What You Didn't Know, You Wanted to Know, About the United States Marine Corps
Most list are ten or so, but I'm going to rattle off a lucky thirteen.
Since yesterday was the 249th Marine Corps birthday and today is Veterans Day, I thought I would repost this post all about the Marine Corps. Semper Fidelis!
As I have have said more than a few times, I am a proud veteran of the United States Marine Corps, and today I going to educate you on some of the things that make Marines a little different from the other branches of the military. Some of these you may know and some may be new to you but I hope you enjoy this anyway.
Founding of the Marine Corps
On November 10, 1775, the 2nd Continental Congress ordered “two battalions of Marines be raised”. They also commissioned as a Captain of Marines, Samuel Nicholas and put him in charge of recruitment. He used the Tun Tavern in Philadelphia as his first headquarters.
First Action
The first engagement fought by Marines was a raid to capture weapons and military supplies during the Revolutionary War. On March 1, 1776, a force of 200 Marines led by Captain Nicholas landed near Nassau, Bahamas. The Marines captured two forts and the town of Nassau with no resistance. The Marines managed to capture four cannons, two mortars and 38 barrels of gunpowder. However, because of numerous delays and the failure of the commander of the naval forces, Esek Hopkins, to guard the harbor in Nassau, the British loaded a ship with 200 barrels of gunpowder and sailed away.
The Shores of Tripoli
The first line in the Marines’ Hymn is From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli. The second part of that line refers to the first time the American flag was raised over a foreign nation, during the Barbary Pirates War from 1801 to 1805. The background of this war is strange and convoluted and I won’t get into it here. But, suffice it to say, in the spring of 1805 President Thomas Jefferson sent a detachment of Marines to Egypt to assist the deposed Pasha of Tripoli in regaining power. The Marines (all seven of them commanded by Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon) and an Army officer named William Eaton raised a army of 400 mercenaries (mostly Arabs and Greeks) and marched 500 miles from Alexandria Egypt to Derna Libya, assaulted and captured the city. The Star and Stripes were hoisted over the city by Lieutenant O’Bannon. O’Bannon was also given a sword by the Pasha and a replica of that sword is still part of the dress uniform of all Marine Officers.
Come on, you sons a bitches, do you want to live forever?
The Battle of Belleau Wood during World War I is responsible for a Marine nickname and two of our most cherished sayings. In June of 1918, the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments, which were attached to the US Army’s 2nd Division, were sent to relieve a French force attempting to take the hunting preserve known as Belleau Wood. As the Marines arrived the French troops told them that the German force was overwhelming and they should join them in retiring to the rear. Captain Lloyd Williams of the 5th Marines, told the French “Retreat? Hell, we just got here!” The Marines held their ground against several German assaults, leaving the Germans in awe of the marksmanship and courage.
On June 6, the Marines went on the offensive. The Germans were entrenched in the woods, separated from the Marines by a wheat field 400 yards wide, over the next three weeks, Marines made a half-dozen attempts to seize the woods. They braved withering machine gun fire, poison gas and were often forced to fight hand-to-hand. During one of those assaults, First Sergeant Dan Daly of the 6th Marines, and his Marines were pinned down in the wheat field, when he became frustrated with the lack of movement by the Marines. He stood up, exposed to 200 German machine guns and yelled at his Marines “Come on, you sons a bitches, do you want to live forever?” His exhortations caused the marines to rise up and advance on the German lines. During the advance First Sergeant Daly came across a German machine gun position. He immediately charged the weapon, destroying it with three grenades, shot the unit's commanding officer with his pistol, and took its remaining 14 soldiers prisoner. As the battle raged later in the day, Daly exposed himself to enemy fire while evacuating the wounded. He was awarded the Navy Cross, the Distinguished Service Cross and the French Médaille Militaire (Their second highest award).
Finally, on June 26, the Marines successfully drove the last of the Germans from Belleau Wood. The Germans were so impressed with the skill and ferocity with which the Marines fought, that the called them Teufel Hunden, which mean Devil Dogs, a name we still use today.
The other interesting thing about the Battle of Belleau Wood was it saw the Marines lose more troops (5,132 killed or wounded) then in every other engagement the Marines had fought to that point, combined.
