egaThe United States Marines ega

 

 

On November 10, 1775, as God was establishing a new nation, the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia passed a resolution stating that "two Battalions of Marines be raised" for service as landing forces with the fleet.  This resolution established the Continental Marines and marked the birth date of the United States Marine Corps. Serving on land and at sea, these first Marines distinguished themselves in a number of important operations, including their first amphibious raid into the Bahamas in March 1776, under the command of Captain (later Major) Samuel Nicholas.  Since their inception, Marines have been defending the U.S. Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.  Marines have fought in all major wars engaged by the United States, from the Revolutionary War to the Gulf War.  United States Marines distinguished themselves in WW1 at places like Verdun (March through May, 1918) and Belleau Wood (2-16 June 1918, where Marines were called Teufel Hunden--"Devil Dogs"--by the Germans).

 

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                                                                        Verdun, France                                                                    Belleau Wood, France

 

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My Great Uncle, Eugene McCrory, brother of Mary Mozelle Fields, entered service with the Marines at PISC 1 June 1918 (lying about his age in order to enlist).  He served with the Marines (G Co., 11th Regiment) during WW1 in France from 26 October 1918 to 29 July 1919.  He was honorably discharged 11 August 1919.

 

Again, in WW2, the Marines were called upon to stem the tide of Japanese aggression in the Pacific.  They stormed the shores of Tarawa (where, on 20 November 1943, the survival rate for the first wave of groundpounders was 20%) and Iwo Jima (23 February 1945).

 

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                                    Elmer Geiges helping me with my rod and reel.                                                     Flag Raising, Iwo Jima

                                Mr. Geiges was one of those who fought at Iwo Jima                                                23 February 1945

 

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That's me with 1LT Clebe McClary, a Marine Vietnam War Hero

(yeah, I'm an Army Chaplain now).  Clebe told me ARMY stands for “Ain’t Real Marine Yet”

 

I served much later, from 1981-85.  It was a time of relative peace, and Ronald Reagan took advantage of the times to build the military to an indomitable and intimidating force.  This was especially important after the Vietnam War, during which politicians forced servicemembers to fight the flow of communism with one arm tied behind their back.

 

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                                                I worked with bombs and rockets                         The Koreans really appreciated us (Pohang, 1983)

                                        (and mixed a little Napalm)

 

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                                         On the Island of Ie Shima, eating                 At 29 Palms with the M-151 (developed after WW2,

                           C-Rations (Ernie Pyle died by sniper                             succeeded by the HMMWV)

                              fire on the island, 18 April 1945)

 

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Silent Drill Platoon tryouts at Yuma, AZ (1982) training with their 10 1/2 lb. M1s

 

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Silent Drill Platoon at the Iwo Jima Memorial

 

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The Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon

 

 

Feel free to contact me with comments or questions, and follow the links to recommended sites.

 

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Note:  While I make every effort to produce an error-free document, errors occasionally creep in. I would appreciate you bringing any to my attention so that I may make the necessary corrections.

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