On Friday, November 10, 1775 in Philadelphia, the Second Continental Congress resolved to raise two battalions of American Marines to serve during the American Revolutionary War. Two hundred forty years later, United States Marines are still proudly serving our great nation with approximately 186,000 active duty Marines with more than 33,000 who are deployed around the globe.
From the Marine Corps’ first amphibious raid on Fort Nassau, Bahamas in 1776 to the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan to earthquake relief in Nepal earlier this year, Marines have proven to the world time and again that “there is no better friend, no worse enemy than a U.S. Marine.”
What marks the U.S. Marine Corps an elite fighting force not to be reckoned with: our values and our combat skills. Every Marine considers himself or herself a rifleman first, whether cook or Commandant, and places those values and skills above everything else. “Death before dishonor” captures the essence of every Marine – we will fight together as one and never let our comrades down, never leave the fallen behind. No other Service has the privilege of being called a Devil Dog!
Every Marine, whether still in uniform or not, was forged in the crucible of the recruit depots or the hills of Quantico. That experience and shared adversity indelibly transformed us into Marines. For all who bear the title, happy birthday!
Semper Fidelis,
Lt. Gen. Vincent R. Stewart, USMC
Director, Defense Intelligence Agency