A.A. Cunningham, Father of Marine Corps Aviation
One of the first US military aviators was a Marine. On August 20, 1912, Alfred A. Cunningham earned the title of Naval Aviator #5, at a time when there were less than a dozen US military aviators. He served with distinction in World War I. He was awarded the Navy Cross for his efforts with the First Marine Aviation Force, including bombing campaigns and airdropping food to encircled French forces. He was also the commanding officer of the First Air Squadron during the Banana Wars.1
The President’s Own
The Marine Corps Band is the oldest military band in the United States and is known as The President's Own. The band was established by an act of Congress on July 11, 1798, and has played at every presidential inauguration since President Jefferson's in 1801. The band is only allowed to play with presidential permission (although it has never been denied). The band travels around the country every fall as it has since 1891, when it was under the direction of it's most famous and influential Director, John Philip Sousa. Even if you aren’t familiar with marching band music, you have heard Sousa, even if you didn’t know it, he has written songs everyone has heard.2
The Halls of Montezuma
The beginning of the first line of the Marines’ Hymn is From the Halls of Montezuma, this is a reference to the Battle of Chapultepec during the Mexican-American War. Chapultepec Castle was the key to taking Mexico City and the Marines were part of the assault on the fortress. 90% of the officers and NCOs were killed during the assault.3 To commemorate the loss of that many leaders in one battle, the Marine Corps changed the stripe on the pants of the dress uniform from a blue stripe bordered in red, to a completely red stripe called the Blood Stripe. It is still part of the Dress Blues of today for officers and NCOs.
The Marines’ Hymn
The Marines’ Hymn is one of the most readily recognized songs in the world today and is the oldest of the service songs of our country. The music to the hymn is believed to have originated in the comic opera Geneviéve de Brabant composed by the French composer Jacques Offenbach. A revised version of the opera included the song “Couplets des Deux Hommes d’Armes” and is the musical source of The Marines’ Hymn. The author of the words to the hymn is unknown but the first two lines of the first verse were taken from words inscribed on the Colors of the Corps. After the Barbary Pirates War in 1805 the Colors were inscribed with the words “To the Shores of Tripoli.” After Marines participated in the capture of Mexico City and the Castle of Chapultepec (also known as the Halls of Montezuma) in 1847, the words on the Colors were changed to read “From the shores of Tripoli to the Halls of Montezuma.” In 1929 the Commandant of the Marine Corps authorized the first official version of the The Marines’ Hymn, in which the fourth line of the first verse originally read "On the land as on the sea." This was revised to its present version on Nov. 21, 1942, when the Commandant of the Marine Corps approved changing this line to “In the air, on land, and sea," acknowledging the important role of aviation within the Corps. Each verse ends with the words United States Marine or Marines and in boot camp we sang all three verses of the Hymn every night before going to sleep, but because we were not yet Marines, we weren’t allowed to say Marines, we would just hum that word. Here are all three verses:
From the Halls of Montezuma
To the shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country’s battles
In the air, on land, and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of United States Marine.
Our flag’s unfurled to every breeze
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in ev’ry clime and place
Where we could take a gun;
In the snow of far-off Northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes;
You will find us always on the job
The United States Marines
Here’s health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve;
In many a strife we’ve fought for life
And never lost our nerve;
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven’s scenes;
They will find the streets are guarded
By United States Marines.
Chesty Puller, the Devil Dog and the real dog
The official mascot of the Marines is an English Bulldog named Chesty Puller. The Marine Corps and the world has Smedley D. Butler (another beloved Marine) to thank for the adoption of the English bulldog as our mascot. Following the end of World War I, public interest in the military was waning and when Brigadier General Smedley D. Butler was appointed Commanding General of Marine Corps Barracks, Quantico, Virginia in 1919 he understood the importance of favorable publicity in attracting men to the Marine Corps. In 1921 General Butler purchased a pedigree English bulldog, named “King Bulwark” to become the official Quantico Mascot. He picked the Bulldog because it is a breed known for its fierce stocky body and tenacious temperament and also because of the recruiting poster from 1919. He also became the driving force for putting Marines in the public spotlight with the “Quantico Marines” football team, a venture that was to last half a century and garner widespread publicity and recognition, not only for Quantico but the entire Marine Corps. King Bulwark was not considered to be an appropriate name for a Marine Mascot so his name was changed to “Jiggs” after a popular personality in the cartoon strip “Maggie and Jiggs.”
