A Sampler of Marine Recruiting Slogans Since 1775

• First to Fight
• A Few Good Men
• Tell it to the Marines
• Let's go, U.S. Marines
• An Opportunity to see the world
• The, Few, The Proud, The Marines
• We didn't promise you a rose garden.
• If you want to fight, Join the Marines
• The Marines are looking for a few good men.
• No One Likes to Fight, But Someone Should Know How.

Marine Corps Motto's

• To the Shores of Tripoli (1805)
• Fortitude (1812)
• From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli (1848)
• By Sea and by Land (1850's)
• Semper Fidelis (1883)

Formal Colors of the USMC

• Scarlet
• Gold
• Forest Green

Official Marine Music

• The Marine Hymn (official song)
• Semper Fidelis (official march)
• The Marine Version of The Navy Hymn (official hymn)

Uniform Colors of the USMC

• 1775 Green with white or buff facings
• 1779 Green with red facings
• 1798 Blue with scarlet facings
• 1833 Green with white facings
• 1840 Blue with scarlet trim,in force from 4 July 1840

Unusual Customs and Traditions of the Marine Corps

• Marines take the right of the line or head of the column when in formation with elements of the other sea services (i.e., the Navy and the Coast Guard, not to mention NOAA).
• All Marine posts have a bell, usually from a decommissioned ship of the Navy.
• In the US Navy, when "Abandon Ship" is ordered, the last person to leave the vessel before the captain is his Marines orderly.
• On a warship Marines do not man the rail.
• Whatever the regulations say, Marines do not use umbrellas.
• The Marine Hymn is the oldest official anthem of any U.S. military service.
• The Marines always stand at attention during the playing of the Marine Hymn.
• The Marine Corps March, "Semper Fidelis" by J.P. Sousa, is the only march authorized by Congress for a particular service.
• The "Mameluke" Sword, first adopted in 1826, is the weapon with the longest continual service in the U.S. Armed Forces.
• In the Marines, the phrase "I wish..." or "I desire..." uttered by a senior is considered an order.
• The crowns of Marine officer's service caps are decorated with an embroidered quatre foil, a heritage of the days when such designs helped Marines in the rigging identify their officers on deck below.
• Since 1850 Marine sergeants have been the only NCOs in the U.S. Armed Forces to have the privilege of carrying swords on ceremonial occasions, a weapon of a pattern that makes it the second oldest weapon.
• Officers and NCOs of the Marine Corps wear scarlet piping on their trousers, said to honor the blood shed by the Marines who stormed Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City on 13 September 1847, and traditionally called the "Blood Stripe".
• In combat Marines never leave behind wounded comrades, and attempt to recover their dead as well.

Three Traditional Names for the Marine Bulldog

• "Sergeant Jiggs", used between WWI and the 30's
• "Smedley", used for the Corps' bulldog from the 30's to the 50's
• "Chesty", used for the Corps' bulldog from the 50's to the present

One Famous Marine Duck

• "Siwashi" accompanied the 2nd Marine Division into action on Tarawa,Saipan and Tinian, after which , she in the meantime becoming a mother was sent home to the US.

A Notable Comment about the 1st Marine Division

• "The 1st Marine Division is the most efficient and courageous combat unit I have ever seen or heard of", MG Frank E. Lowe , US Army , 1950

Daily Ration Allowance in 1775, Continental Marines

• 1 pd bread
• 1 pd meat
• 1 pd potatoes or turnips, or .5 pd pease
• .5 pt rum

Unusual Honors of the Marine Band

• The Marine Band is the oldest musical organization in the United States.
• Since 1869, the Marine Band has serenaded the CMC at his quarters on the morning of 1 January, after which they are invited in for hot buttered rum and breakfast.
• The Marine Band has played at every Presidential Inauguration since 1801, and is known as " The President's Own."

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Semper Fi!