separately, the Marines took part in the Mexican-American War (1846–1848) and Battle of Chapultepec, or the Castle of Chapultepec, which overlooked Mexico City. The Marines were placed on guard duty at the Mexican Presidential Palace, "The Halls of Montezuma." After these early 19th-century engagements, the Marine Corps occupied a small role in American military history. They saw little significant action in the American Civil War, but later become prominent due to their deployment in small wars around the world. During the latter half of the 19th century, the Marines saw action in Korea, Cuba, the Philippines, and China. During the years before and after World War I, the Marines saw action throughout the Caribbean in places such as Haiti and Nicaragua. These actions became known as "The Banana Wars," and the experiences gained in counter-insurgency and guerrilla operations during this period was consolidated into the Small Wars Manual. In World War I, the battle-tested, veteran Marines served a central role in the U.S. entry into the conflict, and at the Battle of Belleau Wood, Marine units were in the front, earning the Marines a reputation as the "First to Fight". This battle marked the creation of the Marines' reputation in modern history. Rallying under the battle cries of "Retreat hell! We just got here!" (Captain Lloyd Williams) and "Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?" (Gunnery Sergeant Dan Daly, two time Medal of Honor receipient), the Marines drove German forces from the area. The Germans referred to the Marines in the battle as "Teufelhunde", literally, "Devil Dogs", a nickname Marines proudly hold to this day. [[Image:WW2 Iwo Jima flag raising.jpg|thumb|(Joe Rosenthal / ©Associated Press)
U.S. Marines raise the American Flag on Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945]] In World War II, the Marines played a central role in the Pacific War, and the war saw the expansion of the Corps from two brigades to two corps with six divisions and five air wings with 132 squadrons. The battles of Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa saw fierce fighting between U.S. Marines and the Imperial Japanese Army. The secrecy afforded their communications by the now-famous code talkers program, is widely seen as having contributed significantly to their success. During the Battle of Iwo Jima, the Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima of five Marines and one Navy hospital corpsman raising the U.S. flag on Mt. Suribachi was taken. The acts of the Marines during the war added to their already significant popular reputation, and the USMC War Memorial in Arlington, VA was dedicated in 1954. The Korean War saw the Marines land at Inchon and assault north into North Korea along with the Army. As U.S. forces approached the Yalu River, the People's Republic of China, fearing an incursion by American forces, sent armies over the river to engage American forces within Korea. At the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, the First Marine Division fought Chinese forces, vastly outnumbered but vastly better equipped and trained. Recovering equipment left by Army forces who had scattered in disordered retreat, the Marines regrouped, assaulted the Chinese, and inflicted heavy casualties during their fighting withdrawal to the coast. The Marines also played an important role in the Vietnam War at battles such as Da Nang, Hue City, and Khe Sanh. Marines were among the first troops deployed to Vietnam, as well as the last to leave during the evacuation of the American embassy in Saigon. After Vietnam, Marines served in a number of important events and places. In 1983, a Marine barracks in Lebanon was Marine barracks bombing, causing the highest peacetime losses to the Corps and leading to the American withdrawal from Lebanon. Marines were also responsible for liberating Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War, as the Army made an attack to the west directly into Iraq. In 1995, Marines performed a successful mission in Bosnia, rescuing Captain Scott O'Grady, a downed Air Force fighter pilot, in what is called a TRAP (Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel). Most recently, in 2003 and 2004, the Marines served prominently in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the occupation of Iraq, where a light, mobile force was and is especially needed. ==Reputation of the Marine Corps== The Marine Corps has a widely-held reputation as a fierce and effective fighting force and the Marines take pride in their gung-ho attitude, are indoctrinated with a strong belief in their chain of command and the importance of ''esprit de corps'', a spirit of enthusiasm and pride in themselves and the Corps. The Marine Corps is popularly seen as possessing a degree of fame and infamy among the enemies they fight, and examples of this effect are readily seized upon and publicized by the Corps and its supporters. During the 1991 Gulf War, U.S. Army General Norman Schwarzkopf used a public demonstration of a Marine landing on Kuwait and the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr to pin down Iraqi units, while the Army then executed a sweep from the West. Most recently, Iraqis in the Persian Gulf War and 2003 invasion of Iraq were said to have taken special note of Marine Cobra helicopters and the distinctive look of the Marine combat uniform. The Marines have taken steps to build on this psychological advantage by, for instance, developing a new utility uniform that makes Marines easier to distinguish from other US servicemen. See the [http://www.marcorsyscom.usmc.mil/sites/mcub/PAGES/uniform_plates.htm Web site of the Permanent Marine Corps Uniform Board (PMCUB)] for illustrations of the various Marine uniforms. The Marine Corps has also recently initiated a martial arts program; an idea borrowed from the South Korean Marines, who train in martial arts and who, during the Vietnam War, were widely rumored to all be black belts. This program marks another step in a series of calculated efforts to bolster the perception of the Marine Corps as a fierce and effective "warrior culture" both with outside observers, and with its own servicemembers. While the reputation of the Marine Corps has remained largely positive in recent years, at least within the United States, the Corps has still struggled with occasional negative press and perceptions. In many conflicts, members of the other United States armed forces have complained that the Marine Corps often emphasizes its prowess at the expense of the reputation of Army or Navy units which are nearby. An example occurred at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War, when