He was enlisted in the Marine Corps on October 7, 1922, and issued a service record book. General Butler himself signed Jiggs’ enlistment papers and appointed him a sergeant major. Jiggs received worldwide recognition and appeared at all sporting events where the football team played and everywhere else that his presence might draw public attention and enhance the morale and spirit of Marines. Many Marine Corps athletic teams were called “Fighting Bulldogs.” Sergeant Major Jiggs' death, on January 9, 1927, was mourned throughout the Corps. His satin-lined coffin lay in state in a hangar at Quantico, surrounded by flowers from hundreds of admirers and he was interred with full military honors to a grave on base.
Former heavyweight boxing champion, James J. "Gene" Tunney, who had served with the Marines in France, donated his English bulldog, to become the next mascot. The dog, which was renamed Jiggs II, died in 1928. In the 30s, 40s and early 50s all the mascots were named “Smedley”, a tribute to General Butler. On July 5, 1957, after the death of the last Smedley bulldog, Commandant of the Marine Corps General Randolph Pate decided to rename the mascot Chesty to honor the recently retired Lieutenant General Lewis Puller
(yet another beloved Marine and the most decorated Marine in history with five Navy Crosses, a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, Distinguished Service Cross and the Legion of Merit, plus many others.). Since then all the mascots have been called Chesty, and their official home became the Marine Corps Barracks, Washington, D.C. The current mascot is Lance Corporal Chesty XVI (yes, he has an official rank and is promoted just like any other Marine). According to his official bio: “Lance Corporal Chesty XVI enlisted in the Marine Corps on March 19, 2018, and completed recruit training on July 5, 2018.”
Marine One
Since 1957 the Marines have transported the President, Vice President and other dignitaries around the world with the helicopters of Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1), the Nighthawks. The first time a Marine helicopter was used to transport a president was 1957. Dwight D. Eisenhower decided it would make more sense to fly to his summer residence in Pennsylvania by helicopter then taking Air Force One and driving an hour from the closest airport to his home. The Marines started using the VH-34 Seahorse. In 1961 the VH-3 Sea King replaced the VH-34, and in 1987 was joined by the VH-60 Whitehawk (instead of Blackhawk because of the white paint job used on the top of the helicopter). Currently there are 28 helicopters split between VH-3 and the VH-60 models.
Every president since Eisenhower has used Marine One to make the short trip to Joint Base Andrews (formerly known as Andrews Air Force Base) to board Air Force One to fly around the world. If necessary, for local travel, Marine One would be loaded aboard either a C-17 Globemaster or a C-5 Galaxy and flown to the destination.
The exact specifications and performance of the helicopters are secret but there must multiple anti-air systems in place to protect the helicopter. They also never fly alone, whichever helicopter they’re using, there are four other identical ones flying in formation, but frequently changing positions within the formation, in order to confuse any onlookers as to which helicopter the President is on.
The current fleet of HMX-1 is getting old, (1979 for the VH-60s and 1961 for the VH-3) and plans have been in the works for years to replace them. The initial program suffered from huge cost overruns and was cancelled. The plan was for the $237 million Sikorsky VH-92 Patriot to replace both helicopters but the program was behind schedule because of problems with secure communication systems and other issues. On August 19, 2024 the first of the VH-92 Patriots to be delivered transported President Joe Biden from O’Hare airport to Soldier Field for the Democratic convention.
Someone Said There Would be Cake!
Cake, which is my favorite dessert, is a integral part of the Marine Corps Birthday celebration. Every November 10, Marines around the world gather to celebrate the birthday of our beloved Corps and a cake will feature prominently in every one of those parties. If you are in the field, they will fly cake out to you and even in boot camp the usual ban on desserts is lifted and cake is given to the recruits. In fact, that is how I know when I broke my leg the first time I was in boot camp. It was November 12 1986, two days after getting cake for the 211 birthday.
The is a ceremony that goes along with the cake at every birthday. The cake is cut with the Mameluke sword, reminding us that we are a band of Warriors committed to carry the sword, so that our nation may live in peace. The first piece of the cake is given to the guest of honor, the second piece is given to the oldest Marine present signifying the honor and respect accorded to experience and seniority. The oldest Marine then hands the second piece to the youngest Marine present symbolizing how our experienced Marines have nurtured and led the young Marines that will refill the ranks and renew our Corps. The third piece also goes to the youngest Marine present further emphasizing the fact that we care for our young Marines, before we look to our own needs. This is a very moving ceremony that commemorates the past and the future of the Marine Corps.
