As The Magic of “A Few Good Men” notes, the Marines were founded 231 years ago, today:
Born in an old Philadelphia alehouse, with the barkeep as its first officer, the fledgling Continental Marine Corps was composed of a motley band of adventurers and street toughs; nothing like the 178,000-plus elite U.S. Marine Corps we know today. But somewhere along the way the proverbial formula was discovered. According to tradition — and in Lt. Gen. Victor H. “Brute” Krulak’s book, First to Fight — Marines started telling themselves they were the best. They started believing it, and they’ve been busy proving it ever since.
Often the other services argue that we don’t need a separate Marine Corps, but sometimes they show their respect:
“The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle.”— U.S. Army Gen. John J. “Black Jack” Pershing“The safest place in Korea was right behind a platoon of Marines. Lord, how they could fight!”— U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Frank Lowe
“Marines have it [pride] and benefit from it. They are tough, cocky, sure of themselves and their buddies. They can fight, and they know it.”— U.S. Army Gen. Mark Clark
“Marines I see as two breeds, Rottweilers or Dobermans, because Marines come in two varieties, big and mean, or skinny and mean. They’re aggressive on the attack and tenacious on defense. They’ve got really short hair and they always go for the throat.” — Rear Admiral Jay Stark, U.S. Navy
“[U.S.] Marines have the swagger, confidence, and hardness that must have been in Stonewall Jackson’s Army of the Shenandoah.” — A British military officer in a report to his command after visiting U.S. Marines in Korea