a Marine officer (probably Lt. General Chesty Puller) disparaged the undermanned Army infantry regiment which took the initial Chinese attack. Additionally, the aggressive tradition of the Marine Corps, and the Corps' widespread efforts to inculcate its Marines and the American public with this image have also sometimes backfired, leading to numerous accusations of sexism, racism and bullying over the years. ==Symbols== The Marine motto "Semper Fidelis" means "Always faithful" in Latin. This motto often appears in the shortened form "Semper Fi!" It is also the name of the official march of the Corps, composed by John Phillip Sousa. The colors of the Marine Corps are scarlet and gold. They appear on the flag of the United States Marine Corps, along with the Marine Corps emblem: the eagle, globe, and anchor, with the eagle representing service to the country, the globe representing worldwide service, and the anchor representing sea traditions. The emblem, adopted in its present form in 1868, derives partially from ornaments worn by the Continental Marines and the Royal Marines, and is usually topped with a ribbon reading "Semper Fidelis". Two styles of swords are worn by Marines. The Marine Corps officer sword is a Mameluke sword, similar to the sword presented to Lt. Presley O'Bannon after the Battle of Derna during the First Barbary War. Noncommissioned officers carry a different style of sword, similar in style to a Civil War cavalry sabre, making them the only enlisted personnel in the U.S. military authorized to carry a sword. Marines have several generic nicknames, mildly derogatory when used by outsiders but complimentary when used by Marines themselves. They include "jarhead" (it was said their hats on their unifom made them look like mason jars), "gyrene" (perhaps a combination of "G.I." and "Marine"), "leatherneck," referring to the leather collar that was a part of the Marine uniform during the Revolutionary War period, and "Devil Dog" (German: Teufelshunde) after the Battle of Belleau Wood. In the 1991 Gulf War, Iraqi soldiers nicknamed the Marines "Angels of Death." Another so-called term of endearment for Marines was "blackboots." This was due to supply shortages, leaving tan, desert boots unavailable to most Marine units. Somalians and Haitians called Marines participating in relief operations "whitesleeves" because of the way they roll up the sleeves of their Fatigues_(uniform), called "cammies" colloquially. ==Organization== Here is the typical organization for ground units: *Fire team: four Marines *Squad: three fire teams and a corporal or sergeant as squad leader *Platoon: three squads, a platoon sergeant, and a lieutenant as platoon commander *Company (military unit): three platoons, a Navy corpsman, a company gunnery sergeant, first sergeant, a first lieutenant as executive officer, and captain as commander *Battalion: three or four companies, commanded by a lieutenant colonel *Regiment: three or four battalions, commanded by a colonel *Brigade: uncommon in the Marine Corps, but typically made up of one or more regiments and commanded by a brigadier general *Division (military): three or four regiments, officers and others, commanded by a major general Battalions and larger units have a sergeant major, and an executive officer as second in command, plus officers and others for: Administration (S-1), Intelligence (S-2), Operations (S-3), Logistics (S-4), Civil Affairs [wartime only] (S-5), and Communications (S-6). As of 2004, there are four Marine divisions: * the US 1st Marine Division in Camp Pendleton, California; * the US 2nd Marine Division in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; * the US 3rd Marine Division in Camp Smedley Butler in Okinawa, Japan; and * the US 4th Marine Division is a reserve unit headquarted in New Orleans, Lousiania, with units scattered throughout the continental United States. In World War II, two more Marine Divisions were formed: the US 5th Marine Division and U.S. 6th Marine Division, which fought in the Pacific War. These divisions were disbanded after the end of the war. Typical aviation units are squadron, group and wing. There are four Marine aircraft wings: * the US 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in Okinawa, Japan; * the US 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing in Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina; * the US 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California; and * the US 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, a reserve unit. There are also four Force Service Support Groups; the 4th FSSG is a reserve unit. ===Air-ground task forces=== The Marine Corps organization is flexible, and task forces can be formed of any size. Modern deployed Marine units are based upon the doctrine of the Marine air-ground task force, or MAGTF. A MAGTF can generally be of any of three sizes, based upon the amount of force required in the given situation; however, all MAGTFs have a similar organization. A MAGTF is comprised of four elements: the command element (CE), the ground combat element (GCE), the air combat element (ACE) and the combat service support element (CSSE). *Command element — A headquarters unit that directs the other elements *Ground combat element — Usually infantry, supported by armor (tanks), and artillery, but including special units such as scouts or Force Reconnaissance, snipers and forward air controllers *Air combat element — The total airpower strength of the MAGTF, the ACE includes all aerial vehicles (both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter), their pilots and maintenance personnel *Combat service support element — This element includes all of the support units for the MAGTF: communications, combat engineers, motor transport, medical and supply units, and certain specialized groups such as air delivery and landing support teams The smallest type of MAGTF is the Marine expeditionary unit. It is based upon a rifle battalion with usually an aircraft squadron (helicopters or both rotor- and fixed-wing) and an appropriately sized support unit attached. The specific makeup of the MEU can be customized based upon the task at hand—more artillery, armor, or air units can be attached, including squadrons of F/A-18 Hornet and Harrier jets. There are usually three MEUs assigned to each of the U.S. Navy Atlantic and Pacific Fleets, with another MEU based on Okinawa. While one MEU is on deployment, one MEU is training to deploy and one is standing down, resting its Marines, and refitting. Each MEU is rated as capable of performing special operations. A Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) is