On November 10, 1775, the Continental Congress established the Marines. The corps grew from just under 400 enlisted in its first 30 years in existence to now more than 200,000 enlisted men and women. On November 1, 1921 Major General Commandant John A. Lejeune issued Marine Order 47 declaring November 10th as a Marine Holiday and that the order be read aloud that day and each year thereafter. In part, the order reads:
“This high name of distinction and soldierly repute we who are Marines today have received from those who preceded us in the corps. With it we have also received from them the eternal spirit which has animated our corps from generation to generation and has been the distinguishing mark of the Marines in every age. So long as that spirit continues to flourish Marines will be found equal to every emergency in the future as they have been in the past, and the men of our Nation will regard us as worthy successors to the long line of illustrious men who have served as “Soldiers of the Sea†since the founding of the Corps.â€
To all of those who proudly served in the United States Marine Corps, Happy Birthday and Semper Fi!