United States Marine Corps

==Culture==
{{main|Culture of the United States Marine Corps}}

===Official traditions and customs===
As in any military organization, the official and unofficial traditions of the Marine Corps serve to reinforce camaraderie and set the service apart from others. The Corps's embrace of its rich culture and history is cited as a reason for its high ''esprit de corps''.<ref name="Estes"/> An important part of the Marine Corps culture is the traditional seafaring [[Glossary of nautical terms|naval terminology]] derived from its history with the Navy. "Marines" are not "soldiers" or "sailors".<ref name="DCNT925052">{{cite news|date=25 September 2005|title=Don't call a Marine a soldier or sailor|work=The News-Times|location=Danbury, CT|url=http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Don-t-call-a-Marine-a-soldier-or-sailor-62554.php|url-status=live|access-date=26 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525180208/http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Don-t-call-a-Marine-a-soldier-or-sailor-62554.php|archive-date=25 May 2017}}</ref>

[[File:Flags, USMC.png|thumb|alt=color artwork of an Eagle, Globe, and Anchor over crossed American and Marine flags|The Eagle, Globe and Anchor along with the U.S. flag, the Marine Corps flag and the Commandant's flag]]
The ''Marine Corps emblem'' is the [[Eagle, Globe, and Anchor]], sometimes abbreviated "EGA", adopted in 1868.<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Marine Corps Emblem|publisher=U.S. Marine Corps|url=http://www.uspharmd.com/usmc/mcega.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080107114803/http://www.uspharmd.com/usmc/mcega.htm|archive-date= 7 January 2008}}</ref> The Marine Corps seal includes the emblem, also is found on the [[flag of the United States Marine Corps]], and establishes scarlet and gold as the official colors.<ref name=Customs_EmblemSeal>{{cite web|access-date= 11 October 2008|url=http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/HD/Customes_Traditions/Emblem_Seal.htm|title= Marine Corps Emblem and Seal|work= Customs and Traditions|publisher= Reference Branch, History Division, United States Marine Corps|url-status = dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070219202302/http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/HD/Customes_Traditions/Emblem_Seal.htm|archive-date= 19 February 2007|df= dmy-all}}</ref> The Marine motto ''[[Semper Fidelis]]'' means ''Always Faithful'' in [[Latin]], often appearing as ''Semper Fi''. The ''[[Marines' Hymn]]'' dates back to the 19th century and is the oldest official song in the United States armed forces. ''Semper Fi'' is also the name of the [[Semper Fidelis (march)|official march of the Corps]], composed by [[John Philip Sousa]]. The mottos ''"Fortitudine"'' (With Fortitude); ''By Sea and by Land'', a translation of the [[Royal Marines]]' ''Per Mare, Per Terram''; and ''To the Shores of Tripoli'' were used until 1868.<ref name="Customs2">{{cite web|title=USMC Customs and Traditions|url=http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/hd/historical/Customs_and_Traditions.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070304212218/http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/hd/historical/Customs_and_Traditions.htm|archive-date=4 March 2007|publisher=History Division, U.S. Marine Corps}}</ref> {{listen|filename=Marines' Hymn (1944), by the Boston Pops.ogg|title=Marines' Hymn|description=The "Marines' Hymn" performed in 1944 by the Boston Pops.}}

{{listen|filename=John_Philip_Sousa_-_U.S._Marine_Band_-_Semper_Fidelis_March.ogg|title=Semper Fidelis March
|description=[[John Philip Sousa]]'s "[[Semper Fidelis (march)|Semper Fidelis March]]", the official march of the U.S. Marine Corps. Performed by the U.S. Marine Band in June 1909.}}

Two styles of swords are worn by marines: the officers' [[Mameluke Sword]], similar to the Persian [[shamshir]] presented to Lt. [[Presley O'Bannon]] after the [[Battle of Derna (1805)|Battle of Derna]], and the [[United States Marine Corps noncommissioned officer's sword|Marine NCO sword]].<ref name="ChenowethNihart" /> The [[United States Marine Corps birthday ball|Marine Corps Birthday]] is celebrated every year on 10 November in a cake-cutting ceremony where the first slice of cake is given to the oldest marine present, who in turn hands it off to the youngest marine present. The celebration includes a reading of Commandant [[John A. Lejeune|Lejeune's]] Birthday Message.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.mcu.usmc.mil/historydivision/Pages/Customs_Traditions/Birthday_Celebration.aspx |title= Marine Corps Birthday Celebration |publisher= USMC History Division |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070806095953/http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/HD/Historical/Customes_Traditions/Birthday_Celebration.htm |archive-date= 6 August 2007 |df= dmy-all}}</ref> Close Order Drill is heavily emphasized early on in a marine's initial training, incorporated into most formal events, and is used to teach discipline by instilling habits of precision and automatic response to orders, increase the confidence of junior officers and noncommissioned officers through the exercise of command and give marines an opportunity to handle individual weapons.<ref>{{cite web
 |title=Drill a Platoon Sized Unit
 |work=Student Handout
 |publisher=Marine Corps University
 |url=http://www.iiimef.usmc.mil/medical/FMF/FMFE/FMFEref/SC_0503_SH_Drill_(Platoon).doc
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070710044843/http://www.iiimef.usmc.mil/medical/FMF/FMFE/FMFEref/SC_0503_SH_Drill_%28Platoon%29.doc
 |archive-date=10 July 2007
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>