larger than a MEU, and is based upon a Marine regiment, with larger air and support contingents. A Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), as deployed in Iraq in 2003, comprises a Marine division with an artillery regiment, several tank battalions, several LAV battalions, as well as an air wing. The I Marine Expeditionary Force as deployed in the Persian Gulf War ultimately consisted of the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions as well as considerable Marine air and support units. ==Appearance== Marines are often confused with soldiers, who are in the United States Army. Some differences in appearance are: * Marines do not wear Beret. * Marines wear boots only with the utility uniform, not other uniforms. * Marines do not salute unless they are wearing a hat (known as a "cover"). * Marines do not wear covers indoors, unless they are "under arms", i.e. carrying a weapon or wearing a duty belt. * The Marine service uniform, roughly equivalent to business attire, has a khaki shirt. The equivalent Army uniform has a light-green shirt. Enlisted Marines wear their rank insignia on the sleeve of the service shirt, officers on the collar. Army soldiers wear their rank insignia on epaulets over the shoulder. * The Marine class "A" service coat is olive green (as opposed to forest green for the Army) and has a waist-belt. The Marine service uniform is worn with either a barracks (service) cover, which has a bill and a round top, or a garrison cover, which comes to a peak. * Marines are less generous with awards and unit identification. For example, with the exception of breast insignia denoting a few specialized qualifications such as airborne (parachute), pilot or scuba qualification, or red stripes on trouser legs of NCO's, E4 and above, sewn on the trouser legs and covers of some logistics Marines, Marines do not normally wear any insignia or device on their utility uniforms denoting their unit, MOS (military occupational specialty), or training. Further, many senior Marines involved in ground combat operations eschew the wearing of multiple rank insignia on the theory that it simply makes them targets (as in Vietnam). Enlisted Marines know who their leaders are, regardless of whether or not they are wearing rank insignia. ===Utility uniform=== Differences in the utility uniform include: * The cover (hat) of the utility uniform is constructed differently. Marine covers have eight sides and corners (hence the name "eight-point cover"). * Marines wear green-colored "skivvie" undershirts with their utility uniform, even in the desert. Soldiers wear brown undershirts. (Note, as of 2004, the Marine Corps has announced the intention to switch to brown undershirts when desert camouflage is worn.) * Soldiers roll up the sleeves of their utility uniform so the camouflage is facing out. Marines roll their sleeves so that the lighter-colored underside faces out. * Marines "blouse" their boots. That is, they roll the cuffs of their trousers back inside and tighten them over the boots with a cord or an elastic band known as a boot band. Soldiers either blouse their boots or tuck their trousers directly into their boots. * Marines do not wear any rank insignia or other device on the utility cover. The front of the cover has instead the Marine Corps Eagle, Globe, and Anchor emblem. * On their utility uniforms, Marine officers typically wear their rank insignia on both collars, while Army officers typically wear insignia on one collar and an insignia identifying their specific occupational specialty (i.e. infantry, artillery, armor) on the other. In a garrison environment, Marine officer's insignia is usually shiny metal, and is affixed in a manner similar to a pin, while Army officers usually wear a subdued stitched-on insignia. * Marines wear a colored belt, often referred to as a "rigger's belt", that is color coded to represent their specific qualification under the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. * Marines used to wear black combat boots with the utility uniform, as do the Army and Air Force. But in 2002, light-brown combat boots were introduced along with a new type of camouflage, the "MARPAT" uniform. (See photo.) Effective 1 October 2004, black combat boots were declared obsolete and no longer authorized for general wear by Marines. Exception is made for black safety boots worn for certain tasks, such as parachuting. * As of 2006, the old-style camouflage utility uniform, also worn by the Army and Air Force, will be declared obsolete. The only utility uniform authorized for Marines will be the MARPAT uniform. * As of 2004, both the Army and the Air Force have announced plans to replace their old-style "pickle suit" camouflage utility uniforms with newer designs similar to the Marine Corps digital "MARPAT" pattern. ==Ranks== This list is in ascending order. It includes pay grades and abbreviations in the style used by the Marine Corps. Enlisted: **E-1, Private (rank), Pvt **E-2, Private First Class, PFC **E-3, Lance Corporal, LCpl *Noncommissioned Officers, or NCOs: **E-4, Corporal, Cpl **E-5, Sergeant, Sgt *Staff Noncommissioned Officers, or SNCOs: **E-6, Staff Sergeant, SSgt **E-7, Gunnery Sergeant, GySgt **E-8 ***Master Sergeant, MSgt ***First Sergeant, 1stSgt **E-9 ***Master Gunnery Sergeant, MGySgt ***Sergeant Major, SgtMaj ***Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps NOTE 1: The E-8 and E-9 levels each have two ranks per pay grade, each with different responsibilities. Gunnery Sergeants indicate on their annual evaluations, called "fitness reports," or "fitreps" for short, their preferred promotional track: Master Sergeant or First Sergeant. The First Sergeant and Sergeant Major ranks are command-oriented, with Marines of theses ranks serving as the senior enlisted Marines in a unit, charged to assist the commanding officer in matter of discipline, administration and the morale and welfare of the unit. Master Sergeants and Master Gunnery Sergeants provide technical leadership as occupational specialists in their specific MOS. First Sergeants typically serve as the senior enlisted Marine in a company, battery or other unit at similar echelon, while Sergeants Major serve the same role in battalions, squadrons or larger units. NOTE 2: The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps is the senior enlisted Marine of the entire Marine Corps, personally selected by the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Warrant Officers *W-1, Warrant Officer 1, WO1 *W-2, Chief Warrant Officer 2, CWO2 *W-3, Chief Warrant Officer 3, CWO3 *W-4, Chief Warrant Officer 4, CWO4 *W-5, Chief Warrant Officer 5, CWO5 NOTE 3: A Chief