Captain Samuel Nicholas formed two battalions of Continental Marines on 10 November 1775, in Philadelphia as naval infantry.^[11] Since then, the mission of the Marine Corps has evolved with changing military doctrine and American foreign policy. The Marine Corps has served in every American armed conflict and attained prominence in the 20th century when its theories and practices of amphibious warfare proved prescient and ultimately formed the cornerstone of the Pacific campaign of World War II.^[12] By the mid-20th century, the Marine Corps had become a major theorist and practitioner of amphibious warfare.^[13][14][15] Its ability to rapidly respond on short notice to expeditionary crises gives it a strong role in the implementation and execution of American foreign policy.^[16]

The Marine Corps was founded to serve as an infantry unit aboard naval vessels and was responsible for the security of the ship and its crew by conducting offensive and defensive combat during boarding actions and defending the ship's officers from mutiny; to the latter end, their quarters on ship were often strategically positioned between the officers' quarters and the rest of the vessel. Continental Marines manned raiding parties, both at sea and ashore. America's first amphibious assault landing occurred early in the Revolutionary War on 3 March 1776 as the Marines gained control of Fort Montague and Fort Nassau, a British ammunition depot and naval port in New Providence, the Bahamas. The role of the Marine Corps has expanded significantly since then; as the importance of its original naval mission declined with changing naval warfare doctrine and the professionalization of the naval service, the Corps adapted by focusing on what was former secondary missions ashore. The Advanced Base Doctrine of the early 20th century codified their combat duties ashore, outlining the use of Marines in the seizure of bases and other duties on land to support naval campaigns.

Throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries, Marine detachments served aboard Navy cruisers, battleships and carriers. Marine detachments (generally one platoon per cruiser, a company for battleships or carriers) served their traditional duties as ship's landing force, manning the ship's weapons and providing shipboard security. Marine detachments were augmented by members of the ship's company for landing parties, such as in the First Sumatran Expedition of 1832, and continuing in the Caribbean and Mexican campaigns of the early 20th centuries. Marines would develop tactics and techniques of amphibious assault on defended coastlines in time for use in World War II.^[24] During World War II, Marines continued to serve on capital ships. They often were assigned to man anti-aircraft batteries. When gun cruisers were retired by the 1960s, the remaining Marine detachments were only seen on battleships and carriers. Its original mission of providing shipboard security finally ended in the 1990s when nuclear weapons were withdrawn from active deployment and the battleships were retired.

Source; Wikipedia

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker

Semper Fi!!!!

Many Marines, on this anniversary, are assisting those poor folks in the Philippines while others are fighting and dying in the Middle East. 

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Gene
'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton

A great big Semper Fi from an airman.

Found this on the Marine's web site.  Thought it appropriate for this thread.  Congrats to her.

Service Milestones: Combat engineer becomes first female "Gunny"

CAMP LEATHERNECK, AFGHANISTAN (Oct. 26, 2013) - Raised rough and tumble in the modest midwestern city of Mineral Point, Wis., GySgt Robin Baker came from an extended family dominated by males.

"I grew up running around and playing in the dirt like Indiana Jones," said Baker. "It was a lot of exploring, running around, and sports. I definitely wasn't afraid to get dirty. That's for sure."

It was a humble enough proving ground for the woman who would become a pioneer in one of the Marine Corps' most male-dominated specialties.

Baker, a combat engineer with Combat Logistics Regiment 2, Regional Command (Southwest), pinned on the rank of gunnery sergeant in October, midway through her deployment to Helmand province, Afghanistan.

She is the first female combat engineer to own the cherished Marine rank and title "Gunny." She's also not done with coming in first.

A brazen, unabashed advocate for the merits of simple hard work and reputation, Baker more or less stumbled upon the Marine Corps after dabbling with college.

"I was bored," she laughed, recounting how she ended up in the recruiter's office. "He showed me the recruiting video of the explosions. I was like, 'I want to do that job right there.' Luckily, I got it."

Baker entered the Marine Corps in November 2000. She spent her holiday season with other recruits at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., where her 13-year career began.

After recruit training, Baker completed her specialty training as a combat engineer and reported to her first unit at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif.

"Being in our [military specialty], you're not going to find a whole lot of females," said Baker, whose first unit boasted only four other females. "It's pretty physical, and I was doing everything the guys would do. There was no special treatment whatsoever."

Baker fell under an uncompromising microscope from the beginning. She refused to separate herself from the rigors imposed upon her male counterparts. She completed the same training, took part in the same missions, and accepted the same punishments for failure.

"When the field first opened up [for females], there was a lot of, ‘Why are you here? You can't hack. You are the weakest link,'" said Baker. "That drives me even more because I'm not. When we finish whatever it is we're doing, and I'm not the last person, and there's people behind me, I'm not the weakest link … I belong here."

She found no easy paths or simple shortcuts. She didn't even bother to look. Instead, Baker said she embraced the physically demanding work and recognized it as an opportunity to prove herself and advance.

"I was one of them," said Baker. "It makes a difference to earn respect from a group like that. Your reputation will precede you. It doesn't happen overnight. It certainly doesn't happen after a month or two. But once they realize you are there to do a job and do it professionally … they will protect you with their life."

Baker said she found a unique bond amongst her engineer peers. They relied upon each other's resilience.

"We're crazy," she proudly acknowledged. "It's being in a group of people who are your family through thick and thin and who have the same goals. Our ties are strong."

Baker attained the rank of sergeant within her first four-year enlistment and continued to push the gender expectations she faced.

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Fred
aka Pop's Shop
www.pops-shop.com
'Soooooo many patterns - sooooo little time'
Scroll Saw Forum Host