US Marines: History of the US Marine Corps

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Brief History of the US Marines

The US Marines is one of the branches of the US Military which include the Army, Navy, Air force and Marines and the latest one is considered to be the smaller branch within the department of Defense. However, the size has not been an issue when it comes to the challenges and hardships that this branch has been able to handle over the past many hundred years and a Marine is proud to always be called a Marine. There is no title of former Marine or ex Marine.

The purpose of the US Marines has always been very clear, to protect the US from any kind of danger from hostile Navy ships or landing areas. Their work also involves the securing of bases for the air Force or for American troops to sort up their strategies outside of the United States and this is due to the point that they are the ones which are closer to any kind of action required and therefore are the first to be called to duty. A marine officer is a proud fellow and they follow some very though training programs which make them one of the most trained officers on the field.

The first troops that were recruited to establish what was called the Continental Marines were recruited at a tavern in Philadelphia in November 1775 with the purpose of fighting against England. Then in 1798 the Marine corps was reestablished to combat pirates at the Barbary Coast. The merchant ships where having problems with their goods, and it was decided to have a military body that could take care of that security issue. At that time, the Marines were under the command of the Navy only when they were on the sea and once they were on land they were commanded by the Army. Samuel Nicholas was the first commandant of the US Marine Corps.

Marines have been used in every war that the United State has fought in the past hundreds of years, and during World War I they were actively involved in many of the fights, however, it was in World War II that they had to fight most of the toughest battles ever fought by American Soldiers. There were many islands in the pacific which had been taken by the Japanese and which had to be conquered by the American troops and this was successfully done by the Marine troops. They first took the Philippines and then landed in Japan to accept the surrender of their soldiers. However, there were more than twenty thousand marines which died in the course of the war.

In March 1965 the US Marines landed on the beaches of Da Nang in South Vietnam and during the Vietnam War there were more than eighty thousand troops stationed on that area. The US Marines had a full job of taking care of the tons of supplies for the Air force and for the soldiers as well. Supplying of the war material was their duty from tanks, ammunition, and food as well.

In 1975, the US Marines helped evacuate refugees from Da Nang and Saigo as well. The SS Mayaguez was one of the ships which were seized at that time and the Marines suffered heavy casualties attempting to rescue the 39 seamen and the ship. The actual number of casualties during the Vietnam War is long and extensive.
After the Vietnam War, the Marine Corps was considered to be at its lowest points and they had the highest rates of court martial’s, punishments, unauthorized absences and desertions. In the late 1970’s there was a time when the remaking of the Marines started and there was a lot of work done to try to reform the corps in the right direction.

In 1982, the US Marines participated in the Lebanon was and as part of the peace treaty with the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Marines returned to their ships. However, as the violence did not really ease, the former president Roland Reagan ordered the Marines to return to the United States in October of the same year. The US marines were also responsible for the liberation of Kuwait during the gulf War. Operation Desert Storm is the largest Marine Corps operation in the history of the US military and there had strength of ninety three thousand troops at that time. It is however, amazing to see that the amount of casualties due to this attach was very minimal with only about 24 dead and about 100 wounded.

In more recent endeavors, the US Marine and other American forces landed on the border of Afghanistan in
October 2001 in preparation for the Operation Enduring Freedom and it was the Marines who were responsible for seizing the International Airport. After the attacks by the Taliban, the Marines have become very involved in chasing the Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in the area.

The US Marines have also helped in the Iraq war as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Marines have been in the area since 2003 and they have been highly recognized by their efforts to work towards a better future for the Iraqi people.

In January 2010, the Marine Corps officially ended its role in the Iraq war under the directions of President Barack Obama. During This time Capital Jason Dunham received the Medal of Honor and the casualties of this war were about 900 killed and nine thousand wounded.

Resources About the History of The Marine Corps

THIS PAMPHLET HISTORY, one in a series devoted to U.S. Marines in the World War II era, is published for the education and training of Marines by the History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, Washington, D.C., as a part of the U.S. Department of Defense observance of the 50th anniversary of victory in that war.
Official website of the Marines.
US Marines Corps website
NY times articles and news about the Marines.

Resource by E.Trio

I am an online writer and soon to be published author. I grew up in Southern California, but I currently live in the Bay Area while I work on my books. I enjoy camping and hiking with my dog Max or just relaxing on the back porch while I write. Stay tuned for my first children’s book to be released about Max.

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