On November 10, we celebrate the US Marine Corps birthday.
Every year, the United States Marine Corps celebrates its establishment in 1775 with a traditional ball and a cake cutting ceremony. The first Marine Corps ball was held in 1925 and included dinner, cake, and entertainment.
Continental Marines
The US Marines began as the Continental Marines in 1775. The Second Continental Congress assigned two battalions of Marines to serve alongside the Continental Navy as landing forces. After the Revolutionary War, it was decided to dismantle the Continental Navy, and consequently, the Continental Marines. The United States Marine Corps was later officially re-established.
Today, the U.S. Marine Corps has roughly 180,000 active duty personnel deployed in the Pacific, South America, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Though it is has the least personnel of any branch of the United States Armed Forces, in comparison to most other militaries around the world, the U.S. Marine Corps is huge.
Continental Marines land at New Providence during the Battle of Nassau, the first amphibious landing of the Marine Corps, during the revolution.
Flying the Marine Corps Flag Outdoors
The Department of Defense Directive 1005.8 asserts the order of precedence of military personnel, which we can safely assume mirrors that of military flags on an Outdoor Flagpole. That order is as follows: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. However, the Coast Guard Flag moves up right behind Navy when the Coast Guard operates as a service of the Department of the Navy during a time of war. As of this writing, the D.O.D. Directive has not been updated to include the Space Force flag (current as of 2003).
The recent addition of the Space Force flag has, therefore, generated some confusion. Most visible examples show the Space Force flag placed between the Air Force and Coast Guard flags. However, though it meets with historic precedent and follows the same guiding reasoning, this precedence has not been documented in writing that we have found.
In a mandatory directive from the Secretary of The Air Force (downloadable here) in August of 2020, the Space Force flag is ordered to be flown in the sixth position, after the Coast Guard flag (as pictured throughout our website).
When the flags are being flown on multiple Outdoor Flagpoles, the American Flag should always be flown first in line. If you are flying the Marine Corps Flag on the same pole as your American Flag, it should be of equal size or smaller and flown below the American Flag.
Displaying the Marine Corps Flag Indoors
When displaying Military Ceremonial Flags, the order of precedence remains the same as when they are displayed outdoors. The American Ceremonial Flag is always displayed first in the order. It’s also important to remember that when a Military Ceremonial flag is presented by a color guard, either indoors, during a parade, or on the playing field, a Parade Carry Belt must be worn.
Military Desk Flags and sets are another way to show your support for U.S. Armed Forces. Desk flags are small and versatile; they can be displayed on a podium, a desk, or even a window sill. These small flags can also be waved during a parade or celebration for the U.S. Marine Corps Birthday.
100% American-Made Ceremonial United States Military flags from LIBERTY FLAGS, The American Wave®
Photo Call!
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Have a great day, from your friends at LIBERTY FLAGS, The American Wave®.
