Colonial Campaigns Club (CCC)

November 10, 1775


During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress passes a
resolution stating that "two Battalions of Marines be raised" for
service as landing forces for the recently formed Continental Navy.
The resolution, drafted by future U.S. president John Adams and
adopted in Philadelphia, created the Continental Marines and is now
observed as the birth date of the United States Marine Corps.

Serving on land and at sea, the original U.S. Marines distinguished
themselves in a number of important operations during the
Revolutionary War. The first Marine landing on a hostile shore
occurred when a force of Marines under Captain Samuel Nicholas
captured New Province Island in the Bahamas from the British in March
1776. Nicholas was the first commissioned officer in the Continental
Marines and is celebrated as the first Marine commandant. After
American independence was achieved in 1783, the Continental Navy was
demobilized and its Marines disbanded.

In the next decade, however, increasing conflict at sea with
Revolutionary France led the U.S. Congress to establish formally the
U.S. Navy in May 1798. Two months later, on July 11, President John
Adams signed the bill establishing the U.S. Marine Corps as a
permanent military force under the jurisdiction of the Department of
Navy. U.S. Marines saw action in the so-called Quasi-War with France
and then fought against the Barbary pirates of North Africa during the
first years of the 19th century. Since then, Marines have participated
in all the wars of the United States and in most cases were the first
soldiers to fight. In all, Marines have executed more than 300
landings on foreign shores.

Today, there are more than 200,000 active-duty and reserve Marines,
divided into three divisions stationed at Camp Lejeune, North
Carolina; Camp Pendleton, California; and Okinawa, Japan. Each
division has one or more expeditionary units, ready to launch major
operations anywhere in the world on two weeks' notice. Marines
expeditionary units are self-sufficient, with their own tanks,
artillery, and air forces. The motto of the service is Semper Fidelis,
meaning "Always Faithful" in Latin.