United States Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps is the branch of the United States Armed Forces established to conduct amphibious (ship to shore) combat and protect diplomatic missions of the United States government.

From the halls of Montezuma
To the shores of Tripoli
We fight our country's battles,
In the air, on land, and sea.

Quotes

A

Semper Fidelis
- Anonymous, official motto of the USMC
- Always Faithful ~ English translation of Latin motto
- Semper Fi! ~ Abbreviated version

From the halls of Montezuma
To the shores of Tripoli
We fight our country's battles,
In the air, on land, and sea.
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of United States Marine.
- Anonymous, "The Marines' Hymn" (1920)

Our flag's unfurled to every breeze
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in ev'ry clime and place
Where we could take a gun;
In the snow of far-off Northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes;
You will find us always on the job
The United States Marines.
- Anonymous, "The Marines' Hymn" (1920)

Here's health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve;
In many a strife we've fought for life
And never lost our nerve;
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven's scenes;
They will find the streets are guarded
By United States Marines.
- Anonymous, "The Marines' Hymn" (1920)

I wouldn't give a bean to be a fancy pants Marine;
I'd rather be a dogface soldier like I am.
I wouldn't trade my old ODs for all the Navys dungarees,
For I'm the walking pride of Uncle Sam.
- Anonymous, "Dogface Soldier", (1942). Composed by two unknown U.S. Army infantry soldiers, the song gradually grew in popularity, eventually becoming the official song of the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division. It was further cemented in association with the 3rd Infantry Division by the 1955 film To Hell and Back, which featured one of the 3rd Infantry's 61 Medal of Honor recipients, Audie Murphy, acting as himself in the lead role.

B

"Try"? We don't try in this Marine Corps, we either do or we don't! We don't straddle any fences, understand that?
- The D. I. (film), released in 1957, written by James Lee Barrett, directed by Jack Webb

I am sure a vast number of Americans were revulsed when they heard news reports and read about the marine male-prostitute ring uncovered at Camp Pendleton, California, in July 1978. It had been operating for three years with its roots spreading into the Hollywood "gay" community some one hundred miles away. It was reported by an unnamed officer, "The recruiters looked for fair-skinned, young-looking kids and usually approached them on a one-to-one basis. They would strike up a conversation, eventually suggesting that good money could be made on weekends working for the ring." All twelve of the participating marines were discharged.
- Anita Bryant, At Any Cost (1978) by Anita Bryant and Bob Green. Old Tappan: Fleming H. Revell Company, p. 148

D

Come on, you sons-o'-bitches! Do you want to live forever?
- First Sergeant Daniel Daly, 73rd Machine Gun Company, to the men in his company prior to charging the Germans during the Battle of Belleau Wood in World War I. This is the version popularly attributed to Daly and recorded by Floyd Gibbons in And They Thought We Wouldn't Fight (1918), p. 304, ISBN 9781417903719
- Variant: For Christ's sake men—come on! Do you want to live forever?
  - First Sergeant Daniel Daly, 73rd Machine Gun Company. Alternative version claimed by Daly himself.

F

A ship without Marines is like a garment without buttons.
- David Glasgow Farragut, as quoted in The Boston Marine Barracks: A History, 1799–1974 (2015), by John R. Yates, Jr. and Thomas Yates, p. 14

G

Otherwise the epitome of male liberation is Marine Corps boot camp, twelve weeks without a moment of liberty, all devoted chiefly to the extirpation of feminine ties and sentiments in the assembled young men. From the moment one arrives, the drill instructors begin a torrent of misogynistic and anti-individualist abuse. The good things are manly and collective; the despicable are feminine and individual. Virtually every sentence, every description, every lesson embodies this sexual duality, and the female anatomy provides a rich field of metaphor for every degradation.
- George Gilder, Sexual Suicide (New York: Quadrangle Books, 1973), p. 258-259

When you want to create a solitary group of male killers, that is what you do, you kill the women in them. That is the lesson of the Marines. And it works. Artfully exploiting the internal pressures of the group, the instructors manage to evoke a fanatical commitment from almost every recruit. They arrive as various and rebellious boys, swearing under their breath what they will do to any drill instructor who lays a hand on them. They end up, after twelve weeks of manhandling, often including violent physical abuse, gladly and voluntarily making large financial gifts to the instructors. It is the closest thing to an act of love that happens at Parris Island.
- George Gilder, Sexual Suicide (New York: Quadrangle Books, 1973), p. 259