===Unofficial traditions and customs===
[[File:Teufel Hunden US Marines recruiting poster.jpg|thumb|upright|A recruiting poster making use of the "Teufel Hunden"{{sic}} nickname|alt=cartoon of a bulldog wearing a Marine helmet chasing a dachshund wearing a German helmet, the poster reads "Teufelhunden: German nickname for U.S. Marines. Devil Dog recruiting station, 628 South State Street"]]

Marines have several generic nicknames:
* ''[[Devil Dog]]:'' German soldiers during the First World War said that at [[Battle of Belleau Wood|Belleau Wood]] the marines were so vicious that the German infantrymen called them Teufel Hunden – 'devil dogs'.<ref>{{cite book|title=U.S. Marine Guidebook |page=37 |publisher=United states Marine Corps|year=2010|chapter=Marine Corps History, Customs, and Courtesies|isbn=978-1-60239-941-9 |quote=Marines fought like teufel hunden, legendary wild, devil dogs that at one time roamed the forests of northern Germany}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Walking Point: American Narratives of Vietnam |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/walkingpointamer0000myer |chapter-url-access=registration |last=Myers|first=Thomas|page=[https://archive.org/details/walkingpointamer0000myer/page/114 114] |publisher=Oxford University Press, USA|year=1988|chapter=Hearts of Darkness|isbn=978-0-19-505351-7 |quote=He reminds his charges that "at Belleau Wood the Marines were so vicious that the German infantrymen called them Teufel-Hunden – 'devil dogs'}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=To Lead by the Unknowing, to Do the Unthinkable|page= 5|first=Michael|last= Waseleski|year=2009|quote=the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments earned the nickname of "Teufel Hunden" (devil dog) by the Germans in World War I during the 1918 Château-Thierry campaign near the French village of Bouresches, the Battle of Belleau Wood|isbn=978-1-4389-5676-3|publisher=AuthorHouse}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.6thmarines.marines.mil/Units/1st-Battalion/History/|title=6th Marine Regiment > Units > 1st Battalion > History|website=www.6thmarines.marines.mil|access-date=20 May 2019|archive-date=4 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804164709/https://www.6thmarines.marines.mil/Units/1st-Battalion/History/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''Gyrene:'' commonly used between fellow marines.<ref>{{cite book|title=FUBAR F***ed Up Beyond All Recognition: Soldier Slang of World War II |last=Rottman|first=Gordon |page=49|publisher=Osprey Publishing|year=2011|chapter=GI and Gyrene Jargon US Army and Marine Corps Slang|isbn= 978-1-84908-653-0 |quote=based on Chinese pronunciation of Marine}}</ref>
* ''[[Leatherneck]]:'' refers to a leather collar formerly part of the Marine uniform during the Revolutionary War period.<ref>{{cite book|title=U.S. Marine Guidebook |page=37 |publisher=United states Marine Corps|year=2010|chapter=Marine Corps History, Customs, and Courtesies|isbn=978-1-60239-941-9 |quote=In 1804 the Secretary of the Navy ordered Marines to wear black leather stock collars when on duty}}</ref>
* ''Jarhead'' has several oft-disputed explanations.<ref>{{cite book|title=FUBAR F***ed Up Beyond All Recognition: Soldier Slang of World War II |last=Rottman|first=Gordon |page=51|publisher=Osprey Publishing|year=2011|chapter=GI and Gyrene Jargon US Army and Marine Corps Slang|isbn= 978-1-84908-653-0 |quote=Most likely it was the pillbox cap and high stiff collar making a Marine appear similar to a Mason jar}}</ref>
* ''[[Crayon-eater]]:'' A self-deprecating term originating in the 2010s, playing off of a stereotype of Marines as unintelligent.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hauptman |first1=Max |date=5 January 2023 |title=When did Marines really start eating crayons: An investigation |work=[[Task & Purpose]] |url=https://taskandpurpose.com/culture/marines-eat-crayons-joke-history/ |access-date=19 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Snow |first1=Shawn |title=Hey, crayon eaters, these M27 rifles are built to be 'Marine proof' Heckler & Koch says in viral post |url=https://www.militarytimes.com/newsletters/good-news-report/2019/02/21/hey-crayon-eaters-these-m27-rifles-are-built-to-be-marine-proof-heckler-koch-says-in-viral-post/ |access-date=20 August 2023 |work=[[Military Times]] |date=21 February 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

