United States Marine Corps

"Semper Fidelis (Always faithful)"

- United States Marine Corps motto

The United States Marine Corps or USMC is a branch of the United States military responsible for providing power projection from the sea, working with the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. It is part of the Department of the Navy for administrative purposes. Their motto is Semper Fidelis (Latin for Always Faithful) which is typically shortened to Semper Fi. The Marines are among the 'quicker' United States armed forces as they are capable of deployment practically anywhere in the world within 48-90 hours. The Corps is also the only U.S. Military branch that reports directly from the President, all other forces have to wait for approval by Congress.



United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance
United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance is counted as a "special operations capable" force. The real Marine Special Operations Forces are the Marine Special Operation Battalions. While Marine Force Recon can and does perform special operations missions, they are not classified as 'special forces'. Instead they serve in an aspect similar to that of the 101st Airborne of the U.S. Army, as quick ready troops that can operate at the leading edge of the allied advance. Force Reconnaissance was disbanded in 2006. Now MARSOC (Marine Special Operations Command) battalions 1 & 2 (as mentioned above) function as the Corps' special operating forces.

Marine Raiders
The Marine Raiders were special units of Marines that fought during World War II.

MEUSOC
During the intense training workup prior to seaborne deployment, the entire infantry component of Marine Expeditionary Units are certified as special operations capable, and can be used in such roles.

Pre-World War History
The United States Marine Corps was formed on the 10th of November 1775 in Tuns Tavern 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 Caribbean, 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 Philippine-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, and this was the birth of Marine aviation.

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 spite of the Germans, who considered the Marines a unit of lesser 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. However, this was widely disputed because the German phrase was mistranslated in reports and generally regarded as propaganda created by the U.S.. Regardless of its origins, the term stuck and has been a part of Marine culture ever since.

During World War II, Marines primarily 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, pictured right.

Post-War
After World War II, the USMC 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 advisers 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. USMC forces were also the core to Operation Desert Shield in Saudi Arabia as U.S and Coalition forces prepared for the possible liberation of Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm. They later provided security for UN Humanitarian Relief in Somalia.

Since the 9/11 attacks, Marines have been active in the War on Terror and have been on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq. During Operation Enduring Freedom, the invasion of Afghanistan, they were the first forces on the ground, seizing an airfield outside of Kandahar. They have also taken part in Operation Iraqi Freedom, most prominently during the Battle of Fallujah as part of Operation Phantom Fury. They currently continue to operate throughout both theaters.

Devil Dogs


Teufelhunde, allegedly meaning Devil Dogs in German, is a motivational nickname for a U.S. Marine.

Origin
The exact origin of the term is unknown. According to tradition in the United States Marine Corps, it was given by German soldiers to U.S. Marines who fought in the Belleau Wood in 1918. This was reported by American media at the time; however, no evidence has been found of this usage in German records of the time. A very common story repeated in the Marine Corps holds that the nickname was adopted from the diary of a German soldier who was killed in action during the Battle of Belleau Wood. In it, he apparently referred to Marines as dogs of the devil for their fighting spirit and tenacity. Some Marines offer a more detailed story: The Battle of Belleau Wood was fought in France in the summer of 1918, in the midst of a heat wave. At some point during the battle, the Marines were ordered to take a hill occupied by German forces. As the Marines prepared to charge the hill, word came down from command that the Germans were preparing to use mustard gas to repel the attack. As a precaution, the Marines were ordered to put on their gas masks and take the hill. As the Marines fought their way up the hill, the heat caused them to sweat profusely, foam at the mouth and turned their eyes bloodshot. Additionally, at some points the hill was very steep, which caused the Marines to have to scramble on all fours to make their way up. Consequently, from the Germans vantage point, they witnessed a pack of tenacious, growling figures whose lower faces were obscured by gas masks but left open their bloodshot eyes and mouth foam seeping from the sides, advancing up the hill, sometimes on all fours, and killing everything in their way. As the legend goes, the German soldiers, upon seeing this spectacle, began to yell that they were being attacked by dogs from hell. The story is unverified by German records, but it is possible that it was only a handful or even one German soldier that spoke this line and the story has been repeated ever since. A poster created by Charles B. Falls in 1918 was one of the first recorded references to the term. The actual spelling, Teufel Hunden, is not a correct spelling in German. The correct German spelling is Teufelshunde.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
The modern United States Marine Corps is portrayed in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. In the beginning of the game, Marine Forces of the USMC 1st Force Reconnaissance are portrayed. The player takes the role of Paul Jackson, a Sergeant in 1st Force Recon and part of a Marine Task-Force to invade an unnamed Middle Eastern nation to capture Khaled Al-Asad, who took over the nation in a violent coup. In the Third day of the Invasion, Al-Asad detonated a Nuclear Device in his Capital City. This caused massive Marine casualties of 30,000 men, including Sgt. Paul Jackson. Later, the United States Marine Corps and the Special Air Service of Britain were involved in an operation to retake a Launch Control facility from Russian Ultranationalists and prevented ICBMs from striking the United States' Eastern Seaboard. Their escape was compromised, and in the ensuing chaos it is unknown if any of the SAS soldiers or Marines involved in the raid survived except for Sgt. 'Soap' MacTavish and Captain Price.

Call of Duty: World at War
The USMC during World War II is portrayed in Call of Duty: World at War. In the beginning, C. Miller (the player) who is part of a Marine Raider reconnaissance team is captured with his comrades on Makin Atoll by the Imperial Japanese Army. Almost a week later, another Marine Raider team led by Sergeant Sullivan and Corporal Roebuck comes to rescue him. After Miller and some other survivors are freed, the squad make their way through the island to destroy an ammunition deposit and eventually escape on boats. 2 years after, Sullivan, Roebuck and Miller are now part of the invasion of Peleliu among the 1st Marine Division. After two months of fighting on Peleliu, and losing Sullivan during the landing, "The Old Breed" head for Okinawa, where the final American versus Japanese land battle would take place.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
The release date of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (November 10) is the USMC's birthday. The Marines are not a playable faction, though they are mentioned at the end of The Only Easy Day...Was Yesterday and are seen as the player flies away. They secure the SAM sites and "mop up" what the task force left behind and secure the hostages (though their character models are only reused ones of the Rangers'). It is later revealed that General Shepherd, U.S. commander of armed forces in the Middle East, commanded the Marines during the attack against Al-Asad. One of the Special Ops missions is titled Sniper Fi, a reference to the Marine motto Semper Fi. Also during the level "Of Their Own Accord" numerous Marine CH-46 Sea Knights are seen throughout the level supporting the battle and extracting wounded. A CH-46 Sea Knight is at the extraction zone at the end of Cliffhanger. AV-8B Harriers and AH-1W Super Cobras (which are proprietary to the Marine Corps) can be seen and called in as a killstreak reward in multiplayer. There are U.S. Marine members in Task Force 141, most likely from MARSOC, Force Reconnaissance platoons, Reconnaissance Battalions, and Scout Sniper platoons.