Most of those who have experienced these sentiments would testify that they are not exactly homosexual. They do not represent a shift to males of sentiments conventionally directed toward females. They represent rather a distinctive bonding process that corresponds very closely to the kind of male tie that Lionel Tiger has controversially envisaged. It has its uses in protecting a society from its enemies or in abetting the performance of crucial group activities. But it is deadly to individuality and civilization. It is deadly to the setiments that women evoke from men: love, creativity, nurturance, commitment to the future. Above all, it is perfectly barren (in the etymolohical sense, from the old French word bar, meaning man). The male group, separated from women, is the sterile solidarity. There is no real love, no individuality, and no procreative instinct.
- George Gilder, Sexual Suicide (New York: Quadrangle Books, 1973), p. 259

I Wouldn't Give A Bean
To Be A Fancy Pants Marine,
I'd rather Be A Dogface Soldier Like I Am.
- Bert Gold & Ken Hart, "Dogface Soldier" (1942). The song quickly proved popular with soldiers of the United States Army's 3rd Infantry Division and was adopted as the official division song while Major General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr. was the division commander in 1943-1944.

[I]nstitutions and communities need to be able to exploit their comparative advantages. It’s not just that the Marine Corps demands more from its members than the Peace Corps; it’s that the Marines demand different things. For some people, being a Marine would be a kind of living Hell; for others it is a reason to live. That’s what the individual pursuit of happiness means... You can’t choose to be a Marine if you do not meet the requirements, but you are free to try.
- Jonah Goldberg, "A Free People Must Be Virtuous" (14 October 2018), G-File, National Review Online

K

When our Marines, sent to Lebanon on a multinational peacekeeping mission with the consent of the United States Congress, were murdered in their sleep, the "blame America first crowd" didn't blame the terrorists who murdered the Marines, they blamed the United States. But then, they always blame America first. ... The American people know better.
- Jeane Kirkpatrick, address to the 1984 Republican National Convention (1984), Dallas

Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: Today, you people are no longer maggots. Today, you are Marines. You're part of a brotherhood. From now, until the day you die, wherever you go, every Marine is your brother. And always remember this: Marines die, that's what we're here for. But the Marine Corps lives forever, and that means you live forever.
- Full Metal Jacket (1987), by Stanley Kubrick, Michael Herr, and Gustav Hasford, Warner Bros

M

I have just returned from visiting the Marines at the front, and there is not a finer fighting organization in the world.
- Douglas MacArthur, as quoted in The Marines, Counterinsurgency, and Strategic Culture: Lessons Learned, by Jeannie L. Johnson, p. 66

Good afternoon, Marines. Thank you for your attention so late on a Friday. I know the women of Southern California are waiting for you, so I won't waste your time.
- Opening remark in an address of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion Marines at Camp Pendleton (September 2002), as quoted in One Bullet Away : The Making of a Marine Officer (2005 by Nathaniel Fick, p. 163)

For decades, Saddam Hussein has tortured, imprisoned, raped and murdered the Iraqi people; invaded neighboring countries without provocation; and threatened the world with weapons of mass destruction. The time has come to end his reign of terror. On your young shoulders rest the hopes of mankind. When I give you the word, together we will cross the Line of Departure, close with those forces that choose to fight, and destroy them. Our fight is not with the Iraqi people, nor is it with members of the Iraqi army who choose to surrender. While we will move swiftly and aggressively against those who resist, we will treat all others with decency, demonstrating chivalry and soldierly compassion for people who have endured a lifetime under Saddam’s oppression. Chemical attack, treachery, and use of the innocent as human shields can be expected, as can other unethical tactics. Take it all in stride. Be the hunter, not the hunted: never allow your unit to be caught with its guard down. Use good judgment and act in best interests of our Nation. You are part of the world’s most feared and trusted force. Engage your brain before you engage your weapon. Share your courage with each other as we enter the uncertain terrain north of the Line of Departure. Keep faith in your comrades on your left and right and Marine Air overhead. Fight with a happy heart and strong spirit. For the mission’s sake, our country’s sake, and the sake of the men who carried the Division’s colors in the past battles-who fought for life and never lost their nerve-carry out your mission and keep your honor clean. Demonstrate to the world there is "No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy" than a U.S. Marine.
- Mattis' words in a message to the 1st Marine Division (March 2003), on the eve of the Iraq War, as quoted in "Eve of Battle Speech" in The Weekly Standard (1 March 2003); also quoted in War Stories: Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003) by Oliver North, p. 53

You are part of the world's most feared and trusted force.
- James Mattis, Letter To 1st Marine Division), March 2003

