The United States Marine Corps Portal

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the U.S. military responsible for providing power projection from the sea, utilizing the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces to global crises. Alongside the U.S. Navy, the Marine Corps operates under the United States Department of the Navy.

Originally organized as the Continental Marines on November 10, 1775 as naval infantry, the Marine Corps would evolve its mission with changing military doctrine and American foreign policy. Owing to the availability of Marines at sea, the Marine Corps has served in every American armed conflict going back to the Revolutionary War. It attained prominence in the 20th century when its theories and practice of amphibious warfare proved prescient, and ultimately formed a cornerstone of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Its ability to rapidly respond to regional crises continues to make it an important body in the implementation and execution of American foreign policy.

The Marine Corps, with 193,000 active duty and 40,000 reserve Marines as of April 2008, is the smallest of the United States' armed forces in the Department of Defense (the United States Coast Guard, about one fifth the size of the Marine Corps, is under the Department of Homeland Security). The Corps is nonetheless larger than the entire armed forces of many significant military powers; for example, it is larger than the Israeli Defense Forces.

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The personal flag of a four star general, such as the Assistant Commandant.
Credit: National Defense University image

The Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps is the second highest ranking billet in the Marine Corps, acting as a deputy for the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Should the Commandant be unable to perform his duties, the Assistant Commandant will assume those duties and responsibilities. By law, the Assistant Commandant is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate; he also must be a four-star general. The current Assistan Commandant is General James F. Amos.

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Quotes

"Sound morals and ethical behavior cannot be established of created in a day, a semester … or a year. They must be institutionalized our character over time. They must become a way of life. They go beyond our individual services and beyond our ranks or positions. They cut to the heart and soul of who we are and what we are and what we must be: men and women of character.

They arm us for the challenges to come and impart to us a sense of wholeness. They unite us in the calling we now know as the profession of arms. Of all the moral and ethical guideposts that we have been brought up to recognize, the one that, for me, stands above the rest. The one that I have kept in the forefront of my mind . . . is integrity."

— General Charles C. Krulak, USMC (Retired), January 27, 2000

New articles relating to the United States Marine Corps

• Noncommissioned officer's creed—21 Oct 2009
• Blood stripe—11 Oct 2009
• Marine Corps Recruiting Command—20 Aug 2009
• VMO-4—16 Apr 2009
• Marine Aircraft Group 40—10 Apr 2009
• John F. Bolt—10 Apr 2009
• VMA-543—19 Mar 2009
• Ross E. Rowell—19 Mar 2009
• Wilburt S. Brown—15 Mar 2009

Categories

• Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipients
• United States Marine Corps aviation
• United States Marine Corps facilities
• United States Marine Corps history
• United States Marine Corps images
• United States Marine Corps ranks
• United States Marine Corps awards

United States Marine Corps lists

• List of active United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons
• List of United States Marine Corps battalions
• List of Marine Expeditionary Units
• List of weapons of the U.S. Marine Corps
• List of vehicles of the United States Marine Corps
• List of United States Marine Corps installations
• List of U.S. Marines

Web resources

• Official United States Marine Corps website
• Marine Corps History Division
• Who's Who in Marine Corps History
• Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipients
• Marine Corps Community
• Marine Corps Times

Selected biography

General James L. Jones, Jr., a former Commandant of the Marine Corps, is President Barack Obama's National Security Advisor.

Jones, the son of a decorated World War II U.S. Marine Corps officer, was raised in France. He returned to the U.S. for his college education at Georgetown University, where 6 foot 4 inch (1.93 m) tall Jones was a forward for the Hoyas' basketball team. He was commissioned an officer in the Marine Corps in 1967, deploying to Vietnam the same year.

In 1979, then-Major (O-4) Jones was a Marine Corps liaison to the U.S. Senate, reporting to U.S. Navy Captain (O-6) John McCain.

General Jones served as the 32nd Commandant from 1999 to 2003, followed by three years as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe for NATO. He retired from the Marine Corps in 2007.

Marines in the news

• James Conway's tenure as Commandant will end Nov. 13, 2010. Likely replacements may include LtGen Joseph Dunford (CG of I Marine Expeditionary Force), LtGen John R. Allen (deputy CG of United States Central Command), and Gen James Mattis (CG of United States Joint Forces Command).^[1]
• The first MV-22 Osprey to be permanently stationed on the west coast was delivered to VMM-161 at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. The squadron will be the first of 10 within 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing to transfer to the Osprey, with 8 at Miramar, the remaining two at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton. The five east coast squadrons from 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing included VMMs -162, -261, -263, -264, -266, and -365.^[2]
• Marine special operators at MARSOC may receive a unique Military Occupational Specialty to reflect their status.(Marine Corps Times, Dec 7 2009 issue, p. 18^[3])

More USMC-related news can be found at usmc.mil or Marine Corps Times.

Did you know...

• ...that reservist LtCol Rob Riggle's only deployment to Iraq has been as a correspondant for The Daily Show?^[4][5][6]
• ...that Marine aviation began on May 22, 1912, when Lt Alfred Cunningham reported to Naval Aviation Camp at Annapolis, Maryland to become the first Marine Naval Aviator?
  
• ...that LtCol. John F. Bolt (pictured), Korean War Navy Cross recipient, remains the only U.S. Marine Corps jet aircraft flying ace?

This month in Marine history

• On January 6, 1859, Commandant Archibald Henderson died while in office, being the longest-serving Commandant and earning the nickname "Grand old man of the Marine Corps".
• On January 15, 1943, Joe Foss shot down three A6M Zeros, bringing his kills to 26.
• In January 1968, the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War was launched, and Marines fought in the battles of Khe Sanh and Huế.
• On January 1, 1991, Marines evacuated the United States embassy in Mogadishu, Somalia during Operation Eastern Exit.
• On January 29, 1991, Marines fought in the Battle of Khafji, the first ground engagement of the Gulf War.

Things you can do

Here are some things you can do to help expand our USMC content:

• Requested articles: 15th Marine Regiment  • CLB-46  • Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 (currently redirects to TECOM)   • Rathvon M. Tompkins   • Marine Security Force Bermuda

• Expand: Chemical Biological Incident Response Force • 28th Marine Regiment • China Marines • Logistics Vehicle System Replacement

• Citations: Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company • Edson Range •Task Force Leatherneck

• Revert vandalism on this portal and on articles to do with the U.S. Marines.

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