November 10, 1775, 250 years ago: The
Continental Marines are founded at a meeting at the Tun Tavern in Philadelphia.
The place burned down a few years later, and Interstate 95 now goes over the
spot, near Penn's Landing. But the United States Marine Corps that grew out of
it keeps fighting
On April 30, 1798, Congress passed a law creating the Department of the Navy, to oversee the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps
The United States Naval Academy was founded on October 10, 1845, on the Severn River in Annapolis, Maryland. The school is frequently called "Annapolis," although, for sports purposes, it's called "Navy." The teams are officially known as the Midshipmen. The school trains officers for both the Navy and the Marines.
The U.S. Marine Corps has had many great moments, including, but by no means limited to, the following:
* 1805: The Battle of Derna, during the First Barbary War. This attack on a city in present-day Libya, then in the Regency of Tripoli in the Ottoman Empire, helped to end Barbary pirate attacks on American ships in the Mediterranean sea, military and civilian alike, and was commemorated in the "Marine Hymn," with the mention of "the shores of Tripoli."
* 1847: The Battle of Chapultepec, during the Mexican-American War. A contingent of Marines stormed Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City, helping to bring the war to a close. This was also commemorated in the "Marine Hymn," as "the halls of Montezuma," although this was an error: The Castle was built over 200 years after Spanish troops overthrew Moctezuma II and his Aztec Empire.
* 1898: The Spanish-American War. After serving mainly on blockade duty during the American Civil War, "the splendid little war" showed the U.S. Department of War that there was still a usefulness for the Marine Corps, at battle sites like the shores of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.
* 1918: The Battle of Belleau Wood. The 1st land battle of World War I to feature American troops, specifically the Army's 2nd and 3rd Infantry Divisions, and the 6th Marine Regiment. Belleau Wood became a byword for the Marines part of their mythos, their defining battle of World War I, much as this one was for World War II:
* 1945: The Battle of Iwo Jima. The Marines had been vital in the "island-hopping campaign" in the Pacific Theater of World War II, especially in Guadalcanal in the Winter of 1942-43. But Iwo Jima, 750 miles southeast of the Japanese capital of Tokyo, remains the signature moment of their 250-year history. The photo of 6 Marines raising an American flag on Mount Suribachi, the island's highest point, with 3 of those men never making it off the island alive, is one of the defining images of the war, and became the model for the Corps' official monument at Arlington National Cemetery.
Marines became known as "Leathernecks," originating from the stiff leather high collars worn by early Marines for protection and to enforce good posture; "Gyrenes," a portmanteau of "G.I. Joe" and "Marines"; and "Jarheads" for their flat-top haircuts.
Films like Sands of Iwo Jima and the Vietnam War-set Full Metal Jacket, and TV shows, including comedies such as Gomer Pyle, USMC and Major Dad, have emphasized Marines' dedication and toughness, and their view of themselves as, as Major Dad's Major John D. "Mac" MacGillis, played by Gerald McRaney, put it, "warrior gods."
Thus I was very surprised to find out that longtime Detroit Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell was a World War II Marine, since he seemed so kindly and gentlemanly. I was not at all surprised to find out that longtime Chicago Cubs and Bears broadcaster Jack Brickhouse was, because he was considerably more gruff.
From 1962 to 1992, on The Tonight Show, host Johnny Carson honored his announcer Ed McMahon's service in the Marines in World War II by drinking a toast with him every November 10.
On the TV show NCIS, Mark Harmon played Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, who served in the Marines from 1976 to 1991, including being wounded in the Persian Gulf War, rising to the rank of Gunnery Sergeant. Gibbs did not celebrate his own birthday. Instead, he celebrated the Corps' birthday, on November 10. On that day, the agency's forensic specialist, Abby Sciuto, played by Pauley Perrette, would wish him a Happy Birthday.
As of this 250th Anniversary, there are about 200,000 Marines: 168,000 on active duty, and 32,000 in reserve.
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