Marines are the best because the Marines is a service that focuses on values. If you look at Marine Corps commercials and compare them to every other service, you know, the Army talks about all the different jobs you can do and what it will help set you up afterwards. You know, you can be an Army of one with all the different skills you learn. The Navy talks about all the cool technology that you get to use. And they always have pictures of people with big, big computer screens, things like this, right? The Navy ships, you can picture in your head, right? And the Air Force always has guys, like, working on aircraft. And it's like: "You can get a great job working in the civilian sector when you're done." The Marine Corps never does that. The Marine Corps says: "honor, courage and commitment. If you believe in leadership, if you believe in — if you want a really tough time, then come and serve with us."
- Seth Moulton, as quoted in "Rep. Moulton on Trump voters, what Biden did wrong in the debate" (11 July 2019), Politico

P

The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle!
- John J. Pershing, as quoted in War: A Classic Collection of 56 Great War Stories of Our Time (1995), by Jon E. Lewis, p. 505

R

Some people work an entire lifetime and wonder if they ever made a difference to the world. But the Marines don't have that problem.
- Ronald Reagan, letter to Lance Cpl. Joe Hickey (23 September 1983), R.W. "Dick" Gaines refers in detail.

S

I walked into this recruiting office, and the Navy had these bell-bottoms on, and the Army had these shitty-looking blouses, like a little girl’s blouse, and the Marines had this real mean-looking, hot uniform, and I'm like, "Yo, if I can't get chicks in this uniform, forget it, dude." Little did I know it was the smallest branch out of all of them, and it was the elite branch, and it was the hardest. But I was never a model Marine, you know? I used to drive from New York to North Carolina every weekend, just to do records – eighteen hours’ drive all around. They took my stripe away because I was late.
- Shaggy, as quoted in "Q&A: Shaggy" (15 February 2001), by Mim Udovitch, Rolling Stone

It was the fate of our Marines to be at the front at a moment when the destiny of the modern world hung in the balance, and to have played a part that will be gratefully remembered here in America, as well as in western Europe, through generations to come.
- Albert Shaw, as quoted in Marines Bulletin (November 1918), p. 10

In the Marine Corps, there's a simple rule every enlisted man learns. And that is, officers eat last and that any officer worries first about feeding his or her privates and lieutenants before he even picks up a knife or a fork.
- Mark Shields, as quoted in "Shields and Brooks on impeachment testimony, newest 2020 Democrats" (15 November 2019), PBS NewsHour

Lady, there was a killing war. The Marine Corps taught me how to kill Japs and try to survive. Now, if that don't fit into any academic course, I'm sorry. But some of us had to do the killing — and most of my buddies got killed or wounded.
- Eugene Sledge, China Marine: An Infantryman's Life after World War II, p. 135

T

They have a propaganda machine that is almost equal to Stalin's.
- Harry Truman, as quoted in Fallujah: Iraq 2004 (2012), by Ambush Alley, Ambush Alley Games, p. 4

The Navy's police force.
- Harry Truman, as quoted in Fallujah: Iraq 2004 (2012), by Ambush Alley, Ambush Alley Games, p. 4

V

The Marine Corps, then, believes that it has earned this right—to have its future decided by the legislative body which created it—nothing more. Sentiment is not a valid consideration in determining questions of national security. We have pride in ourselves and in our past, but we do not rest our case on any presumed ground of gratitude owing us from the Nation. The bended knee is not a tradition of our Corps. If the Marine as a fighting man has not made a case for himself after 170 years of service, he must go. But I think you will agree with me that he has earned the right to depart with dignity and honor, not by subjugation to the status of uselessness and servility planned for him by the War Department.
- Alexander Vandegrift, Commandant of the Marine Corps and first U.S. Marine ever to hold 4-star rank while serving on active duty, during his "Bended Knee Speech" to the Senate Committee on Naval Affairs, delivered on 6 May 1946.

Disputed

Come on, you sons-o'-bitches! Do you want to live forever?
- First Sergeant Daniel Daly, 73rd Machine Gun Company, to the men in his company prior to charging the Germans during the Battle of Belleau Wood in World War I. This is the version popularly attributed to Daly and recorded by Floyd Gibbons in And They Thought We Wouldn't Fight (1918), p. 304, ISBN 9781417903719
- Variant: For Christ's sake men—come on! Do you want to live forever?
  - First Sergeant Daniel Daly, 73rd Machine Gun Company. Alternative version claimed by Daly himself.^{[citation needed]}
- Also attributed to Frederick the Great, addressing his men at the 1757 w:Battle of Kolín: Dogs, would you live forever? (Kerls, wollt ihr ewig leben?) Duffy, Christopher: Frederick the Great: A Military Life. 1985: Law Book Co of Australasia. ISBN 978-0710096494.

External links

Encyclopedic article on United States Marine Corps on Wikipedia
USMC quotes at Old Corps