What You Need to Know About...
...The United States Marine Corps
(Note: This is NOT an official United States Government website)
1. General
2. People
5. The "Fives" Section
9. Books
10. Useful Links
General
1.01 How old is the U.S. Marine Corps?
The Marine Corps was formed as the "Continental Marines" on November 10th, 1775. Want to find out if somebody really is (or was) a Marine? Ask them what the birthday of the Marines is; they'll know.
1.1 What is the motto of the U.S. Marines?
"Semper Fidalis" often shortened to "Semper Fi" which is Latin for "Always Faithful."
1.2 How do I join the Marines?
Start here: http://www.marines.com/default.asp
1.3 What is a battalion?
A battalion is a unit of organization. In the Marine Corps units are defined roughly like so:
1.3.1 Fire team - 3 or 4 Marines
1.3.2 Squad - 3 fire teams plus a squad leader (10-13 Marines)
1.3.3 Platoon - 3 squads plus a platoon sergeant and a platoon commander (32-41 Marines)
1.3.4 Company - 3 platoons plus support officers
1.3.5 Battalion - 3 or 4 companies plus a Lt. Colonel who commands the battalion
1.3.6 Regiment - 3 or 4 battalions plus a Colonel who commands the regiment.
1.3.7 Division - 3 or 4 regiments plus support officers
1.5 What can you tell me about saluting?
A salute is a gesture, and in this context we mean a hand gesture, generally given by a subordinate to a superior upon first encountering that superior. In the United States military the salute is generally given by standing at attention, feet together, standing straight, shoulders back, and raising the right hand, fingers and thumb straight and together, so that the tip of the index finger touches the bill of the hat (if wearing one) or the temple just above the right eye. The upper arm should extend out to the side, parallel to the ground.
Different branches have different rules about saluting and the circumstances of the encounter must also be taken into consideration. The salute is almost always initiated by the subordinate; the rare exception includes when that subordinate is a Congressional Medal of Honor winner. While the superior is not technically required to salute the Congressional Medal of Honor winner it is customary that they do.
People
2.01 What are the enlisted ranks?
E1 - Private
E2 - Private First Class (PFC)
E3 - Lance Corporal
E4 - Corporal
E5 - Sergeant
E6 - Staff Sergeant
E7 - Gunnery Sergeant (Sometimes informally referred to as "Gunny" or "Guns")
E8 - Master Sergeant/First Sergeant (Sometimes informally referred to as "Top")
E9 - Sergeant Major/Master Gunnery Sergeant
In the Army sergeants are sometimes referred to as "Sarge" but that term is not generally welcomed by Marine sergeants.
2.02 What are the officer ranks?
O1 - Second Lieutenant
O2 - First Lieutenant
O3 - Captain
O4 - Major
O5 - Lieutenant Colonel
O6 - Colonel
O7 - Brigadier General
O8 - Major General
O9 - Lieutenant General
O10 - General
2.03 What about Warrant Officers?
Yes, the Marine Corps does have warrant officers as well. A Warrant Officer is a person of a very specialized skill set. At the Chief Warrant Officer rank they are actually commissioned officers. Here are the Warrant Officer ranks:
- W-1 - Warrant Officer, WO
- W-2 - Chief Warrant Officer 2, CWO2
- W-3 - Chief Warrant Officer 3, CWO3
- W-4 - Chief Warrant Officer 4, CWO4
- W-5 - Chief Warrant Officer 5, CWO5
The Fives Section
5.1 Five Battles You Should Know
5.1.1 Battle of Belleau Wood
5.1.2 Iwo Jima
In February of 1945 70,000 U.S. Marines attacked a Japanese force of 22,000 men on this island located 650 miles south of Tokyo. In difficult and bloody fighting the Americans all but wiped out the Japanese force, at the cost of more than 7,000 U.S. servicemen dead and 19,000 wounded. The famous photo of Marines raising the flag on Mount Suribachi was taken four days after the invasion.
Iwo Jima was deemed essential to U.S. interests due to it's airfield and proximity to Japan. It was hoped to become an emergency landing strip for bombers returning from Japan.
5.1.3 Guadalcanal
5.1.4 Okinawa
5.1.5 Inchon
Key invasion during the Korean War in September of 1950. Stopped the North Korean advance and started a counter-attack by U.N. forces that led to the recapture of Seoul.
Books
9.1
The
Illustrated Directory of the United States Marine Corps
9.2
The United States Marines - A History
Useful Links
10.1 The United States Marine
Corps
- Official Website
10.2 Wikipedia -
United States Marines
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