101 Navy and Marine Corps History, Customs, and Courtesies Flashcards
State the significance of the Marine Corps Emblem.
- The emblem consists of an eagle clenching the Marine Corps motto in its beak,
the globe (Western Hemisphere), and the anchor. The emblem was adopted from
the British (Royal) Marines and was modified by Brigadier General Jacob Zeilin
in 1868 to depict the Marines as both American and maritime. - The globe and anchor signify the worldwide service and sea traditions.
- The spread eagle represents the nation itself.
- The motto, “Semper Fidelis” is Latin for “Always Faithful.”
OPHA MAE JOHNSON.
Private Johnson became the Marine Corps’ first enlisted woman on 13 August, 1918. Her enlistment was a reflection of the dramatic changes in the status of women brought about by the entry of the United States into World War I. Marine Reserve (F) was the official title by which the Marine Corps’ first enlisted women were known. They were better known as “skirt Marines” and “Marinettes.”
GREGORY R. (“PAPPY”) BOYINGTON.
Major Boyington is recognized for his prowess in aerial dogfights. “Pappy” commanded VMH 214, the Black Sheep,” during World War II. By the end of the War, the Major was recognized as the Marine Corps’ top ranking flying ace with 28 victories (“kills”) (1945).
1983
Following assassination of the Prime Minister and the violent overthrow of the
government of Grenada, Marines participated in Urgent Fury, a joint military operation,
in response to a request for intervention from neighboring Caribbean nations. The
Marines’ rapid response led to the securing of the island and the safeguarding of hundreds
of American citizens living there.
ARCHIBALD HENDERSON.
Brevet Brigadier General Archibald Henderson
became Commandant in 1820 and held this command until his death in 1859, a period of 39 years. General Henderson led the Corps through the Indian Wars, the War with
Mexico, the “opening” of China, and the disorder’s in Central America. The “Grand Old
Man of the Marine Corps,” as he is often called, introduced higher standards of personal
appearance, training, discipline, and strived to have the Marine Corps known as a
professional military force, capable of more than just sea and guard duties.
State the significance of the quatrefoil. [ref. (a), p 24-12]
The quatrefoil is an interwoven braid in the shape of a cross of figure eights found on top
of the Marine officer’s barracks covers. Officially, the quatrefoil first became an
authorized part of the uniform in 1859. The quatrefoil was the fashionable military style
of the era. Popular belief tells us that the quatrefoil was worn on the caps of Marines
fighting on the decks of ships in order that they might be easily recognized by the Marine
sharpshooters located above in the ship’s rigging.
1989
- In response to the increasing unrest in Panama, the President of the United
States ordered a joint military operation, Just Cause, to overthrow the military
government of Panama headed by General Manuel Noriega. United States forces,
including Marines, accomplished this mission and installed a civilian government. This
same government had been denied office after free elections were illegally declared
invalid by Noriega’s government. General Noriega, under indictment in the United States
for drug trafficking and racketeering, was arrested and sent to the United States for trial.
1798
Congress recreated the Marine Corps as a separate military service.
1917
- Marines landed as part of the American force in France. Marines, participating in eight distinct operations, distinguished themselves and were awarded a number of decorations, among them the French Fourragere, still worn by members of the 5th and 6th Marines.
1933
- The Marine Corps was reorganized into the Fleet Marine Force, formally establishing the “Command and administrative relations” between the Fleet and the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps Equipment Board was established at Quantico, Virginia, and Marines began to devote long hours to testing and developing materials for landing operations and expeditionary service.
State the significance of the Mameluke sword. [ref. (a), p 24-12]
Until the invention of gunpowder, the sword was once one of the primary combat
weapons used by the military. The association of the Marine Corps with the Mameluke
sword began in the early 19th century. The “Mamelukes” were an elite Muslim military
force from Eastern and Northern Africa. They used a sword that had a gold hilt, ivory
handle, and a curved blade. Tradition states that in recognition of Lieutenant Presley
O’Bannon’s heroic actions in the Tripoli expedition, Prince Hamet Bey presented him a
Mameluke sword.
State the significance of the NCO sword. [ref. (a), p 24-13]
Noncommissioned officers of the Marine Corps are the only NCOs in any branch of the regular United States Armed Forces who still have the privilege of carrying what is considered to be a commissioned officer’s weapon. The Marine NCO sword rates as one of the oldest U. S. weapons still in use (second only to the Mameluke sword). While limited by regulation to “when in charge of troops on ceremonial occasions,” the sword is part of our intangible esprit de corps.
JOHN A. LEJEUNE.
