The Marine Corps Birthdays – Fact and Legend
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
BLUF: On 10 November 1775, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia authorized the raising of two battalions of Marines to serve “for and during the present war between Great Britain and the colonies.” Shortly after this resolution, Marines were recruited and served aboard ships, notably as sharpshooters taking out enemy officers. What many do not know, however, is that the Continental Marine Corps was disbanded after the Revolutionary War in 1783 and ceased to exist for the next 15 years. It was not until 11 July 1798, however, that Congress established the United States Marine Corps.
SETTING THE STAGE: The official birthday of the Marine Corps is on 10 November 1775. That was the day when the Second Continental Congress established the Continental Marines with the following decree: That two battalions of Marines be raised consisting of one Colonel, two lieutenant-colonels, two majors and other officers, as usual in other regiments; that they consist of an equal number of privates as with other battalions, that particular care be taken that no persons be appointed to offices, or enlisted into said battalions, but such as are good seamen, or so acquainted with maritime affairs as to be able to serve for and during the present war with Great Britain and the Colonies; unless dismissed by Congress; that they be distinguished by the names of the First and Second Battalions of Marines. Tun Tavern, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is regarded as the birthplace of the Corps as the location of the first Marines to enlist under Captains of Marines Samuel Nicholas and John Mullen. However, it is disputed if a recruiting drive may have occurred earlier at Nicholas’s family tavern, the Conestoga Waggon. When the Revolutionary War ended in 1783, the Continental Navy was disestablished, and with it, the Continental Marines. The Corps was re-established on 11 July 1798, when President John Adams signed the Act of Congress for establishing and organizing a Marine Corps.
THE STORY: Before 1921, Marines celebrated the recreation of the Corps on 11 July with little pomp or pageantry. On 21 October 1921, Major Edwin North McClellan, in charge of the Corps’s fledgling historical section, sent a memorandum to Commandant John A. Lejeune, suggesting the Marines’ original birthday of 10 November be declared a Marine Corps holiday to be celebrated throughout the Corps.
Lejeune so ordered: MARINE CORPS ORDERS No. 47 (Series 1921) HEADQUARTERS U.S. MARINE CORPS Washington, November 1, 1921 759. The following will be read to the command on the 10th of November, 1921, and hereafter on the 10th of November of every year. Should the order not be received by the 10th of November, 1921, it will be read upon receipt.
1. On November 10, 1775, a Corps of Marines was created by a resolution of Continental Congress. Since that date many thousand men have borne the name “Marine.” In memory of them it is fitting that we who are Marines should commemorate the birthday of our corps by calling to mind the glories of its long and illustrious history.
2. The record of our corps is one which will bear comparison with that of the most famous military organizations in the world’s history. During 90 of the 146 years of its existence the Marine Corps has been in action against the Nation’s foes. From the Battle of Trenton to the Argonne, Marines have won foremost honors in war, and in the long eras of tranquility at home, generation after generation of Marines have grown gray in war in both hemispheres and in every corner of the seven seas, that our country and its citizens might enjoy peace and security.
3. In every battle and skirmish since the birth of our corps, Marines have acquitted themselves with the greatest distinction, winning new honors on each occasion until the term “Marine” has come to signify all that is highest in military efficiency and soldierly virtue.
4. This high name of distinction and soldierly repute we who are Marines today have received from those who preceded us in the corps. With it we have also received from them the eternal spirit which has animated our corps from generation to generation and has been the distinguishing mark of the Marines in every age. So long as that spirit continues to flourish Marines will be found equal to every emergency in the future as they have been in the past, and the men of our Nation will regard us as worthy successors to the long line of illustrious men who have served as “Soldiers of the Sea” since the founding of the Corps.
JOHN A. LEJEUNE, Major General Commandant
The first formal ball was celebrated in 1925, though no records exist that indicate the proceedings of that event. Birthday celebrations would take varied forms. Though some accounts include mock battles, musical performances, pageants, and sporting events, most included dances. The celebrations were formalized and standardized by Commandant Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. in 1952, outlining the cake cutting ceremony, which would enter the Marine Drill Manual in 1956.
By tradition, the first slice of cake is given to the oldest Marine present, who hands it off to the youngest Marine present. This event symbolizes the old and experienced Marines passing their knowledge to the new generation of Marines.
The celebration also includes a reading of Marine Corps Order 47, republished every year, and a message from the current Commandant of the Marine Corps. A banquet and dancing, if possible, usually ensues. In many cases, the birthday celebration will also include a pageant of current and historical Marine Corps uniforms as a reminder of the history of the Corps. Another modern tradition includes a unit run on the 10th.
Marines celebrate the Corps’ birthday, regardless of where they may be in the world, even in austere environments or combat. In a more subdued tradition, Samuel Nicholas’s grave in the Arch Street Friends Meeting graveyard in Philadelphia is marked with a wreath at dawn by a group of Marines annually on 10 November to celebrate his role in founding the Corps.
AFTERMATH: The official birthday of the Marine Corps is 10 November. It is, however, appropriate to claim that the Marine Corps has two official birthdates. The Continental Marine Corps was born on 10 November 1775. The United States Marine Corps was born on 11 July 1798. The modern Marine Corps accepts the original date because it makes the Corps seem older in its existence. The Lejeune order makes it more official, adding to the “Ethos of the Corps.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARINES - SEMPER FI
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Wait. What? I got a knee to the sack and told to stand in the sun holding two buckets of sand at a 45 degree angle.....for 45 mins.... Buy you had ice-cream? OMG!
Kidding, love you brother, Semper Fi to you and as always, thanks for your service and sacrifice.
Happy Birthday and Semper Fi to my USMC brothers and sisters past and present from a old retired FMF Devil Doc!
And Happy Veterans Day today to all vets past and present and thank you for your service!
Eleanor Roosevelt said it best: “The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!"
Hate to see what tomorrow's links to Veteran's Day celebrations will be - especially the lack of comments. It appears TDS to be much more important.
Just in review - today is the 250th birthday for the Marine Corps and tomorrow is the 87th anniversary of Veteran's Day.
Say something positive and quit beating the dead horse.
Lets not go down that road my friend... I have a die hard trump supporter taking me to lunch, for Veterans day. That pendulum can swing both ways, let's just love and respect all vets.
Know what you mean - playing golf today with my "eldest" friends - most Veterans - eight of whom totally despise Repubs - not just Trump.
Gonna enjoy taking their quarters, and losing some quarters, today
(cha ching).
And we will remember all very honorably.
Evening....we have Remembrance Day here and the country pauses at 11am to remember the fallen from all Wars...
We also light up the Opera House with Remembrance Day poppies...
Lest We Forget...