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The
The official birthday of the
Prior to 1921, Marines celebrated the recreation of the Corps on 11 July with little pomp or pageantry. On 21 October 1921, Major 
The first formal ball was celebrated in 1925, though no records exist that indicate the proceedings of that event. Birthday celebrations would take varied forms, most included dances, though some accounts include mock battles, musical performances, pageants, and sporting events.
The celebrations were formalized and standardized by Commandant
File:2008 Marine Corps Birthday Cake MNF-West-081110-M-8941H-001.jpg, John F. Kelly with Multi-National Forces West in Fallujah, 2008
File:Liversedge 1943 birthday.jpg,
The United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through c ...
Birthday is an American holiday celebrated every year on 10 November with a traditional ball
A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...
and cake-cutting ceremony. On that day in 1775, the Continental Marines
The Continental Marines were the amphibious infantry of the American Colonies (and later the United States) during the American Revolutionary War. The Corps was formed by the Continental Congress on November 10, 1775 and was disbanded in 17 ...
were established.
Historical birthday
The official birthday of the United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through c ...
is on 10 November 1775. That was the day when the Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a late-18th-century meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolutionary War. The Congress was creating a new country it first named "United Colonies" and in 1 ...
established the Continental Marines
The Continental Marines were the amphibious infantry of the American Colonies (and later the United States) during the American Revolutionary War. The Corps was formed by the Continental Congress on November 10, 1775 and was disbanded in 17 ...
with the following decree:
Tun Tavern, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
, is regarded as the birthplace of the Corps as the location of the first Marines to enlist under Commandant
Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...
Samuel Nicholas
Samuel Nicholas (1744 – 27 August 1790) was the first officer commissioned in the United States Continental Marines (predecessor to the United States Marine Corps) and by tradition is considered to be the first Commandant of the Marine Cor ...
, though it is disputed if a recruiting drive may have occurred earlier at Nicholas's family tavern, the . When the Revolutionary War ended in 1783, the Continental Navy
The Continental Navy was the navy of the United States during the American Revolutionary War and was founded October 13, 1775. The fleet cumulatively became relatively substantial through the efforts of the Continental Navy's patron John Ad ...
was disestablished, and with it, the Continental Marines
The Continental Marines were the amphibious infantry of the American Colonies (and later the United States) during the American Revolutionary War. The Corps was formed by the Continental Congress on November 10, 1775 and was disbanded in 17 ...
. The Corps was re-established on 11 July 1798, when the ''act for establishing and organizing a Marine Corps'' was signed by President John Adams
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...
.
Celebration
Prior to 1921, Marines celebrated the recreation of the Corps on 11 July with little pomp or pageantry. On 21 October 1921, Major Edwin North McClellan
Edwin North McClellan (December 5, 1881 – July 25, 1971) was a United States Marine Corps officer, author, and historian. He was the first director of the Historical Section of Headquarters Marine Corps, a historigraphical organization now kno ...
, in charge of the Corps's fledgling historical section, sent a memorandum to Commandant John A. Lejeune
John Archer Lejeune (; January 10, 1867 – November 20, 1942) was a United States Marine Corps lieutenant general and the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps. Lejeune served for nearly 40 years in the military, and commanded the U.S. Army's 2n ...
, suggesting the Marines' original birthday of 10 November be declared a Marine Corps holiday to be celebrated throughout the Corps. Lejeune so ordered in Marine Corps Order 47:
The first formal ball was celebrated in 1925, though no records exist that indicate the proceedings of that event. Birthday celebrations would take varied forms, most included dances, though some accounts include mock battles, musical performances, pageants, and sporting events.
The celebrations were formalized and standardized by Commandant Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr.
Lemuel Cornick Shepherd Jr. (February 10, 1896 – August 6, 1990) was a four-star general of the United States Marine Corps. A veteran of World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, he was the 20th Commandant of the Marine Corps. As C ...
in 1952, outlining the cake cutting ceremony, which would enter the Marine Drill Manual in 1956. By tradition, the first slice of cake is given to the oldest Marine present, who in turn hands it off to the youngest Marine present, symbolizing the old and experienced Marines passing their knowledge to the new generation of Marines. The celebration also includes a reading of Marine Corps Order 47, republished every year, as well as a message from the current Commandant, and often includes a banquet and dancing if possible. In many cases, the birthday celebration will also include a pageant of current and historical Marine Corps uniforms, as a reminder of the history of the Corps. Another modern tradition includes a unit run on the 10th. Marines are reputed to celebrate the birthday, regardless of where they may be in the world, even in austere environments or combat.