As you can also see from the images above and below, the cakes can also be quite elaborate, but any cake will do. In November of 1989, on the eve of my unit going to Saudi Arabia for the Gulf War, I was in the Philippines at a small Air Force communication relay station with a platoon of anti-tank gunners providing security for the station.4 The Navy cooks at Subic Bay Naval Base made a simple cake for our Marines and it was flown to the remote camp by helicopter so we could properly celebrate our birthday. It is a tradition like no other.
They were in the Marines?
There have been many famous and infamous people that have been Marines throughout the years. The list is too long to mention everyone here, but if you click this link it will take you to the Wikipedia page that lists them all. My list is in no particular order.
Mike Ilitch: Mr. I was the owner of the Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers and Little Caesars Pizza. He was also a minor league middle infielder in the Tigers system. He bought the Red Wings after he was out bid in his effort to buy the Tigers by the second person on this list. He served in the Marines from 1947 to 1951.
Tom Monaghan: Another Detroit businessman, another owner of the Tigers, another pizza chain owner (this time Domino’s Pizza) and another middle infielder in the Tigers minor league system. He served in the Marines from 1956 to 1959.
Lee Marvin: He served in the Marines from 1942 to 1945. He was wounded during the Battle of Saipan and was discharged after a year in the hospital. After the Marines he became an actor and was in great movies like The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Donovan’s Reef, Cat Ballou, The Dirty Dozen and The Big Red One.
Bea Arthur: Another great actor, who played Maude, Dorothy on Golden Girls and even had a role in the horrible Star Wars Holiday Special. She kept her service secret for many years but she was a Marine from 1943 until 1945, serving as a truck driver and dispatcher at Marine Corps Air Base Cherry Point. She attained the rank of Staff Sergeant (E-6) by her discharge date.
Don Adams: (real name Donald Yarmy) played Agent 86, Tennessee Tuxedo, Inspector Gadget among others, this great actor served in the Marines from 1941 to 1945. He was assigned to India Company 3rd Battalion 8th Marines. In August of 1942 he participated in the Battle of Guadalcanal. He was not a casualty of enemy action but contracted blackwater fever, a serious complication of malaria, known for a 90% rate of fatality. He was evacuated and hospitalized for more than a year at a Navy hospital in Wellington New Zealand. After his recovery, Yarmy served as a Marine Drill Instructor, holding the rank of corporal.
Steve McQueen: In 1947, after receiving permission from his mother (since he was not yet 18 years old), McQueen enlisted in the Marines. After boot camp he was assigned to an armored battalion. He initially struggled with conforming to the discipline of the Marines and was demoted to private seven times. He once failed to return to base after a weekend pass but was caught by the Military Police staying with his girlfriend. When they tried to arrest him, he resisted, but was eventually taken in. He was sentenced to 41 days in the brig, (I wonder if he has a baseball and glove in there with him?)
After this, McQueen resolved to focus his energies on self-improvement and embraced the Marines' discipline. He saved the lives of five other Marines during an Arctic exercise, pulling them from a tank that had fallen off a ship, before it broke through ice into the sea. He was assigned to the honor guard responsible for guarding the presidential yacht of Harry S. Truman. McQueen served until 1950, when he was honorably discharged. He went on to star in some of the best movies in history. The Sand Pebbles, The Thomas Crown Affair (the original not the Pierce Brosnan one), Bullitt (the best car chase ever), The Magnificent Seven and the Great Escape.
R. Lee Ermey: The Gunny, the Marines, Marine, the Drill Instructor from Full Metal Jacket. Gunny served from 1961 to 1972. He got the roll of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman because he was a Drill Instructor in his real life Marine career. He was originally supposed to be a technical advisor but he asked director Stanley Kubrick if he could audition for the part of the Drill Instructor. Kubrick initially said no because he didn’t think he was vicious enough but after he saw Ermey rip into some Royal Marines who were going to be background Marines, he changed his mind. In fact Ermey was responsible for most of his dialogue, at least the rants. He was also the voice of the green army men in the Toy Story movies.
Drew Carey: Yes, the lovable loser from Cleveland and the current host of the Price is Right was a Marine. He served in the Marine Reserve from 1981 to 1987 as a Field Radio Operator, just like me.
A Few of the Few and the Proud
I've already mentioned some of the Marine Corps' most beloved people but only passing. Below is more information on these great Marines.