Warrant Officer, CWO2-CWO5, serving in the MOS 0306 "Infantry Weapons Officer" is designated as a special rank: "Marine Gunner". A Marine Gunner replaces the Chief Warrant Officer insignia on the right collar with a bursting bomb insignia. Other Warrant Officers are sometimes informally also referred to as "Gunner" but this usage is not considered correct. Commissioned officers: *Company-grade officers **O-1, Second Lieutenant, 2ndLt **O-2, First Lieutenant, 1stLt **O-3, Captain, Capt *Field-grade officers **O-4, Major, Maj **O-5, Lieutenant Colonel, LtCol **O-6, Colonel, Col *Generals **O-7, Brigadier General, BGen **O-8, Major General, MajGen **O-9, Lieutenant General, LtGen **O-10, General, Gen NOTE 4: There has never been any 0-11 "five-star" General rank thus far in the Marine Corps, though such a rank could theoretically be created at any time by act of Congress. Currently, no officer in any branch of the U.S. military holds such a grade. ==Commandants== The Commandant of the Marine Corps functions as the highest-ranking officer of the Marine Corps. Even though higher-ranking Marine officers occasionally exist, the commandant is still in charge of the Marine Corps. The commandant is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and reports to the Secretary of the Navy, but not to the Chief of Naval Operations. As of 2004, Marine Generals Peter Pace (Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) and James L. Jones (Commander in Chief of the United States European Command; Supreme Allied Commander; and a former commandant of the Marine Corps) are senior in time in grade to the commandant. However, the commandant does not report to them. The commandant is responsible for keeping the Marine Corps in fighting condition and does not serve as a direct battlefield commander. However, he is the symbolic and functional head of the Corps, and holds a position of very high esteem among Marines. As of 2005, the Commandant of the Marine Corps is General Michael W. Hagee, who became Commandant in January of 2003. ==Initial training== Training for commissioned officers occurs through ROTC , the Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps; OCS, Officer Candidate School, including the Platoon Leaders Course (PLC), or the United States Naval Academy. After that, all officers spend their first six months, regardless of accession route or further training requirements, at The Basic School at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. The Basic School, solely for freshly commissioned second lieutenants learning the art of infantry and combined arms warfare, is an example of the unique approach the Corps takes to fostering the credo that "Every Marine is a rifleman first". Enlisted Marines attend boot camp, at either MCRD Parris Island or Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. All women attend Parris Island. Men attend either, depending on whether they leave from the western or eastern part of the country. Enlisted Marines then attend U.S. Marine Corps School of Infantry training at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune or Camp Pendleton. Infantry Marines begin their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) training immediately with the Infantry Training Battalion (ITB), while all other Marines train with the Marine Combat Training (MCT) Battalion before continuing on to their MOS schools. In 1997, the school at Camp Lejeune expanded the MCT program to integrate female Marines. This basic infantry training for all Marines is one element of the philosophy that "Every Marine is a Rifleman." ==Marine bases and stations== ''Main article: List of U.S. Marine Corps bases'' *Marine Barracks 8th & I, Washington, D.C. *Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California *Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina *Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina *Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Japan *Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan *Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California *Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina *Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona *Marine Corps Base Camp Butler, Japan *Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina *Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California *Marine Corps Base Hawaii *Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia *Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Georgia *Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, California *Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina *Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California *Camp Le Monier, Djibouti, Africa ==Miscellaneous== * Marines guard U.S. embassies and other foreign missions, in cooperation with the Diplomatic Security Service. Marines also stand guard at the White House. * The president's helicopter is Marine One, part of HMX-1, in Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. * Marines do not serve as chaplains or medical workers. Naval personnel fill those roles. They wear Marine uniforms when serving with the Marines, unless there is a corresponding Navy uniform. * Three infamous List of famous U.S. Marines are Lee Harvey Oswald, espionage and Charles Whitman. * Four former Marines have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor: Lee Marvin (won for ''Cat Ballou''), Steve McQueen (nominated for ''The Sand Pebbles''), George C. Scott (won for ''Patton'' but returned the statue) and Gene Hackman (won for ''The French Connection''). Another, director Sam Peckinpah, was also nominated for writing the original screenplay for ''The Wild Bunch''. ==See also== Drum_and_bugle_corps_%28modern%29">Image:Usmc dci finale 2002.jpg|thumbnail|150px|The \"Commandant's Own\" Drum_and_bugle_corps_%28modern%29 * Force Reconnaissance * Marine * Drum_and_bugle_corps_%28modern%29#Commandant.27s_Own *Lists ** List of weapons of the US Marine Corps ** List of famous U.S. Marines ==External links== * [http://www.usmc.mil/ Official Web site] * [http://www.marines.com marines.com] * [http://www.drumcorps.mbw.usmc.mil/ Commandant's Own Drum & Bugle Corps] * [http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/HD/Home_Page.htm United States Marine Corps History and Museums Division] * [http://204.2.118.231/store/mchf/index.asp Marine Corps Heritage Foundation] * [http://www.fighttimes.com/magazine/magazine.asp?issue=3&article=93 History of the Marine Corps Martial Art Program] United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
