Marine Corps History

Today, Marines of every background train together, live together, and serve side by side. It is easy to assume it was always that way, but it was not. In the decades leading up to World War II, the Marine Corps did not accept Black Americans into its ranks at all. The road from that exclusion … Read more

The United States declared war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812. Just five days later, on June 23, an American squadron off the coast of New Jersey spotted a British frigate and gave chase. The running fight that followed between the frigate USS President and HMS Belvidera was the first naval action of the … Read more

By late January 1943, the long fight for Guadalcanal was nearly over. Marines had landed on the island the previous August and held on through months of hard fighting, disease, and exhaustion. On January 29 and 30, 1943, a U.S. Navy task force covering the relief of a long-serving Marine regiment on the island came … Read more

On the evening of January 16, 1991, many Americans sat in front of their televisions and watched the start of a war. Coalition aircraft were striking targets in Iraq and Kuwait, opening Operation Desert Storm. Because of the time difference, the attacks actually began in the early hours of January 17 in the Persian Gulf. … Read more

Every November 10, wherever Marines are serving, someone stands up and reads a short message written more than a century ago. It happens at formal birthday balls, in offices, aboard ships, and in combat zones. That message is Marine Corps Order No. 47, issued by Major General Commandant John A. Lejeune in 1921. November 10, … Read more

Marines are known for leadership, and that reputation is no accident. The Marine Corps teaches leadership deliberately, starting on the first days of recruit training and continuing through a Marine’s entire career. At the heart of that teaching are two short lists every Marine learns: the 11 leadership principles and the 14 leadership traits. If … Read more

If you have seen a photo of your recruit in uniform, you have seen MARPAT. The pixel-style camouflage on today’s Marine Corps combat utility uniform looks modern even now, but it has been part of Marine life for more than two decades. It was introduced in 2002, and it quickly became one of the most … Read more

Few roles in the Marine Corps carry as much mystique as the sniper. Movies and books tend to focus on marksmanship, but the Marines who have served in this role describe something deeper: patience, discipline, fieldcraft and an enormous sense of responsibility. This portrait looks at the Marine sniper tradition through two of its best-known … Read more

Ask a Marine what moment from boot camp they remember most, and many will describe the morning a drill instructor placed a small emblem in their hand and called them a Marine for the first time. That emblem is the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, often shortened to the EGA. It appears on uniforms, flags, buildings, … Read more

“Devil Dog” is one of the most beloved nicknames in the Marine Corps. Marines use it as a greeting, a compliment, and sometimes a gentle bit of ribbing between friends. The name is tied to one of the most famous battles in Marine Corps history, Belleau Wood in 1918, and to a story about German … Read more