Some other unofficial traditions include mottos and exclamations:
* ''[[Oorah]]'' is common among marines, being similar in function and purpose to the Army, Air Force, and Space Force's [[hooah]] and the Navy's [[hooyah]] cries. Many possible [[Etymology|etymologies]] have been offered for the term.<ref>{{cite web
 |last=Hiresman III
 |first=LCpl. Paul W
 |title=The meaning of 'Oorah' traced back to its roots
 |work=Marine Corps News
 |publisher=United States Marine Corps
 |url=http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/0/5e9ec5069a2612df85256fea0055d070?OpenDocument&Highlight=2,Oorah
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224075640/http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/0/5e9ec5069a2612df85256fea0055d070?OpenDocument&Highlight=2%2COorah
 |archive-date=24 December 2007
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>
* ''[[Semper fidelis|Semper Fi]]'' is a common greeting among serving and veteran marines.
* ''Improvise, Adapt and Overcome'' has become an adopted mantra in many units.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Marine Corps Way: Using Maneuver Warfare to Lead a Winning Organization |last=Santamaria|first=Jason A.|last2= Martino|first2= Vincent |last3= Clemons|first3=Eric K. |page=149|publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional|year=2005|isbn= 978-0-07-145883-2 |quote=Long before Hollywood popularized it, Marines used the phrase to reflect their preference for being a fluid, loosely reined force that could spontaneously react to rapidly changing situations, rather than a rigid outfit that moved in a specific direction with a precise plan.}}</ref>

=== Negative associations ===
In spite of any association or tangible evidence of extremism in the current culture of the Marine Corps, the Marines had two short associations in their ranks, particularly with [[White supremacy]]. In 1976 the Camp Pendleton Chapter of the [[Ku Klux Klan]] had over 100 members and was headed by an active duty marine, more accurately the Chapter had over 100 members but not all of those 100 members were active duty Marines. In 1986, a number of marines were implicated in the theft of weapons for the [[White Patriot Party]]. While the sale of the weapons was to a supremacist organization it was never verified that the marines were actual members of the organization. Although similar affiliation there is not evidence of correlation from the event in the 1976 to the events recorded in 1986. The USMC, along with the rest of the military, has since made a serious effort to address extremism in the ranks.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Askew |first1=Simone |last2=Lowe |first2=Jack |last3=Monaus |first3=Nette |last4=Cooper |first4=Kirsten L. |title=We've Been Here Before: Learning From the Military's History with White Nationalism |url=https://warontherocks.com/2021/04/weve-been-here-before-learning-from-the-militarys-history-with-white-nationalism/ |website=War on the Rocks |date=27 April 2021 |access-date=18 May 2021 |archive-date=18 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518002136/https://warontherocks.com/2021/04/weve-been-here-before-learning-from-the-militarys-history-with-white-nationalism/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Veteran marines===
The Corps encourages the idea that "marine" is an earned title, and most Marine Corps personnel take to heart the phrase, "Once a marine, Always a marine". They reject the term "ex-marine" in most circumstances. There are no regulations concerning the address of persons who have left active service, so a number of customary terms have come into common use.<ref name="Krulak"/>

===Martial arts program===
{{Main|Marine Corps Martial Arts Program}}
[[File:Marine martial arts.jpg|thumb|Marines training in martial arts]]

In 2001, the Marine Corps initiated an internally designed martial arts program, called Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP). Because of an expectation that urban and police-type [[peacekeeping]] missions would become more common in the 21st century, placing marines in even closer contact with unarmed civilians, MCMAP was implemented to provide marines with a larger and more versatile set of less-than-lethal options for controlling hostile, unarmed individuals. It is a stated aim of the program to instill and maintain the "Warrior Ethos" within marines.<ref name="Yi">Yi, Capt. Jamison, USMC. "MCMAP and the Warrior Ethos", ''Military Review'', November–December 2004.</ref> The MCMAP is an eclectic mix of different styles of martial arts melded together. MCMAP consists of punches and kicks from [[Taekwondo]] and [[Karate]], opponent weight transfer from [[Jujutsu|Jujitsu]], ground grappling involving [[joint lock]]ing techniques and [[chokehold|chokes]] from [[Brazilian jiu-jitsu]], and a mix of knife and baton/stick fighting derived from [[Arnis|Eskrima]], and elbow strikes and kick boxing from [[Muay Thai]]. Marines begin MCMAP training in boot camp, where they will earn the first of five available [[Marine Corps Martial Arts Program#Structure and belt system|belts]]. The belts begin at tan and progress to black and are worn with standard utility uniforms.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=The Few and the Proud: A Tradition of Excellence Fuels the US Marine Corps Martial Arts Program |first=Loren |last=Franck |journal=Black Belt |year=2003 |page=70 |volume=41 |issue=7}}</ref>