One of my dearest friends always talks about “her Marine,” her husband of 50 plus years. As any veteran of the Marine Corp will tell you, there are no former Marines.
This U.S. Army wife and mom joins our nation today in celebrating the Marine Corp Birthday and the men and women who have served in the defense of our nation and its ideals of liberty, equality and justice.
So, let’s talk about the history of the Marine Corp - - after all, I’m a historian in addition to being a grateful citizen.
Did you know that on Nov. 10, 1775 [yes, prior to the Declaration of Independence!], the Second Continental Congress resolved “that two Battalions of Marines be raised for service” as landing forces with the fleet? The Continental Marines were born and our United States Marine Corps traces its birth to that historic moments. The first commissioned officer, Captain Samuel Nicholas, served throughout the American Revolution and is considered the first Commandant of the Corp. In the years since the American Revolution, the Marines have seen duty throughout our history and around the world.
During the War of 1812, they attempted to protect Washington, D. C. from the British landing and invasion and later fought alongside Andrew Jackson at New Orleans. In the decades of the 19th century, Marines were based across the globe, protecting U. S. interests. From the Caribbean to West Africa, in Florida during the Seminole Wars, active during the Mexican War including at the “halls of Montezuma,” and later during our U. S. Civil War in the Battle of Bull Run and the blockading of Southern ports, the Marines were present. During the Spanish-American War, our Marines were everywhere - Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico – and they were present during the Philippine Insurrection, the Boxer Rebellion and other hot spots of conflict.
For those of us who participated in the centennial commemorations of the Great War, stories of the “Devil Dogs” of the 4th Marine Brigade are etched across that history. Their exploits in combat at Belleau Wood, Scissors, St. Michel, Blanc Mont and the critical days of the Meuse-Argonne offensive are legendary. Two decades later, the Corps’ expertise in amphibious warfare contributed to the ultimate Allied victory in the Pacific and many of us grew up listening to the stories of our veteran family members recalling Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Guam, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and other strategic battles where the combined armed forces turned the tide and began to regain lost ground, island by island. Our last living World War II Medal of Honor recipient, Hershel W. “Woody” Williams [born in 1923], was honored for his valor at Iwo Jima with the 31st Marines, 3d Marine Division. The Marines served during the occupation of Japan, the Korean Conflict, in the Middle East hostilities in the late 1950s, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, in the Republic of South Vietnam and the decades beyond.
Citizens of a certain age recall with horror the 1983 attack on our Marine Barracks in Lebanon that resulted in the deaths of 241 U. S. military personnel - - 220 Marines, 18 Navy Sailors and three Army soldiers - - and an additional 100 injuries. It was the worst single-death toll for our Marines since Iwo Jima.
The footprint of the Marine Corps continued to stretch across our more recent history as they found themselves posted, fighting and serving in the Persian Gulf, Kuwait, Somalia, Liberia and the Global War on Terrorism.
Today, Nov. 10, the citizens of this region stop to remember the birthday of the Marine Corps. It’s a birthday that deserves more than a cake and candles; it deserves a hearty thank you to each who has served.
Thank you and Happy Birthday, United States Marine Corps.
Linda Moss Mines
Chattanooga and Hamilton County Historian and Secretary, Chattanooga Area Veterans Council