Major General Lejeune served as 13th Commandant of the
Marine Corps, 1920-1929. Lejeune was the first Marine officer ever to command an army division in combat, in France during World War I (1918).
1868
An emblem consisting of an eagle, a globe, and an anchor was adopted by the Marine Corps. Brigadier General Jacob Zeilian, 7th Commandant, modified the British (Royal) Marine emblem to depict the Marines as both American and maritime. The globe and anchor signify worldwide service and sea traditions. The spread eagle is a symbol of the Nation itself.
The BATTLE OF HUE CITY:
During the Vietnamese holiday of Tet in January
1968, Communist forces launched a surprise offensive by infiltrating large numbers of
their troops into the major population centers of Hue City, South Vietnam. A near division-size unit of NVA troops occupied the city of Hue and the Citadel. Marines
fought in built-up areas for the first time since the Korean War foregoing the application
of heavy arms to minimize civilian casualties. Fighting was house-to-house with progress
measured in yards. The city was secured on 25 February 1968.
The SECOND BATTLE OF KHE SANH:
In January 1968, Marines defended the firebase at Khe Sanh from an attack force of two North Vietnamese Army (NVA) divisions. Despite heavy bombardment, the Marines held out for over two and a half
months before finally forcing the enemy forces to withdraw.
1982
Marines deployed to Lebanon as part of a multinational peacekeeping force in
an effort to restore peace and order to this war-torn country. This action further displayed
the Marine concept of a “Force in Readiness.” On 23 October, 1983, a suicide truck bomb
attack on the headquarters building killed 241 Americans and wounded 70 others. The
last Marine unit withdrew in July of 1984.
The BATTLE OF BELLEAU WOOD:
Marines fought one of their greatest battles in history at Belleau Wood, France, during World War I. Marines helped to crush a German offensive at Belleau Wood that threatened Paris. In honor of the Marines who fought there, the French renamed the area “the Wood of the Brigade of Marines.” German intelligence evaluated the Marines as “storm troops” – the highest rating on the enemy fighting scale. In reference to the Marines ferocious fighting ability, German troops called their new enemy “Teufelhunden” or “Devildogs,” a nickname in which Marines share pride.
1805
Marines stormed the Barbary pirates’ stronghold at Derna on the “shores of
Tripoli.” Marines raised the “Stars and Stripes’ for the first time in the Eastern
Hemisphere.
Describe the meaning “Semper Fidelis.”
The official motto for the Marine Corps, “Semper Fidelis,” is Latin for “Always Faithful.” The motto, sometimes abbreviated, “Semper Fi,” was adopted about 1883.
Women Marines.
Since 1918, women have answered the call to serve proudly in the United States Marines and the role of women in the Marines has evolved and expanded. All Women Marines can look forward to the future proudly, while never forgetting the women who made this future possible. In 1918, the Secretary of Navy allowed women to enroll for clerical duty in the Marine Corps. Officially, Opha Mae Johnson is credited as the first woman Marine. Johnson enrolled for service on August 13, 1918; during that year some 300 women first entered the Marine Corps to take over stateside clerical duties from battle-ready Marines who were needed overseas. The Marine Corps Women’s Reserve was established in February 1943. June 12th, 1948, Congress passed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act and made women a permanent part of the regular Marine Corps. In 1950, the Women Reserves were mobilized for the Korean War and 2,787 women served proudly. By the height of the Vietnam War, there were about 2,700 women Marines served both stateside and overseas. By 1975, the Corps approved the assignment of women to all occupational fields except infantry, artillery, armor and pilot/air crew. Over 1,000 women Marines were deployed in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990-1991. According to the 2012 demographic report, women make up 7.11% of the Marine Corps. They are integrated into nearly all Military Occupational Specialties with the exception of offensive combat. They serve globally and proudly carry on the traditions of those first trailblazers as they continue to open doors for future Marines to follow.
Describe the origin of the term “Devil Dogs.”
In 1918, during the battle of Belleau Wood near the Marne River in France, the Germans received a thorough indoctrination on the Marines fighting ability. The Marines persistent attack had the Germans calling them “Teufelhunden” translated “Devil Dogs.”
Navajo Code Talkers.
Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Peleliu, Iwo Jima: the Navajo
code talkers took part in every assault the U.S. Marines conducted in the Pacific
from 1942 to 1945. They served in all six Marine divisions, Marine Raider
battalions and Marine parachute units, transmitting messages by telephone and radio
in their native language a code that the Japanese never broke.
