United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the USA's military responsible for providing power projection from the sea, working with the U.S Navy to rapidly deliver combined-task forces. It is part of the Department of the Navy for administrative purposes. Their motto is Semper Fidelis which is typically shortened to Semper Fi. The Marines are unique among the United States armed forces as they are capable of deployment practically anywhere in the world within 90 hours.

United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance
United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance, otherwise abbreviated as Marine Force Reconnaissance or Force Recon, is a special operations division of the U.S. Marine Corps.

It was prominently featured in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and was instrumental in the US/UK counterattack against the Middle Eastern/Russian Ultranationalist threat. One of its units, 1st Force Recon, contained Sergeant Paul Jackson, who was a main character of Call of Duty 4. Jackson was attached to Lieutenant Vasquez's Marine platoon, and was heavily involved with the US attack on Al-Asad's Middle Eastern country. However, Jackson was killed in the nuclear warhead detonation in Al-Asad's capital city.

Another notable Force Reconnaissance operator was Staff Sergeant Griggs, who aided Vasquez and Jackson in several operations. However, Griggs was able to escape the nuclear catastrophe, and survived to become a major ally of the British Special Air Service, specifically Captain Price's field operations team, and aided them in several operations in Russia against the Ultranationalists, notably including the chase of Imran Zakhaev's son and in the assault on Zakhaev's nuclear missile silos. Griggs ultimately died at the hands of Zakhaev's troops while attempting to drag a heavily wounded "Soap" MacTavish to cover during the escape from the missile silos.

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,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 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 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.

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 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. 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, being the first forces on the ground and seizing an airfield outside of Kandahar. They have also taken part in Operation Iraqi freedom, most famously during the Battle of Fallujah as part of Operation Phantom Fury. They currently continue to operate through both theaters.

Devil Dogs
Teufel Hunden, 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. In the begining 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, 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 save for one.

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 seargent Sullivan and corporal Roebuck comes to rescue him. After Miller and some other survivers 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 fight 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.