Archibald Henderson:
Known as the Grand Old Man of the Marine Corps. He joined the Marines in 1801 and served until 1859. He fought in the tops aboard the USS Constitution during all her famous victories during the War of 1812. He was decorated for bravery as well as appointed as a Major. He was appointed Commandant of the Marine Corps on October 17, 1820. He served as Commandant longer than any person in history, from 1820 until 1859. In 1829 he thwarted attempts by President Andrew Jackson to combine the Marine Corps with the Army and instead was instrumental in Congress passing the Act for the Better Organization of the Marine Corps, which kept the Marine Corps a separate service under the Department of the Navy. He went into the field as Commandant during the Indian Wars in Florida and Georgia in 1836 and 1837, and was promoted brevet Brigadier General in 1843 for his actions in these campaigns.5 Tradition says that he pinned a note to his door: "Gone to Florida to fight the Indians. Will be back when the war is over. Marines also served in the Mexican-American War during Henderson's tenure as Commandant. The sword presented to him at the war's end was inscribed, "From the Halls of Montezuma, to the Shores of Tripoli", the first line of the Marines’ Hymn. He died suddenly in 1859 at the age of 75 and who knows how long he would have served, as it was he was in the Marines for just over 52 years.
Smedley D. Butler:
Known as the Maverick Marine, lied about his age and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1898 at the age of 17. He saw his first combat action in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War then in the Boxer Rebellion and the Banana Wars. He won his first Medal of Honor in Mexico in 1914 where a rebellion was brewing. The citation for the medal reads:
For distinguished conduct in battle, engagement of Vera Cruz, 22 April 1914. Major Butler was eminent and conspicuous in command of his battalion. He exhibited courage and skill in leading his men through the action of the 22d and in the final occupation of the city.
He was awarded his second Medal of Honor because of his actions in Haiti, were another rebellion was taking place. This citation reads:
For extraordinary heroism in action as Commanding Officer of detachments from the 5th, 13th, 23d Companies and the Marine and sailor detachment from the U.S.S. Connecticut, Major Butler led the attack on Fort Rivière, Haiti, 17 November 1915. Following a concentrated drive, several different detachments of Marines gradually closed in on the old French bastion fort in an effort to cut off all avenues of retreat for the Cacos. Reaching the fort on the southern side where there was a small opening in the wall, Major Butler gave the signal to attack and Marines from the 15th Company poured through the breach, engaged the Cacos, took the bastion, and crushed the Cacos resistance.
During World War I he was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and the French Order of the Black Star for his command of Camp Pontanezen in Brest during the time in which it has developed into the largest embarkation camp in the world for troops going into combat in France. Following the war, he became commanding general of the Marine barracks at Marine Corps Base Quantico were he transformed the wartime training camp into a permanent Marine post. He directed the Quantico camp's growth until it became the "showplace" of the Corps. Butler won national attention by taking thousands of his men on long field marches (many of which he led from the front) to Gettysburg and other Civil War battle sites, where they conducted large-scale re-enactments before large crowds. After a two year leave where he was the Director of Public Safety in Philadelphia he retired on October 1, 1931.
Dan Daly:
He joined the Marines on January 10, 1899 at the age of 25. His first posting was with the Asiatic Fleet aboard the cruiser USS Newark. In 1900, the fleet arrived in China during the Boxer Rebellion, where Daly was awarded his first Medal of Honor. The citation reads:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor (First Award) to Private Daniel Joseph Daly (MCSN: 73086), United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism while serving with the Captain Newt Hall's Marine Detachment, 1st Regiment (Marines), in action in the presence of the enemy during the battle of Peking, China, 14 August 1900, Daly distinguished himself by meritorious conduct. Captain Hall and Private Daly set out to reconnoiter a position while under siege by the Boxers. A working party, scheduled to follow to construct defenses, never arrived. While Captain Hall returned for the working party, Daly single-handedly fought off a furious Boxer attack on the position.