The idea to use Navajo for secure communications came from Philip Johnston, the
son of a missionary to the Navajos and one of the few non-Navajos who spoke their
language fluently. Johnston, reared on the Navajo reservation, was a World War I
veteran who knew of the military’s search for a code that would withstand all
attempts to decipher it. He also knew that Native American languages notably
Choctaw had been used in World War I to encode messages.
Johnston believed Navajo answered the military requirement for an undecipherable
code because Navajo is an unwritten language of extreme complexity. Its syntax and
tonal qualities, not to mention dialects, make it unintelligible to anyone without
extensive exposure and training. It has no alphabet or symbols, and is spoken only
on the Navajo lands of the American Southwest. One estimate indicates that less
than 30 non-Navajos, none of them Japanese, could understand the language at the
outbreak of World War II.
Early in 1942, Johnston met with Major General Clayton B. Vogel, the commanding
general of Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet, and his staff to convince them of the
Navajo language’s value as code. Johnston staged tests under simulated combat
conditions, demonstrating that Navajos could encode, transmit, and decode a threeline
English message in 20 seconds. Machines of the time required 30 minutes to
perform the same job. Convinced, Vogel recommended to the Commandant of the
Marine Corps that the Marines recruit 200 Navajos.
In May 1942, the first 29 Navajo recruits attended boot camp. Then, at Camp
Pendleton, Oceanside, California, this first group created the Navajo code. They
developed a dictionary and numerous words for military terms. The dictionary and
all code words had to be memorized during training.
Once a Navajo code talker completed his training, he was sent to a Marine unit
deployed in the Pacific theater. The code talkers’ primary job was to talk,
transmitting information on tactics and troop movements, orders and other vital
battlefield communications over telephones and radios. They also acted as
messengers, and performed general Marine duties.
Praise for their skill, speed and accuracy accrued throughout the war. At Iwo Jima,
Major Howard Connor, 5th Marine Division signal officer, declared, “Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima.” Connor had six
Navajo code talkers working around the clock during the first two days of the battle.
Those six sent and received over 800 messages, all without error.
The Japanese, who were skilled code breakers, remained baffled by the Navajo
language. The Japanese chief of intelligence, Lieutenant General Seizo Arisue, said
that while they were able to decipher the codes used by the U.S. Army and Army
Air Corps, they never cracked the code used by the Marines. The Navajo code
talkers even stymied a Navajo soldier taken prisoner at Bataan. (About 20 Navajos
served in the U.S. Army in the Philippines.) The Navajo soldier, forced to listen to
the jumbled words of talker transmissions, said to a code talker after the war, “I
never figured out what you guys who got me into all that trouble were saying.”
In 1942, there were about 50,000 Navajo tribe members. As of 1945, about 540
Navajos served as Marines. From 375 to 420 of those trained as code talkers; the
rest served in other capacities.
Navajo remained potentially valuable as code even after the war. For that reason,
the code talkers, whose skill and courage saved both American lives and military
engagements, only recently earned recognition from the Government and the public.
1900
- In support of foreign policy, Marines from ships on the Asiatic station defended the American Legation in Peking, China during the Boxer Rebellion. The Marines were part of a multinational defense force that protected the Legation Quarter against attack. This small defense force held out against the Boxers until a relief force was able to reach Peking and end the rebellion.
1990
Following the invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi forces, Operation Desert Shield was
launched. This joint military operation was designed to hold the advance of Iraqi forces
and to position multinational forces assembled for possible offensive operations to expel
the invading force. This operation validated the Marine Corps’ Maritime Propositioning
Force (MPF) concept and enacted the plan of tailoring units to accomplish a mission as
part of a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF).
1996
- Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Carol Mutter becomes the first female three-star officer in the U.S. Armed Forces as she assumed the position of Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower and Reserve Affairs at Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington, D.C.
JOSEPH L. FOSS.
Captain Foss was a Marine pilot instrumental in taking, the Japanese airfield at Guadalcanal. For his participation, the Captain was awarded the Medal of Honor. By the end of World War II, Foss was the second-ranking Marine ace, with 26 victories (“kills”) to his credit (1942).
The BATTLE OF OKINAWA:
In April of 1945, Marines and soldiers landed and
secured the island of Okinawa. This marked the last large action of World War II. Due to
the death of the Army commander, Major General Roy S. Geiger assumed command of
the 10th Army and became the only Marine officer ever to have commanded a field
Army.
1948
-Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1948 authorized 100 regular Women Marine officers, 10 warrant officers, and 1,000 enlisted in a gradual build-up over a two-year period with regular candidates coming from Reserve Women Marines on active duty or those with prior service not on active duty. (MC Res Hist, pp. 121-122). - First eight enlisted women were sworn in as regular Marines
