The Military Family Research Institute is proud to salute the United States Marines Corps, as it celebrates the 236th anniversary of its birth.
On Nov. 10, 1775, the Continental Congress approved a resolution that called for two Marine battalions to fight for our fledgling nation’s independence at sea and on the shore. Passage of the resolution official formed the Continental Marines. In 1834, the Marines Corps came under the Department of the Navy; the two services have enjoyed a uniquely supportive relationship since then, with Navy personnel serving in the Corps as chaplains and medical personnel. Today, there are more than 240,000 active duty and reserve service members who serve in the U.S. Marine Corps. Collectively, they are parents to more than 134,000 children.
Corps values of honor, courage and commitment are as old as the Corps itself, and evident in the ways these brave men and women have served throughout our nation’s history. The Marine Corps’ motto, Semper Fidelis (“always faithful”) was adopted in 1883 and reminds Marines to remain faithful to the mission, to each other, to the Corps and to country. As we salute the Marine Corps today, MFRI vows to remain always faithful to our mission, and to military families.