After the Boxer Rebellion he saw action in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War and in the Banana Wars and rose through the ranks to attain the rank of Gunnery Sergeant. He was awarded his second Medal of Honor during the Haitian rebellion, the citation reads:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor (Second Award) to Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Joseph Daly (MCSN: 73086), United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with the 15th Company of Marines (Mounted), 2d Marine Regiment, on 22 October 1915. Gunnery Sergeant Daly was one of the company to leave Fort Liberte, Haiti, for a six-day reconnaissance. After dark on the evening of 24 October, while crossing the river in a deep ravine, the detachment was suddenly fired upon from three sides by about 400 Cacos concealed in bushes about 100 yards from the fort. The Marine detachment fought its way forward to a good position, which it maintained during the night, although subjected to a continuous fire from the Cacos. At daybreak the Marines, in three squads, advanced in three different directions, surprising and scattering the Cacos in all directions. Gunnery Sergeant Daly fought with exceptional gallantry against heavy odds throughout this action.
After the action in Haiti he served with the Marines in World War I (see his quote earlier in the post) and after suffering both a bullet wound in the shoulder and two shrapnel wounds in the leg Daly left active duty for the Marine Corps Reserve and officially retired on February 6, 1929, with the rank of Sergeant Major.
Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller:
Lewis Puller enlisted in the Marines in 1918 but did not make it to Europe before the end of World War I. As the war ended the Marine Corps was expanding and Puller, who had attended VMI, was tabbed to attend Officers Candidates School where he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. After the war the Marines were reduced in size from 73,000 to 30,000 and Puller was put in inactive service then given the rank of Corporal. He was sent to Haiti and stayed there fighting the rebels for the next five years. After his service in Haiti he was finally recommissioned as 2nd Lieutenant and in 1928 he was sent to Nicaragua were he fought those rebels6 until 1932 and was awarded his first two Navy Crosses. The first citation reads:
For distinguished service in the line of his profession while commanding a Nicaraguan National Guard patrol. First Lieutenant Lewis B. Puller, United States Marine Corps, successfully led his forces into five successful engagements against superior numbers of armed bandit forces; namely, at LaVirgen on 16 February 1930, at Los Cedros on 6 June 1930, at Moncotal on 22 July 1930, at Guapinol on 25 July 1930, and at Malacate on 19 August 1930, with the result that the bandits were in each engagement completely routed with losses of nine killed and many wounded. By his intelligent and forceful leadership without thought of his own personal safety, by great physical exertion and by suffering many hardships, Lieutenant Puller surmounted all obstacles and dealt five successive and severe blows against organized banditry in the Republic of Nicaragua.
The second reads:
First Lieutenant Lewis B. Puller, United States Marine Corps (Captain, Guardia Nacional de Nicaragua) performed exceptionally meritorious service in a duty of great responsibility while in command of a Guardia Patrol from 20 September to 1 October 1932. Lieutenant Puller and his command of forty Guardia and Gunnery Sergeant William Lee, United States Marine Corps, serving as a First Lieutenant in the Guardia, penetrated the isolated mountainous bandit territory for a distance of from eighty to one hundred miles north of Jinotega, his nearest base. This patrol was ambushed on 26 September 1932, at a point northeast of Mount Kilambe by an insurgent force of one hundred fifty in a well-prepared position armed with not less than seven automatic weapons and various classes of small arms and well-supplied with ammunition. Early in the combat, Gunnery Sergeant Lee, the Second in Command, was seriously wounded and reported as dead. The Guardia immediately behind Lieutenant Puller in the point was killed by the first burst of fire, Lieutenant Puller, with great courage, coolness and display of military judgment, so directed the fire and movement of his men that the enemy were driven first from the high ground on the right of his position, and then by a flanking movement forced from the high ground to the left and finally were scattered in confusion with a loss of ten killed and many wounded by the persistent and well-directed attack of the patrol. The numerous casualties suffered by the enemy and the Guardia losses of two killed and four wounded are indicative of the severity of the enemy resistance. This signal victory in jungle country, with no lines of communication and a hundred miles from any supporting force, was largely due to the indomitable courage and persistence of the patrol commander. Returning with the wounded to Jinotega, the patrol was ambushed twice by superior forces on 30 September. On both of the occasions the enemy was dispersed with severe losses
He would go one to command the 1st Battalion 7th Marines in World War II winning two more Navy Crosses, one during the Battle of Guadalcanal and the other during the Battle of Cape Gloucester.
