Click here to shop for Marine Corps Birthday items in our EGA Store, where 100% of the proceeds fund the outreach programs that support the Marines and their families.
Talk about this on Marine Family Network!
The Marine Corps Birthday is one of the most celebrated traditions of the Corps. Each year on November 10th, Marines
across the globe celebrate what they see as their second birthday, the day the United States Marine Corps was born.
The tradition runs deep. For years Marines have been telling each other "Happy Birthday" on November 10th and attending
Marine Corps Birthday balls in various cities all over the world. Each birthday, the Commandant of the Corps reads his
"Birthday Message" to all Marines, and they "reflect upon the legacy of [the] Corps and upon the awesome responsibilities
lying ahead." (Warrior Culture of the U.S. Marines by Marion F. Sturkey)
The Marine Corps Birthday is a day of pride and respect for the Corps, and it is one to be honored and celebrated.
Every fall, Marine Parents and The Care Package Project run a Marine Corps Birthday Campaign to collect birthday cards and "gifts" to send in birthday-themed care packages for deployed Marines. This year the campaign will run from September 1st to October 29th. Click here to learn how you can take part in the Marine Corps Birthday celebration!
The History
Dating back to the Phoenicians and Greeks around 500 BC, fighting men on ships have served as
boarding parties and infantry while securing land bases and harbors. In 1664, the British Admiralty named it's soldiers of the sea the “Regiment of Marines.”
In the developing American colonies the new Continental Congress met at Tun Tavern
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On 10 November 1775 while in session in the tavern the
new congress resolved:
...That two Battalions of Marines be raised consisting of one Colonel, two Lieutenant
Colonels, two Majors & Officers as usual in other regiments; that they consist of an equal number of
privates with other battalions; that particular care be taken that no person be appointed to office or
enlisted into said Battalions, but such as are good seamen, or so acquainted with maritime affairs as to
be able to serve to advantage by sea.
These new Continental Marines set up their recruiting station in Tun Tavern. Led by their
Commandant, in March 1776 they conducted their first amphibious assault against the British in the
Bahamas. Continental Marines fought as naval infantry and as expeditionary forces throughout the
Revolutionary War.
On 11 July 1778 the new U.S. Congress passed “An Act for Establishing and Organizing a Marine
Corps”:
SECTION 1: Be it enacted by the Seante of the House of Representatives of the United
States of America, in Congress assembled, that in addition to the present military establishment, there
shall be raised and organized a corps of marines, which shall consist of one major, four captains,
sixteen first-lieutenants, twelve second-lieutenants, forty-eight sergeants, forty-eight corporals, thirty-
two drums and fifes, and seven-hundred and twenty privates, including the marines who have been
enlisted, or are authorized to be raised, for the naval armament, and the said corps may be formed into
as many companies, or detachments, as the President of the United States shall direct, with a proper
distribution of the commissioned and non-commissioned officers and musicians to each company or
detachment.
This act formally established the U.S. Marine Corps. Since that time over 200 years ago, Marines
have conducted over 300 assaults on foreign shores. Marines have been first to fight in thousands of
campaigns around the world.
Marine Corps Birthday Message
In 1921, the thirteenth Commandant of the Marine Corps, MGen. John A. Lejeune, issued Marine
Corps Order No. 47. This order summarized the history, mission and traditions of the Marine Corps
and was to be read to all Marine commands throughout the world each year on the 10th of November.
It is now referred to as the Marine Corps Birthday Message, and it is presented to Marines by the Commandant of the Marine Corps.
Marine Corps Birthday Ball
The first Marine Corps Birthday Ball took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1925. Like the
Marine Corps itself, the Birthday Ball has evolved over the years as traditions were created, from
simple origins into the polished ceremony that it is today.
Click here to view a slideshow of photos from a 2010 Marine Corps Birthday ball held in San Diego, CA, that a few of our volunteers attended on behalf of Purple Heart Family Support.
Click here to shop for Marine Corps Birthday items in our EGA Store, where 100% of the proceeds fund the outreach programs that support the Marines and their families.
Source: Warrior Culture of the U.S. Marines by Marion F. Sturkey
