United States Marine Corps
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The United States Marine Corps was a naval infantry of the United States of America.
It was established on November 10th, 1775 in the Tun's Tavern in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a special military force specializing in ship-to-ship combat, amphibious landings, and any other mission assigned by the President.
It was a very small and selective fighting force, at its peak numbering only six divisions in World War II and reducing to four divisions shortly thereafter. Members of the USMC were referred to as "Marines" to differentiate them from soldiers. The United States Marine Corps was arguably one of the best fighting forces created by humanity, in its time.
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[edit] Similarities
The USMC is the predecessor to the UNSC Marine Corps. Although it is unlikely that the USMC is still active presently, numerous traits of its culture and organization exist in the UNSCMC. These traits include:
- Organization: Like the USMC, the UNSCMC organizes its units into division sized forces, which are subdivided into regiment[1]. Most other military forces of old Earth were subdivided into "Brigade" sized units, not divisions. UNSCMC units are further divided into battalions, companies, and platoons, in that order. The UNSC Marine Corps also uses Marine Expeditionary Forces (MEF's) for organization.
- Rank: Every known UNSCMC rank corresponds directly to a USMC rank, and the officer ranks that have been described imply that the exact same insignia are used, as well[2].
- Semper Fi: The Latin motto used by the USMC, short for Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful)or (Forever Faithful) is also used by the UNSCMC[3].
- Dog Tags: Worn by all USMC personnel, are also worn by UNSCMC personnel[4]
- "Ooh Rah":A motivational call of the USMC, often said by Marines of the UNSCMC.
[edit] History
[edit] Pre-World War History
The United States Marine Corps was formed on the 10th of November 1775 as naval infantry. Their primary role was to be responsible for the security of the ships they served on, to repulse boarding attacks and to prevent or end mutinies. They were also used in raiding parties at sea and on shore.
The first action United States Marines would see as an official branch of the United States Military was during the Barbary War of 1801-05. Reacting to privateering by a collection of North-African states known as the Barbary States, a force of 10 Marines and 300 Arab and European Mercenaries intended to capture Tripoli. Although they did not reach their intended target, they did win the subsequent war, leading to a peace treaty.
The next action the USMC would see would be the War of 1812 against the British. Marines momentarily delayed the British advance to Washington DC during the Battle of Blandensburg and were central to the defeat of the British during the Defense of New Orleans.
After the end of the War of 1812, the USMC would take part in the Seminole Wars of 1835 and the Mexican-American war of 1846-48 and expeditionary roles in the Carribean, Key West, West Africa, the Falkland Islands and Sumatra. During the American Civil War of 1861-65, almost half of the Marine Corps commanding officers would join the Confederate Military, and form the Confederate States Marine Corps. The USMC also took part in several national interventions including Japan, Korea, Hawaii, Egypt and Panama. They were central to the offensive in Cuba during the Spanish-American War of 1898 and participated in the Philipine-American war, the Chinese Boxer Rebellion, the Cuban Pacifications, the Pedicaris Incident in Morocco, Veracruz, Haiti and other nations. They also took part in the Banana Wars, a series of conflicts in Central America.
[edit] The World Wars
During World War I, United States Marines served a central role in the United State's entry into the war. Unlike the French and British armies, the USMC had a pool of veteran officers and soldiers and a relatively smaller expansion. During this time, the Marines fought the celebrated Battle of Belleau Wood. During this battle, the Marines won decisively and drove the Germans from the woods. This earned the respect of the Germans, who considered the Marines an elite unit of Stormtrooper quality. It was also during this battle that Marine and American forces reported that the nickname Teufel Hunden was coined, which--according to the sources, meant Devil Dogs. Regardless of it's origins, the term stuck and has been a part of Marine Culture ever since.
During [[World War IIprimarily saw action against the Japanese during the Pacific Campaign and were the major ground forces during the island-to-island combat of the campaign. USMC forces were also present in the air for the first time, fighting the Japanese Air Force. Marines defeated the Japanese at the pivotal battles of Guadalcanal, Saipan, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and others. During the Battle of Iwo Jima, Marines planted the flag atop Mt. Suribachi. This moment was immortalized in the famous photograph.
[edit] Post-War
After World War II, the Marine Corps was involved in combat in the Korean War, fighting during the Battle of Inchon that resulted in the collapse of the North Korean lines and their pursuit to the Yalu River until the Peoples Republic of China entered the war. During the Vietnam conflict, Marines were engaged in their longest war to date. During the Vietnam War, they worked as advisor's to the Republic Of Vietnam Marine Corps, assisting them in counter-insurgency techniques. Although withdrawn from 1971, they assisted the evacuation of Saigon and the attempted rescue of the crew of the Merchant Marine vessel Mayagüez. They also took part in the Invasion of Panama and Grenada. On October 23 1983, Marines stationed in Lebanon were the victims of a bombing at their headquarters, causing 221 Deaths. This is the largest number of peace-time casualties for the Marines and forced American forces to withdraw from the nation.
In 1990, the Marines saved thousands of lives evacuating British, French and American Nationals in the wake of the Liberian Civil War. Marines forces were also the core to Operation Desert Shield in Saudi Arabia as American, NATO, and other Coalition forces prepared for the possible liberation of Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm. They later provided security for UN Humanitarian Relief in Somalia.
Although never directly stated, more than likely, the USMC were involved more or less in one or more of the many wars that began to spring up on Earth during the later years of the 21st century and the 22nd century.
[edit] Nickname
It was in the era of the Continental Marines the nickname "Leatherneck" was adopted. The Marines would wear leather collars to provide protection from slashing attacks as they boarded enemy ships. In the 20th and 21st Centuries, the Marines used this name regularly.
Shortly after the American entrance into the First World War, the term "Devil Dog" (Teufel Hunden in German) was given to the Marines by the Germans due to their ferocious fighting during the Battle of Belleau Wood in June 1918.