The first reads:
For extraordinary heroism as Commanding Officer of the First Battalion, Seventh Marines, First Marine Division, during the action against enemy Japanese forces on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on the night of 24 to 25 October 1942. While Lieutenant Colonel Puller's battalion was holding a mile-long front in a heavy downpour of rain, a Japanese force, superior in number, launched a vigorous assault against that position of the line which passed through a dense jungle. Courageously withstanding the enemy's desperate and determined attacks, Lieutenant Colonel Puller not only held his battalion to its position until reinforcements arrived three hours later, but also effectively commanded the augmented force until late in the afternoon of the next day. By his tireless devotion to duty and cool judgment under fire, he prevented a hostile penetration of our lines and was largely responsible for the successful defense of the sector assigned to his troops.
and the second reads:
For extraordinary heroism as Executive Officer of the Seventh Marines, First Marine Division, serving with the Sixth United States Army, in combat against enemy Japanese forces at Cape Gloucester, New Britain, from 26 December 1943 to 19 January 1944. Assigned temporary command of the Third Battalion, Seventh Marines, from 4 to 9 January, Lieutenant Colonel Puller quickly reorganized and advanced his unit, effecting the seizure of the objective without delay. Assuming additional duty in command of the Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, from 7 to 8 January, after the commanding officer and executive officer had been wounded, Lieutenant Colonel Puller unhesitatingly exposed himself to rifle, machine-gun and mortar fire from strongly entrenched Japanese positions to move from company to company in his front lines, reorganizing and maintaining a critical position along a fire-swept ridge. His forceful leadership and gallant fighting spirit under the most hazardous conditions were contributing factors in the defeat of the enemy during this campaign and in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
After World War II, he would command the 1st Marine Regiment in Korea and be awarded the Silver Star for the landing at Inchon. He would also win his fifth Navy Cross and the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. The citation reads:
For extraordinary heroism as Commanding Officer of the First Marines, First Marine Division (Reinforced), in action against aggressor forces in the vicinity of Koto-ri, Korea, from 5 to 10 December 1950. Fighting continuously in sub-zero weather against a vastly outnumbering hostile force, Colonel Puller drove off repeated and fanatical enemy attacks upon his Regimental defense sector and supply points. Although the area was frequently covered by grazing machine-gun fire and intense artillery and mortar fire, he coolly moved along his troops to insure their correct tactical employment, reinforced the lines as the situation demanded, and successfully defended the perimeter, keeping open the main supply routes for the movement of the Division. During the attack from Koto-ri to Hungnam, he expertly utilized his Regiment as the Division rear guard, repelling two fierce enemy assaults which severely threatened the security of the unit, and personally supervised the care and prompt evacuation of all casualties. By his unflagging determination, he served to inspire his men to heroic efforts in defense of their positions and assured the safety of much valuable equipment which would otherwise have been lost to the enemy. His skilled leadership, superb courage and valiant devotion to duty in the face of overwhelming odds reflect the highest credit upon Colonel Puller and the United States Naval Service.
In July 1954, Puller took command of the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune until February 1955 when he became Deputy Camp Commander. On November 1, 1955, he suffered a stroke and was retired by the Marine Corps with a promotion to lieutenant general.
There you go, everything you ever wanted to know about the Marine Corps and probably a bunch you didn’t know you wanted to know. The Marine Corps birthday is a holiday celebrated by few and known by even fewer. It is overshadowed by Veteran’s Day (which it should be), but I think it is a shame that more people don’t know about it and the strange and wonderful history of the Marine Corps. Happy Veteran’s Day to all who served!
Chris
The Banana Wars were a series of conflicts in Central America and the Caribbean between the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898 and the creation of the Good Neighbor Policy in 1934. The US was advancing its economic, political, and military interests to maintain their sphere of influence and to secure the Panama Canal. US companies, such as the United Fruit Company (now Chiquita) and Standard Fruit Company (now Dole), also had financial stakes in the production of bananas, tobacco and sugarcane throughout the region.
In addition to Semper Fidelis, Sousa wrote Stars and Stripes Forever, the Salvation Army March (official march of the Salvation Army), The Invincible Eagle (the official march of the Space Force), and The Liberty Bell (used during the opening credits of Monty Python’s Flying Circus).
Non-commissioned officers are Corporals, and all the different ranks of Sergeants.
The communication station was called Camp O’Donnell and it was the site of a World War II Japanese prisoner of war camp and the ending point of the Bataan Death March.
Brevet means he had the title and authority but not the pay, and it wasn’t a permanent position.
When the citations and I say rebels it really means revolutionaries, since they were fighting for the freedom of their countries from the US government and US business interests.