On November 10th, 1775 ...
The Second Continental Congress passed a resolution "That two battalions of Marines be raised."
Five days earlier, on 5 November, they had commissioned Samuel Nicholas, the nephew of the mayor of Philadelphia, as the first Captain of Continental Marines. For five days he was in command of a vague idea, a situation he has shared with a number of other Marine officers since then, but on the 10th of November he got a clear resolution and direction to begin recruiting. Knowing the sort of men he needed, he promptly set up the first post of the Corps at Tun Tavern down by the docks in Philadelphia.
Since that November day in Philadelphia, there have been American Marines. Sometimes their numbers have been reduced to a very thin thread, as was the case after the Revolution when only six Marine officers were retained on half-pay until the United States Marine Corps was created by act of Congress on 11 July 1798. At other times the ranks of the Corps have swelled, reaching 485,000 by the end of WW II. When I joined the Corps in 1972, the authorized strength was 210,000. When I retired in 1995 that number had dropped to 164,000. Today the number of active duty Marines is on the rise again, due to increasing worldwide commitments highlighted by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Today is a day the Corps holds dear. We, who have been proud to claim the title of United States Marine, know the reality of what it has taken to produce this unbroken chain stretching back 233 years. I wish all Marines everywhere the best of birthdays.
Five days earlier, on 5 November, they had commissioned Samuel Nicholas, the nephew of the mayor of Philadelphia, as the first Captain of Continental Marines. For five days he was in command of a vague idea, a situation he has shared with a number of other Marine officers since then, but on the 10th of November he got a clear resolution and direction to begin recruiting. Knowing the sort of men he needed, he promptly set up the first post of the Corps at Tun Tavern down by the docks in Philadelphia.
Since that November day in Philadelphia, there have been American Marines. Sometimes their numbers have been reduced to a very thin thread, as was the case after the Revolution when only six Marine officers were retained on half-pay until the United States Marine Corps was created by act of Congress on 11 July 1798. At other times the ranks of the Corps have swelled, reaching 485,000 by the end of WW II. When I joined the Corps in 1972, the authorized strength was 210,000. When I retired in 1995 that number had dropped to 164,000. Today the number of active duty Marines is on the rise again, due to increasing worldwide commitments highlighted by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Today is a day the Corps holds dear. We, who have been proud to claim the title of United States Marine, know the reality of what it has taken to produce this unbroken chain stretching back 233 years. I wish all Marines everywhere the best of birthdays.