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"That two battalions of Marines be raised consisting of one colonel, two lieutenant colonels, two majors and officers as usual in other regiments, that they consist of an equal number of privates with other battalions; that particular care be taken that no person be appointed to office or enlisted into said battalions, but such as are good seamen, or so acquainted with maritime affairs as to be able to serve to advantage by sea."
Resolution of the Continental Congress
"The Continental ship Providence, now lying at Boston, is bound on a short cruise, immediately; a few good men are wanted to make up her complement."
Marine Captain William Jones
"A ship without Marines is like a garment without buttons."
Admiral David D. Porter
"They (Women Marines) don't have a nickname, and they don't need one. They get their basic training in a Marine atmosphere, at a Marine Post. They inherit the traditions of the Marines. They are Marines."
General Thomas Holcomb
"Goddamn it, you'll never get the Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole! Follow me!"
Colonel Henry Pierson Crowe
"Casualties many; Percentage of dead not known; Combat efficiency; we are winning."
General David Monroe Shoup
"The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years."
Secretary of Defense James Forrestal
"Among the men who fought on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue."
Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz
"The bended knee is not a tradition of our Corps."
General Alexander A. Vandergrift
"Retreat, hell! We're not retreating, we're just advancing in a different direction."
General Oliver P. Smith
"Retreat? Hell, we just got here!"
Major Lloyd W. Williams
"They told us to open up the Embassy, or 'we'll blow you away.' And then they looked up and saw the Marines on the roof with these really big guns, and they said in Somali, 'igaralli ahow,' which means 'excuse me, I didn't mean it, my mistake'."
Karen Aquilar
"There has been one persistent theme through all Axis propaganda. This theme has been that Americans are admittedly rich, that Americans have considerable industrial power – but that Americans are soft and decadent, that they cannot and will not unite and work and fight. ... Let them tell that to the Marines!"
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
"Since the birth of our nation, the steady performance of the Marine Corps in fighting America's battles has made it the very symbol of military excellence. The Corps has come to be recognized worldwide as an elite force of fighting men, renowned for their physical endurance, for their high level of obedience, and for the fierce pride they take, as individuals, in the capacity for self discipline."
Clare Boothe Luce
"Never forget those who were killed. Never let rest those who killed them."
Major Douglas A. Zembiec
"You don't really think about the enemy or death in situations where Marines are injured. The only concern is getting them evacuated. Everything else just comes natural from good training."
Gunnery Sergeant Christopher J. Clookey
"Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our Nation, will be in great shape for a long time to come as these people continue to grow and assume greater positions of responsibility."
General James T. Conway
"Regardless of facts and figures, one single message prevails: whether called a leatherneck, sea soldier or gyrene, it was the individual Marine and his rifle that made the Corps what it remains to this day, one of the world's elite fighting forces."
Gordon L. Rottman
"It's OK to have fun in the Marine Corps. I like to say we are an imperfect people working in an institution that tries to be perfect. That is a noble thing, but you have to realize there is no perfect. We're human."
General James L. Jones
"...the Marine Corps is committed to protecting your liberties and your freedoms.... If you take nothing away from this talk, I’d hope you understand and appreciate what a remarkable group of young people currently serve in your Armed Forces today. Want to know what Marine Generals talk about when we are together? We talk about what a remarkable privilege it is to lead these extraordinary Americans."
Major General Michael R. Lehnert
"We who serve, who are sent to fight wars and have nothing whatsoever to do with starting them, have never known defeat on the battlefield. When we have lost, we lost at home, and others declared defeat - not us."
Lieutenant General John F. Kelly
"And all of these together, as much as any campaign the Marine Corps has ever pursued, have brought an unrelenting, never-ceasing pride to all of us who have ever claimed the title of United States Marine"
Senator Jim Webb
"What shall I say of the gallantry with which these Marines have fought! ... I cannot write of their splendid gallantry without tears coming to my eyes."
Lieutenant General James Guthrie Harbord
"The Marines fought almost solely on esprit de corps, I was certain. It was inconceivable to most Marines that they should let another Marine down, or that they could be responsible for dimming the bright reputation of their Corps. The Marines simply assumed that they were the world's best fighting men."
Robert Sherrod
"We should never lose sight of the ethos that has made the Marine Corps – where 'every Marine is a rifleman' – one of America’s cherished institutions and one of the world’s most feared and respected fighting forces"
Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates
"A person cannot be a Marine without honor."
General Carl Epting Mundy, Jr.
"On November 10, 1775, a Corps of Marines was created by a resolution of Continental Congress. Since that date many thousand men have borne the name "Marine". In memory of them it is fitting that we who are Marines should commemorate the birthday of our Corps by calling to mind the glories of its long and illustrious history."
Lieutenant General John A. Lejeune
"A Marine is a Marine. I set that policy two weeks ago - there's no such thing as a former Marine. You're a Marine, just in a different uniform and you're in a different phase of your life. But you'll always be a Marine because you went to Parris Island, San Diego or the hills of Quantico. There's no such thing as a former Marine."
General James F. Amos
"Every Marine is, first and foremost, a rifleman. All other conditions are secondary."
General Alfred M. Gray, Jr.
"Some people work an entire lifetime and wonder if they ever made a difference to the world. But the Marines don't have that problem."
President Ronald Reagan
"I can't see how a single man could spend his time to better advantage than in the Marines."
Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph "Dan" Daly
"Come on, you sons-o'-bitches! Do you want to live forever?"
Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph "Dan" Daly