What general History of the Marine Corps should I be studying?

[Schade07]

I talked to my recruiter on what I need to study and he told me things like the general orders, code of conduct, etc, and he also mentioned general Marine Corps History. What does this consist of? Any help from someone who went through boot camp already will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[PNW2011]

Really from what I understand from guys coming back from recruit training, it's nice to know these things ahead of time. But all of this is covered in classes you have in boot camp.

[EpicPopsicle]

This website has a lot of things to prepare you for boot.
http://www.marine-bootcamp.com/marine-corps-history.html


Marine Corps History
What is the official emblem of the Marine Corps?
The Eagle, Globe, and Anchor

What is the significance of each the pieces of the Marine Corps emblem?
Eagle = Nation, Globe = Worldwide Service, Anchor = Naval Traditions

By whom and when was the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor adopted as the official emblem of the Marine Corps?
Brigadier General Jacob Zeilin in 1868

What are the Corps Values?
Honor, Courage, Commitment
Who was the first commandant of the Marine Corps?
Captain Samuel Nicholas

What is the mascot of the Marine Corps?
English Bulldog

What are the official colors of the Marine Corps?
Scarlet and Gold

Where is the birthplace of the Marine Corps?
Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

When is the birthday of the Marine Corps?
November 10th, 1775

What is the Marine Corps motto and what does it mean?
Semper Fidelis – Latin for “Always Faithful”

Who commanded the assault and capture of the fortress at Derna, Tripoli in 1805?
Lt Presley O'Bannon

Who was the Grand Old Man of the Marine Corps?
Archibald Henderson

Who was the first Marine Corps aviator?
A. A. Cunningham

Who was the first female Marine?
Opha Mae Johnson

Who are the only two Marines to win two Medals of Honor?
Dan Daly and Smedley Buter

Who was the 13thCommandant of the Marine Corps?
Major General John A. Lejeune

Where was the first Marine assault during World War II?
Guadalcanal

What is the name of the Marine Corps officer’s sword?
Mameluke Sword

What is the significance of the Mameluke Sword?
It was presented to Lt Presley Obannon after the battle of Tripoli.

What is the mission of the Marine Rifle Squad?
Locate, close with, and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver, or repel the enemy’s assault by fire and close combat.

What was the nickname given to Marines by the Germans during the Battle of Belleau Wood in WWI?
“Teufelhunden”, which translates into Devil Dog

Who was the only Marine to win five Navy Crosses?
Lieutenant General Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller

What is the significance of the blood stripe worn by Marine NCOs and Officers?
Signifies the blood shed by Marines at the battle of Chapultapec.

Where did the nickname Leatherneck originate?
The stiff leather stock that Marines wore around their necks as part of their uniform from 1775 to
1875, probably to protect their jugular vein against saber slashes.

Who said, “Uncommon valor was a common virtue”?
Admiral Chester Nimitz

What are the five elements of the five paragraph order?
S-M-E-A-C: Situation, Mission, Execution, Administration and Logistics, Command and Signal

What are the six troop-leading steps?
B-A-M-C-I-S: Begin the planning, Arrange for reconnaissance, Make reconnaissance, Complete the Planning, Issue the Order, Supervise

What is the most important step in BAMCIS?
Supervise

[IHaveEGA843]

Whoa, a good bit I already know but I'm going to study that along with my general orders. Thanks for that post!

[93Reaper]

I cant remember where i heard or read this but Teufelhunden isn't even German. Was kind of skeptical but i dont know either side of that statement.

[EpicPopsicle]

I cant remember where i heard or read this but Teufelhunden isn't even German. Was kind of skeptical but i dont know either side of that statement.

From Wikipedia

"A poster created by Charles B. Falls in 1918 (exhibited further up) was one of the first recorded references to the term.
In German, a compound noun is always a single word, so using two words "Teufel Hunden" is grammatically incorrect. The correct German would be Teufelshunde in nominative, genitive, and accusative cases, and Teufelshunden only in the dative. In either form, the linking element "s" steps between the words. Examples:
Sie waren Teufelshunde. - they were devil dogs.
Er war ein Teufelshund. - he was a devil dog.
Er sprach von den Teufelshunden. - he talked about the devil dogs.
Furthermore, the word "Teufelshund" is unknown in the German language, and may possibly be an example of Denglisch. The nearest equivalent is "Höllenhund" ("dog of hell"), the German translation of the mythical Kerberos; a term that can also be used to describe a reckless and courageous person. All this suggests that the Marines were never actually referred to as "devil dogs" by German WWI soldiers."

[PNW2011]

Wait...

So you're saying the Marine Corps would inflate a story that probably never happened so they could have a cool nickname? We're talking about a branch of service that prides itself in having the most powerful propaganda machine in the world...

This has come up a lot in discussions about famous quotes Marines have allegedly said. Like Chesty's "We're surrounded, that simplifies the problem", the consensus is that some fatalistic grunt made a comment about how they could now shoot in any direction and the comment got turned into moto.

[Gregs7130]

if you have an iphone or ipod, download iCorps.... It has EVERYTHING you need to know for boot and much more.

[sparkie]

So Pinwheel,,,,,, Make up your own mind.

[IHaveEGA843]

Wait...

So you're saying the Marine Corps would inflate a story that probably never happened so they could have a cool nickname? We're talking about a branch of service that prides itself in having the most powerful propaganda machine in the world...

This has come up a lot in discussions about famous quotes Marines have allegedly said. Like Chesty's "We're surrounded, that simplifies the problem", the consensus is that some fatalistic grunt made a comment about how they could now shoot in any direction and the comment got turned into moto.


I've read alot of things that say such stuff and how the Army actually has more rich history that they just dont brag about.

I don't look into because my uncle gave his life for this organization, I think about that all the time because for someone to die for his men and this country really amazes me. Its not just joining a branch for me because of the blues or because its cool to tell people you're going to be a Marine but I want to become apart of this organization that my uncle and many other men/women before me fought and died for.

So all the bashing Marines do to other branches has to come back and I see it as other branches bashing on the Corps and leave it as that. History is great to know and good to follow but sometimes you have to make history as you carry on into the future.

[PooleeCiscotx]

Whenever i returned from MEPS my recruiter handed me a water bottle, shirt, and tin with booklets and etc. Before i left that day SSgt Davis informed me to go through those booklets becuse they had a lot of important information that was going to benifeit me once i went to RT; information such as history, general orders, etc.

[Gregs7130]

Whenever i returned from MEPS my recruiter handed me a water bottle, shirt, and tin with booklets and etc. Before i left that day SSgt Davis informed me to go through those booklets becuse they had a lot of important information that was going to benifeit me once i went to RT; information such as history, general orders, etc.

Yes! I actually forgot about this.. But what I did was took all my knowledge and just wrote them on flash cards. Periodically through the day I will look at some knowledge.. It helps me greatly!

[IHaveEGA843]

I'm going to do that Greg, write the general orders on flash cards and whenever I have down time at work *which is all day* I'm going go over them.

Great idea! Its crunch time for me!