On 10 November 1775, before the United States was yet a country,
the Continental Congress created what became the United States
Marine Corps, the resolution of that date providing for the
raising of two battalions of Marines. Legend has it that the
first Marine recruiting post was in a bar (most say Tun Tavern
in Philadelphia, although the precise identity of the hostelry
is in dispute). Recruiting had produced five weak companies 300
strong by December 1775, and in March of 1776 the Marines found
themselves on ships headed for the Caribbean for the first of
their many amphibious expeditions (raiding the Bahamas). The
Corps has been carrying our flags around the globe ever since,
participating with distinction in every American war (even in
the Civil War, on both sides -- there was once a Confederate
States Marine Corps). US Marines chased pirates and fought
Seminoles in Florida, took a tour of Mexico (the Halls of
Montezuma in the song), and once even patrolled rivers in China.
It is altogether typical that