==Archived discussions== Talk:United States Marine Corps/Part of the Navy discussion ==USMC/USN/DON== I reverted a one-line edit adding the sentence "In 2000 the Marines were amalgamated into the US Navy to form one efficient fighting force." Please read the archived discussion if there's any confusion on the issue, or please support that claim with evidence of this organizational change that we've managed to miss for the past four years. User:Fox1 16:42, 9 Nov 2004 (UTC) ==Unarchived discussion== Dan Rather was not really a Marine. He failed out of recruit training for medical reasons. User:Chadloder 20:09 Mar 29, 2003 (UTC) == Reputation of the Marine Corps? == In my opinion, this article is not unbiased -- especially the section Reputation of the Marine Corps. I think that this part of the article is written from an US point of view. Internationally, for example in Europe, the USMC is not necessarily considered to be the "world's best elite fighting force" that some Americans want it to be. Some reasons for this: 1) The way the personnel are selected. Almost anyone can get in. There is not an aim to choose only the best and the most fittest for service. 2) Basic training is relatively short and contains primarily general military skills. For example, British Army and French Foreign Legion outweigh USMC in these areas. Moreover, I would like to see examples to support the argument ''The Marine Corps' reputation often affects enemy planning and operations before and after combat''. This sounds more like a legend than a fact. My goal is not to undermine the fame of the US Marine Corps. It is an accomplished military force which has performed well in many war theaters. But I would like to see this article stripped of "marine lore" and (understandable) national proudness, which don't belong into an encyclopedia. --User:Oswd 00:30, Jul 12, 2004 (UTC) I would largely agree that the phrase "best elite fighting force" is hyperbole. Obviously it's subjective, but it also seems like vague language. "Force" is not, to my knowledge, any kind of quantifiable organizational type, which makes me question why the Corps would be place above even other U.S. elite units with higher entrance standards. The Corps is, I believe, the LARGEST "elite force" in the world. I've seen that factoid referenced in several printed publications (again, I recognize the rather hazy nature of both "elite" and "force"). --User:Fox1 Upon further reflection, I dislike this entire section, and I wish I had time to rewrite it. I removed the comment about actively recruiting 17 year-olds and "more aggressive" individuals after two days of looking failed to turn up any differences between the services in regards to recruitment age (not that I expected to find anything, since age is mandated across the DoD, not by the individual services). I think the article would be better served by dispersing information about differences in tactics and mentality across the other sections as appropriate IF they can be backed up. Otherwise, I see no reason to use the reputation section as a mask for poorly NPOVed information. Keeping the section would be fine, if there is at least an attempt to use real examples, instead of the author's own generalizations. --User:Fox1 This section, and perhaps some parts of the other sections as well, have somewhat gone out of the hand. This article is not even near to an encyclopedia article, but a praise to the superiority, brutality and toughness of the US Marines. I am not the right person to rewrite this article, but I ask whoever edits this article to transform it towards an objective description of the US Marine Corps -- not a collection of stories telling which enemy fears the marines and how much. --User:Oswd 20:47, Dec 11, 2004 (UTC) == Second to What?== the aticle opens ''The United States Marine Corps (USMC) forms the second-smallest branch of the United States Armed Forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve members as of 2002''. This leaves the reader wondering what is the smallest? Can this be clarified in the article please? User:Dainamo 00:21, 31 Jul 2004 (UTC) Please do not try to strike the U.S. Coast Guard from the list of the U.S. Armed Forces. They are by law (Title 14) and by organization a separate armed force. User:GABaker 3 Sep 2004 == Platoons == Platoon leaders in the Marines are known as "platoon commanders." It differs from the Army, which has "platoon leaders." [Moved comment from top of this page.] == Famous Marines == Moved list to own page. User:Maurreen 16:15, 16 Sep 2004 (UTC) == section order == I think the article could be better organized, but I'm not sure what order is better. Any thoughts? User:Maurreen 17:41, 16 Sep 2004 (UTC) == More Casualties? == The sentence unceremoniously tacked on to the end of that section seems badly implemented and quite possibly untrue. In fact, in the few times I've seen applicable comparisons, Marine Corps casualties have been significantly less, both in terms of Marine casualties and non-combatant ones. That said, this also ignores the fact that Marine Corps and U.S. Army tactics and casualty rates may not be comparable in this way, owing to the superficially similar but technically varied nature of their respective missions. User:Fox1 30 Sep 2004 ==Infamous Marines== What is the disagreement with describing Lee Harvey Oswald, Clayton Lonetree and Charles Whitman as infamous former Marines? Is there any doubt? User:Maurreen 04:44, 12 Oct 2004 (UTC) :I changed the wording when I added a third entry, to switch from dual to plural form. If you think there's too much validation wording there now, feel free to change. I had planned on adding Oliver North, with a disclaimer regarding him regaining (or maintaining) some legitimacy in the public eye. Ended up thinking it was better to leave him out. :The one question I would have is whether that sublist would serve better on the famous Marines page? Seems odd to put the INfamous ones in the main entry, and the less controversial ones somewhere else. :--User:Fox1 12 October, 2004 ::The famous Marines, in a good way, are too many to list on the main page. I did add Clayton Lonetree to the "famous Marines" list; the others were already on it. I think having some negative information on the main USMC page makes it a little more balanced. But I see your point. I won't argue if you take it out. Or another idea would be to list just a few of the famous ones here. User:Maurreen 13:15, 12 Oct 2004 (UTC) ==Ranks== I made all the ranks lowercase. They are not proper nouns unless they are immediately before a name. User:Maurreen 05:30, 12 Oct 2004 (UTC) :Well, I had used title/heading capitalization, but I could see how lowercase would be correct, depending how you looked at the structure of the list, grammatically. I thought it looked better in caps, but it could just be that that's how I'm used to seeing them. :On a related note, I was always taught that the noun "Marine" was always capitalized ("soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines." "He is a Marine."). This seems to be how this article has been handled, how it was practiced in reporting according to government style manuals, and in any official documents that I can find or remember, but I've had the capitalization changed to lowercase in other articles. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any references to the issue specifically in civilian style manuals (they lump all service titles together, from what I've seen), so I don't have anything to back my assertions up on this issue. :--User:Fox1 12 Oct, 2004 ::Associated Press style makes "Marine" uppercase; New York Times style makes it lowercase. There isn't clear consensus, but I'm used to AP. I see your point about capitalization in a list, but I think that might encourage people to capitalize the ranks in body copy, which I see a lot of. User:Maurreen 14:08, 12 Oct 2004 (UTC) ==Infantry training== Isn't there an infantry school at Lejeune, also? Do people go from Parris Island to Camp Pendleton? User:Maurreen 16:28, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC) :Holy crap, I can't believe I didn't include that. Nice catch, now I have to go edit School of Infantry, too. Guess that's my Hollywood bias for ya'. User:Fox1 16:31, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC) ::Thanks. :) ::Also, it would be good for both articles if we could indicate when women started going. Do you have any ideas about that? I went to boot camp in 1980 and didn't even get to the rifle range for at least a few years. I was very disappointed. User:Maurreen 16:45, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC) :::Done on this page, however, I'm starting to think the topic might deserve a subsection of its own. Especially since the Corps' slow adoption of limited gender integration has been thrown around by journalists and others as a cause for quite a few things, good and bad. User:Fox1 16:59, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC) ::::You're really quick. User:Maurreen 17:16, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC) ==Del link== I deleted the link to * [http://www.teufelhunden1775.us/ Teufelhunden 1775]. It's only one page, and little there. User:Maurreen 06:20, 21 Oct 2004 (UTC) ==Code talkers== This was deleted: "Some high military officers have said the United States would never have won the Battle of Iwo Jima without the secrecy afforded by the code talkers." I'm restoring it. If anyone disagrees, let's talk. User:Maurreen 05:27, 19 Nov 2004 (UTC) :Can you provide the source? User:Jinian 15:47, 19 Nov 2004 (UTC) ::It's in the third paragraph of Code talker. If the problem is giving too much credit, maybe there's another way. I just think the code talkers are worth mentioning here. User:Maurreen 15:57, 19 Nov 2004 (UTC) :::Umm, the code talker article doesn't provide a source either. It simply states it, without saying who said it or when it was said. See what you think of my change. That's good. Thanks. User:Maurreen 05:49, 20 Nov 2004 (UTC) ==Boots== *Are the new boots really brown, or closer to tan? *Is Oct. 1, 2004, the date the black boots were declared obsolete, or the effective date of that declaration? :User:Maurreen 05:40, 22 Nov 2004 (UTC) *Should be the effective date, the declaration was, I believe, dated about 12 months prior. Also, they're a light brown or a tan... I'm not very good with colors, but either description would probably fit. User:Fox1 14:01, 22 Nov 2004 (UTC) ==Bases== 1MAW is listed as being in Okinawa, but its HQ is in Hawaii, so why not say it is in Okinawa and Hawaii? Also, the list of Marine Bases needs help from someone at least minimally knowledgeable; it says MCLB Albany is in New York, which sounds like a joke... :I think where most of the unit is, is more important than the headquarters. But you can add the HQ info if you wish. User:Maurreen 03:53, 23 Nov 2004 (UTC) ::Are there are a bunch of H-53 squadrons in Hawaii too -- and ASEK? I think that is probably too much detail for this article. And what is ASEK? User:Maurreen 17:52, 23 Nov 2004 (UTC) : You had said "where most of the unit is, is more important than the headquarters." I meant to point out that more than just the headquarters is in Hawaii; that is why I mentioned the H-53 squadrons and ASEK (Aviation Support Element, Kaneohe). I didn't mean they should be listed :) Here is a reference to both: http://www.combatindex.com/links/us_marines/usmc_cmd_marforpac.html. Anyway, thats enough for me, it was only a suggestion, not something I have religious feelings concerning. =="Soldiers"== I put "soldiers" in lowercase, as is standard. User:Maurreen 04:21, 30 Nov 2004 (UTC) == Service uniform == This paragraph has undergone a few evolutions. So if anyone objects to what I'm doing, let's talk. As of now it reads: "The Marine service uniform, roughly equivalent to business attire, is comprised of dark green trousers (or optional skirt for females) and a khaki shirt. The equivalent Army uniform is two different shades of green." I'm going to change it. For one thing, the word "trousers" is inappropriate for women. And I doubt the skirt is optional, but I've been out for awhile, so I could be wrong. User:Maurreen 05:07, 2 Dec 2004 (UTC) :The optional skirt reference was not so much right or wrong as ambiguous. Females are required to have both the skirt and the slacks, but, absent specific mention in the Uniform of the Day orders, it's at the Marine's discretion which to wear. So... it's not optional to have and maintain the skirt, but its wear can be optional for day-to-day dress. I suspect this is similar to what you experienced, but just letting you know in case it has changed. User:Fox1 19:31, 2 Dec 2004 (UTC) ::Fox1, I realized I might have misunderstood whether your comments were just explanation or you'd prefer to change the current wording. User:Maurreen 06:09, 15 Dec 2004 (UTC) :::Current wording seems fine to me, I was just pointing out what may have been the confusion of the word "optional." :::However, is the army shirt really light green? As above, I'm not good with colors, but it always seemed a pale blue-green, maybe a teal or something similar. I would like to see a reference to the official name for the hue, but I can't locate one. User:Fox1 01:52, 16 Dec 2004 (UTC) I found the Army uniform regulation [http://www.usapa.army.mil/pdffiles/r670_1.pdf here], but it's not much help. On pages 91-92, they