In a more somber tradition, Samuel Nicholas
Samuel Nicholas (1744 – 27 August 1790) was the first officer commissioned in the United States Continental Marines (predecessor to the United States Marine Corps) and by tradition is considered to be the first Commandant of the Marine Cor ...
's grave in the Arch Street Friends Meeting graveyard in Philadelphia is marked with a wreath at dawn by a group of Marines annually on 10 November to celebrate his role in the founding of the Corps.
Gallery
Harry B. Liversedge
Brigadier General Harry Bluett Liversedge (September 21, 1894 – November 25, 1951), whose regiment figured in the historic raising the flag on Iwo Jima, was a United States Marine who died in 1951 after almost 25 years of service. His last assi ...
with the Marine Raiders
The Marine Raiders are special operations forces originally established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct amphibious light infantry warfare. " Edson's" Raiders of 1st Marine Raider Battalion and " Carlson's" Rai ...
in 1943
File:BirthdayPageant 29Palms 081104-M-6603L-046.jpg, Marine modelling a World War I-era uniform at the 2008 Birthday Pageant at MCAGCC Twentynine Palms
File:HartFA USMC 1951 TBS.jpg, Franklin A. Hart
Franklin Augustus Hart (September 16, 1894 – June 22, 1967) was a four-star general in the United States Marine Corps who served more than thirty-seven years. His varied and colorful career included service during the two World Wars, sea ...
cuts a cake for The Basic School
The Basic School (TBS) is where all newly commissioned and appointed (for warrant officers) United States Marine Corps officers are taught the basics of being an "Officer of Marines". The Basic School is located at Camp Barrett, Quantico, Vi ...
while David M. Shoup looks on in 1951. Note that this cake has candles
A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time.
A person who makes candl ...
.
File:Marine Corps Birthday 1969 - Lewis J. Fields and Wallace M. Greene.jpg, Marine Corps Birthday 1969, Marine Corps Development and Educational Center Quantico, Commanding general Lewis J. Fields cutting the cake and Commandant of the Marine Corps, Wallace M. Greene
Wallace Martin Greene Jr. (December 27, 1907 – March 8, 2003) was a United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 23rd Commandant of the Marine Corps from January 1, 1964, to December 31, 1967.
Greene served in China in the 19 ...
(on the left) looks on.
File:20091110 USMC birthday CMC's run.jpg, James T. Conway leads a unit run of Marines in 2009.
File:Marine Corps Birthday Celebration, Maui, 1944 (15532893148).jpg, Austin R. Brunelli cutting the cake with the members of the 24th Marine Regiment during the celebration of the Marine Corps Birthday in Maui, 1944.
File:Thanksgiving Cake, Guadalcanal, 1942 (8161922801).jpg, William W. Stickney cuts a Thanksgiving cake with a Japanese officer's sword at Guadalcanal, as hungry Leathernecks look on
File:Marine Corps Birthday Celebration, Parris Island, 1953 (15100214223).jpg, Merwin H. Silverthorn cuts the Marine Corps Birthday Cake in 1953 at MCRD Parris Island.
See also
*Culture of the United States Marine Corps
The culture of the United States Marine Corps is widely varied but unique amongst the branches of the United States Armed Forces. Because members of the United States Marine Corps are drawn from across the United States (and resident aliens from ...
* History of the United States Marine Corps
The history of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) begins with the founding of the Continental Marines on 10 November 1775 to conduct ship-to-ship fighting, provide shipboard security and discipline enforcement, and assist in landing forces ...
References
*External links
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:United States Marine Corps Birthday Ball Birthday ball, United States Marine Corps United States Marine Corps in the 18th and 19th centuries Balls in the United States