Culture of the United States Marine Corps The Culture of the United States Marine Corps is widely varied , but unique amongst the branches of the United States armed forces . Because its members are drawn from across the United States ( and resident aliens from other nations ) , it is as varied as each individual Marine , but tied together with core values and traditions passed from generation to generation of Marines . As in any military organization , the official and unofficial traditions of the Marine Corps serve to reinforce camaraderie and set the service apart from others . The Corps ' embracement of its rich culture and history is cited as a reason for its high " esprit de corps " . Official traditions and customs . Many traditions and customs of the Corps are officially recognized through orders , histories , and ceremonies ; some are even embodied within the uniform itself . Core values . The Marine Corps Core Values of Honor , Courage , and Commitment have gained increased prominence in recent years . As an emphasis on performing morally on and off duty , the concept of core values has been infiltrated into many aspects of Marine life , beginning in recruit training and continuing into combat . These " warrior ethos " provide guidance to Marines in difficult ethics situations and as a reminder to provide good order and discipline . Marines ' Hymn . The Marines ' Hymn dates back to the 19th century and is the oldest official song in the U . S . Armed Forces . It embraces some of the most important battles of the Corps at that time , including Chapultepec and Derna . Subtle changes and unofficial verses have been added as the history of the Corps grew . Eagle , Globe , and Anchor . The official Marine Corps emblem is the Eagle , Globe , and Anchor , sometimes abbreviated " EGA " . Adopted in its present form in 1868 by Commandant Jacob Zeilin , it derives partially from ornaments worn by the Continental Marines and the British Royal Marines , and is usually topped with a ribbon reading " Semper Fidelis " . The original eagle was a Crested Eagle found in the Americas , not the bald eagle that appears in the current emblem . The eagle stands on the Western Hemisphere and holds in its beak a scroll bearing the motto " Semper Fidelis , " though the scroll is sometimes omitted from uniform insignia . An anchor fouled with rope stands behind the globe , and while it generally points to the left , it can be found reversed when paired so that the anchors continually face the other . The eagle stands for a proud country , the globe signifies worldwide service , and the fouled anchor signifies naval tradition . The use of the emblem became official when the seal was adopted in 1955 . Seal & colors . On June 22 , 1954 , President Dwight D . Eisenhower signed an Executive Order , which approved the design of an official seal for the United States Marine Corps . The new seal had been designed at the request of the Commandant Lemuel C . Shepherd , Jr . The new seal consisted of the traditional Marine Corps Eagle , Globe , and Anchor emblem in bronze ; however , an American bald eagle replaced the Crested Eagle depicted on the 1868 emblem , and is depicted with wings displayed , standing upon the western hemisphere of the terrestrial globe , and holding in his beak a scroll inscribed with the Marine Corps motto " " Semper Fidelis " " with the hemisphere superimposed on a fouled anchor . The seal is displayed on a scarlet background encircled with a Navy blue band edged in a gold rope rim and inscribed " Department of the Navy , United States Marine Corps " in gold letters . Coincident with the approval of this seal by the President , the Eagle , Globe , and Anchor emblem centered on the seal was adopted in 1955 as the official Marine Corps Emblem . The blue signifies naval ties , while the scarlet and gold are the official Marine Corps colors . They appear ubiquitously in the Marine Corps , particularly on signage . They also form the base colors of the flag of the United States Marine Corps . Motto . The Marine motto " " Semper Fidelis " " means " always faithful " in Latin . This motto often appears in the shortened form " Semper Fi " . It is also the name of the official march of the Corps , composed by John Phillip Sousa . It was adopted in 1883 when Commandant Charles McCawley added it to the seal , before which the traditional mottos were " " Fortitudine " " ( With Fortitude ) ; " " By Sea and by Land " " , a translation of the Royal Marines ' " " Per Mare , Per Terram " " ; and " " To the Shores of Tripoli " " , which was later revised to " " From the Halls of the Montezumas to the Shores of Tripoli " " and formed the first lines of the Marines ' Hymn . The recruiting slogan of " A Few Good Men " ( as opposed to the play and film ) derives from a Continental Marines recruiting poster : The modern recruiting slogan is " the few , the proud , the Marines . " The Rifleman ' s Creed is a similar concept as the motto , but offers a more modern look at doctrine . It explains to a recruit the importance of his or her weapon but also emphasizes the moral motivations behind using it . Swords . Two styles of swords are worn by Marines . The Marine Corps officers ' sword is a Mameluke Sword , similar to the Persian shamshir presented to Lt . Presley O ' Bannon after the Battle of Derna during the First Barbary War . After its adoption in 1825 and initial distribution in 1826 , Mameluke Swords have been worn by Marine officers ever since , except during the period 1859 – 1875 , when they were required to wear the Army ' s Model 1850 - foot officers ' sword . Upon returning to the traditional sword , many officers gave their Army swords to their senior noncommissioned officer , creating the basis for the NCO sword . Generally , Marines are the only branch where enlisted members regularly carry a sword ( the Army authorizes platoon and first sergeants to carry a Model 1840 sword during some ceremonies , while the Chief of Naval Operations authorized Chief Petty Officer s and above to carry an optional ceremonial cutlass with dress uniforms in 2010 ) . Birthday . The Marine Corps Birthday is celebrated every year on 10 November , when the Second Continental Congress raised two battalions of Marines . Tun Tavern is regarded as the location of the first Marines to enlist under Commandant Samuel Nicholas . Prior to 1921 , Marines celebrated the July 11 , 1798 recreation of the Corps ( having been disbanded following the end of the Revolutionary War ) with little fanfare . Then , Marine Corps Order 47 was published by Commandant John A . Lejeune : The celebrations were formalized by Commandant Lemuel C . Shepherd , Jr . in 1952 , outlining the cake cutting ceremony , which would enter the Marine Drill Manual in 1956 . By tradition , the first slice of cake is given to the oldest Marine present , who in turn hands it off to the youngest Marine present , symbolizing the old and experienced Marines passing their knowledge to the new generation of Marines . Lejeune ' s message is also republished annually . Drill & ceremonies . Close Order Drill is heavily emphasized early on in a Marine ' s training . Formal ceremonies , such as the Marine Corps Birthday Ball , a change of command , or a retirement , will almost always incorporate some form of close order drill . The Marine Corps uses close order drill to teach discipline by instilling habits of precision and automatic response to orders , increase the confidence of junior officers and noncommissioned officers through the exercise of command and give Marines an opportunity to handle individual weapons . The Mess Night is a borrowed tradition of ceremonial dining . Originally a British Army tradition , it has become an honored tradition of enjoying drink , good food , and fellowship with a Marine ' s comrades , as well as honoring those who have perished in battle . History . Marines have a high reverence for their history , indoctrinating recruits and continually expanding the topic in the professional education Marines attend throughout their careers . The History Division , a subunit of the Training and Education Command , records , archives , researches , analyzes , and presents the history of the Corps . Several Marine Corps museums have been established , most notably the National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico , Virginia . Additional Marine history can be found at the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum , the MCRD San Diego Command Museum , the Marine Corps Air - Ground Museum , the Marine Corps Legacy Museum , the Parris Island Museum , the WWII / Korea LVT Museum , and the Waterhouse Museum . Memorials also serve as a way to preserve history . One of the most iconic memorials is the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery , a statue recreated from the iconic photo " Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima " . Other memorials to Marines ( sometimes including other services ) include the two of the many statues named Iron Mike ( Belleau , France and Parris Island , South Carolina ) , the USS Arizona Memorial , Navy – Marine Corps Memorial Stadium at the United States Naval Academy , as well as many period specific military memorial around the country where Marines participated in fighting , such as the National World War II Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial . Unofficial traditions and customs . The Corps has many unofficial traditions , promulgated by many Marines and some Marine - based organizations ( such as the Marine Corps League , Marine Corps Association , and Young Marines ) or media ( such as the " Marine Corps Gazette " , " Leatherneck " Magazine , or " Marine Corps Times " ) . Nicknames . Marines have been given many generic nicknames : Veteran Marines . The ethos that " " Once a Marine , Always a Marine " " has led to the objection to the use of the term " ex - Marine , " leading to a myriad of forms of address for those no longer on active duty : Physical fitness and martial arts . The Marine Corps places a high institutional value on physical readiness , preparing the individual ' s body for the rigors of combat . Mandatory participation in three hours weekly of Physical exercise , termed " Physical Training " or PT , is considered a minimum starting point ; further fitness is rewarded by better evaluation scores , which increase promotability , as well as benefits for winning athletic competitions . In addition , height and weight standards and body fat percentage ensure that Marines are fit and present a good military appearance . Chronic lack of physical fitness can be grounds for administrative punishment , and even discharge in extreme situations . The Physical Fitness Test is performed annually to assess a Marine ' s fitness , and higher scores weigh in his or her favor for promotions . To encourage physical training , Commandant James T . Conway has authorized a new physical training uniform based on a tracksuit and the development of the Combat Fitness Test to better simulate the specific stressors of combat . For decades , Marines learned a variety of martial arts and other methods of hand - to - hand combat , but these were irregular processes that varied greatly from unit to unit and from time to time . Eventually , the Corps solidified its various teachings into the LINE combat system , but its inherent inflexibility was evident . In 2001 , the Marine Corps initiated a new program , called Marine Corps Martial Arts Program ( MCMAP ) . Due to an expectation that urban and police - type peacekeeping missions would become more common in the 21st century , placing Marines in even closer contact with unarmed civilians , MCMAP was implemented to provide Marines with a larger and more versatile set of less - than - lethal options for controlling hostile , but unarmed individuals . It is also a stated aim of the program to instill and maintain the " Warrior Ethos " within Marines . The Marine Corps Martial Arts program is an eclectic mix of different styles of martial arts melded together and consists of boxing movements , joint locking techniques , opponent weight transfer ( Jujitsu ) , ground grappling ( mostly wrestling ) , bayonet , knife and baton fighting , non - compliance joint manipulations , and blood restriction chokes . Marines begin MCMAP training in boot camp , earning the first of five belts . Marines in the public eye . The Marine Corps , like any other branch of the military , is most visible by the public through public affairs organs and several presentation units . Dedication to proficiency in drill is a hallmark of the Silent Drill Platoon , Marine Band , and the Drum and Bugle Corps . In addition , the Corps released periodic recruiting commercials , often about one annually . The traditional tagline for the commercials is " The Few , The Proud , The Marines . " While Marines do not have installations across the United States ( unlike the Army and Air Force , Marine installations are concentrated in California , North Carolina , and the national capitol region ) , the direct link for most Americans to the Corps is the Marine recruiter , often recognizable in the Dress Blue uniform . Marines also make popular subjects for works of fiction . The Marine Corps has been depicted on many films , television shows , innumerable books , and even video games . Since 2001 , Gallup poll s have asked " Which of the four major branches of the armed forces are the most prestigious ? " , it revealed every year of its poll , that the American public regards the Corps as the most prestigious of the four branches of the armed forces of the Department of Defense , though it did not score well when ranked by importance until it tied the Army and Air Force in 2004 , an increase attributed to the Iraq War .