call it Army green shade 415. If you want to change it from "light green", that's OK with me. User:Maurreen 05:35, 16 Dec 2004 (UTC) ==Generals== I changed "general grade officers" to "generals." But maybe it should be "flag grade officers." User:Maurreen 05:58, 2 Dec 2004 (UTC) *"general grade" is a correct, although not often used, term. Guess it's a style decision. User:Fox1 19:44, 2 Dec 2004 (UTC) == CMC/SMOMC and capitalization == Another capitalization talk segment! Now, we've gone over the various capitalization issues here a few times, and I think we were pretty much in agreement so far, but I was surprised to see the Commandant and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps' titles in lowercase. I understood the rationale behind de-capitalizing the ranks, but I was 99% sure that those two, as titles specific to a single high-ranking person (like POTUS), were capitalized. I checked the only document I could find specifically addressing the issue (the US Govt Printing Office style manual for 2000) and did a quick google news poll of usage of the term Commandant, and there was clear consensus for capitalization. I couldn't find enough instances of use of the title SMOMC in non-governmental press to get a good consensus, but combining hits for SMOMC and the Sergeant Major of the Army begins to show a fairly strong trend towards capitalization. I'll hold off on changing it to see what you have to say. User:Fox1 20:21, 2 Dec 2004 (UTC) :I am used to titles capitalized only before a name, which is supported by the Associated Press and New York Times style guides. :The Wikipedia:Manual of Style is not very clear to me, but seems to favor capitals only when referring to a specific person (that is, the person holding the rank at a given time). :But if you feel strongly about it, I won't argue if you capitalize them. User:Maurreen 04:45, 3 Dec 2004 (UTC) ==Pockets== Is it really true that some Marines don't use their utility pockets whatsoever? User:Maurreen 06:09, 15 Dec 2004 (UTC) :Just speaking from personal experience, we certainly used our utility pockets in the field. However, while in garrison, the general rule was not to carry anything in the utility or blouse pockets which would affect the lay of the cloth and be visible. It occurs to me that I don't ever recall seeing this articulated in a written order, but it seemed to be universally done, nonetheless. :That said, I'm not sure that point merits inclusion in the list, as I knew individuals of all 3 cammie-wearing services (yes, I'm excluding Navy docs, seebees, seals and masters at arms) who sewed their pockets shut, cut out the back panel, etc in order to look sharper for garrison inspections, and I've never known any historical references to WWII or otherwise to be referenced. User:Fox1 01:48, 16 Dec 2004 (UTC) After reading over it again, I removed that bullet. None of the things referenced in it were really useful ways to distinguish a Marine from a soldier, which is the stated purpose of the list. Plus, they were all matters of custom or ettiquette rather than actual regulations anyway. User:Fox1 02:06, 16 Dec 2004 (UTC) ==Wikipedian category== I've created :Category:Wikipedian military. User:Maurreen 06:32, 18 Dec 2004 (UTC) ==Intro== Does anyone agree with the recent change to the intro? [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_Marine_Corps&diff=0&oldid=9073734] == Fouled Anchor? == For years I've thought that the Marine symbols were an eagle, globe and fouled anchor. Am I wrong on that last part? This article just says anchor. I know its not a big difference and I might even be wrong. User:KorbenDirewolf 23:17, 11 Jan 2005 (UTC) :I just happened to have [http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/HD/Historical/Customes_Traditions/Emblem_Seal.htm hqmc.usmc.mil] open. /Customes_Traditions/Emblem_Seal.htm says ::In 1776, the device consisted of a "foul anchor" of silver or pewter. The foul anchor still forms a part of the emblem today. (A foul anchor is an anchor which has one or more turns of the chain around it). Changes were made in 1798, 1821, and 1824. In 1834 it was prescribed that a brass eagle be worn on the hat, the eagle to measure 3 ½ inches from wingtip to wingtip. :: : ::The emblem recommended by this board [in 1868] consists of a globe (showing the Western Hemisphere) intersected by a foul anchor, and surmounted by a spread eagle. On the emblem itself, the device is topped by a ribbon inscribed with the Latin motto "Semper Fidelis" (Always Faithful). The uniform ornaments omit the motto ribbon. :: : :: [In 1954] an American bald eagle replaced the crested eagle depicted on the 1868 emblem, :User:Wwoods 04:56, 12 Jan 2005 (UTC) According to [http://www.mca-marines.org/leatherneck/faq.htm Leatherneck magazine], sometimes the anchor is fouled and sometimes it is not. User:Maurreen 04:59, 12 Jan 2005 (UTC) Of course, the official site given by Wwoods is a better reference. User:Maurreen 06:27, 12 Jan 2005 (UTC) Officially, the upper arm of the stock should always be fouled, the only time it would be shown unfouled is by artistic license (low resolution/someone can't draw). That said, in day to day speech I've never heard the fouling referenced, and the insignia is always referred to by the name "eagle, globe and anchor." The fouling is there, but it isn't considered one of the 3 major symbolic elements, in much the same way as other details such as the ribbon in the eagle's mouth or the north and south american continents on the globe. I certainly wouldn't argue against mention of these elements, but some separate reference to the iconic "E.G.A." should remain in its uncluttered form. User:Fox1 04:05, 14 Jan 2005 (UTC) :I agree with User:Fox1. User:Maurreen 05:23, 14 Jan 2005 (UTC) :It probably would look better left as it is. User:KorbenDirewolf 02:37, 18 Jan 2005 (UTC) ::Also, thanks to everyone for replying to my question. User:KorbenDirewolf == Number abbreviations == For some Marine references, and also some Navy references, I've seen "2d" and "3d" for "2nd" and "3rd". Is one version incorrect, or are they interchangable, or what? Should we standardize on one--if so, which? User:Wwoods 02:00, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC) :I think "2nd", "3rd", etc. is more common in general. User:Maurreen 05:39, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC) ==Battle of Bull Run== The article is mistaken in claiming the Marines have never suffered a rout. At the First Battle of Bull Run they ran like the mighty Mississippi. I would make the change, but would prefer one of you Smart Guys on MC history would have better words than I. User:PaulinSaudi_17:18,_3_Feb_2005_(UTC)">User:PaulinSaudi 17:18, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC) :I have to say, I think you're simply being contrary. The article currently reads "The U.S. Marines have never undertaken a full, large-scale retreat." It does not say "never been routed" or even "never suffered a defeat." There was only one battalion of Marines at Bull Run, and they were the last of the infantry screening that artillery battery to break. It's already been qualified with the note on the Chosin withdrawal, and this really doesn't merit further cluttering up the article. No change needed. User:Fox1 00:56, 4 Feb 2005 (UTC) ==Belt== Is this true? : "Marines may wear a khaki "web belt" with a brass buckle with their utility trousers, but more commonly wear a colored belt, often referred to as a "rigger's belt", that is color coded to represent their specfic qualification under the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program." :User:Maurreen 07:01, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC) ::Sounds like a bad joke to me. --User:Alexwcovington (User talk:Alexwcovington) 09:39, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC) Yes, this is correct. Part of the aforementioned martial arts program, which is rather more holistic and far-reaching than just a hand to hand combat training program, by the way. I was only around for the very early stages of the program, but we had a few Marines earn their belts. Advancement in the program also influences promotion... but I'm getting off the point. Yeah, the belt thing is true. User:Fox1 01:37, 10 Feb 2005 (UTC) :I went ahead and restored the bullet, here's a reference for you (ALMAR 043/01), with my emphasis added: ::SUBJ/ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MARINE CORPS MARTIAL ARTS PROGRAM// ::Rmks/1....2. The marine corps martial arts program, implemented in October 2000, is a natural extension of these basic tenets. Although it is a skill progression program offering martial arts training through a system of belt rankings from tan through sixth degree black belt, it is much, much more. It is a reflection of our warrior ethos that provides a vehicle for enhanced unit cohesion and increased self-worth. :There ya go, also, if anyone ends up being interested, Marine Corps Martial Arts Program is, as you can see, a red link. I might get around to it at some point, otherwise. User:Fox1 01:55, 10 Feb 2005 (UTC) ::Thanks for keeping us current. User:Maurreen 02:05, 10 Feb 2005 (UTC) == Marines: Semper Fi == Although i am not a Marine, i do know several things about the corps. First, the Marines differ from the regular US Army in that Marines are adept and ready to be the first ones to fight. The Marines are designed as an adaptable to any situation thrown in their way. Although the Marines may not be taught the same material as the Special Forces or any special operations detachment, they are probably America's best frontline force. The Marines are trained in Land, Sea, and Air. :Goverments like to make the population think that they are well defended by their armed forces and that the budget is being well spent. This article already reads too much like a hagiography, with its odd attention to little details. I would like to see a more robust article that doesn't seem to pander to delights of US teenagers. User:Garzo 11:59, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC) :I'm really not sure what the anonymous poster was suggesting be done with the article, or whether he was suggesting anything at all. That being said, your comment wasn't much better. If you have any more "robust" suggestions on what can be improved, feel free to voice them, or, better yet, make the improvements yourself. Otherwise you just look like an individual with a POV chip on their shoulder, who found a chance to use the word "hagiography" without it looking too absurd. User:Fox1 01:14, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC) :Ok, User:Garzo, from your user page I see that you're apparently a priest, which causes your use of the word hagiography to seem a lot less contrived.... thusly, I retract the appropriate portion of my snarky reply. The rest stays. And remains snarky. User:Fox1 01:21, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC) ==Reorganise== I think all of the pages - US armed forces, US Department of Defense, and all the services (US Army etc.) need to be reorganised, First so that there is not uneeded overlap, and Second so that Army, Navy etc. are all set out the same way (eg. similar headings and article structure, just with different content.) *United States armed forces *United States Department of Defense *United States Army *United States Navy *United States Air Force *United States Marine Corps *United States Coast Guard and maybe Joint Chiefs of Staff etc. :Some of this could be good. But ... I'm wary of overstandardization, and I prefer "U.S." to "United States" in this context. User:Maurreen 06:45, 22 Mar 2005 (UTC) ==NCOs and Swords== I'd like to address this issue here on the talk page parallel with the discussion on the talk page of the User_talk:164.167.34.67 who made this change: There has been some confusion about whether USMC NCOs are in fact the only NCOs authorized to carry a sword. There is a Naval Reg available that states that USN Chief Petty Officers are authorized to carry the (I think I remember the year right) 1890 issue cutlass. However, careful reading of this regulation will show that this is only the case for CPOs serving in the corresponding period uniform aboard the USS Constitution. Thus, this is not an authorized modern uniform, it is simply a special case for historical display purposes. If I'm wrong, please find the reg that shows me to be so, because I really pored over them a couple months ago when this first came up, and the above was my conclusion. Thanks. User:Fox1 11:57, 18 May 2005 (UTC) ==former== Minor note on the Famous Marines section: see [http://www.answers.com/topic/former-marine answers.com]. Using "retired" is more appropriate. :The issue I have with the "once a Marine, always a Marine" thing is that there's really no other way to accurately describe an individual who served as an active-duty or reserve member of the Corps, but left the Corps before being eligible to retire. I really can't think of any term that simultaneously covers that (rather common) eventuality while not violating the "once a Marine" ethos. :User:Fox1 16:38, 3 Jun 2005 (UTC)
United States Marine Corps
Military of the United StatesMarine Corps
United States Marine corps
#REDIRECT United States Marine Corps
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