103-577: Marine Corps Air Station Eagle Mountain Lake (MCAS Eagle Mountain Lake) was a United States Marine Corps (USMC) air station that was located 23 miles (37 km) northwest of Fort Worth, Texas during World War II , next to the lake of the same name . Commissioned on 1 December 1942, the air station was originally home to the Marine Corps military glider program. When the program was cancelled in 1943
206-509: A comparatively minor role in the European theater . Nonetheless, they did continue to provide security detachments to U.S. embassies and ships, contributed personnel to small special ops teams dropped into Nazi-occupied Europe as part of Office of Strategic Services (OSS, the precursor to the CIA ) missions, and acted as staff planners and trainers for U.S. Army amphibious operations, including
309-606: A dollar a year. The field became the Air Corps Reserve Base in the Eighth Corps Area. At the beginning of World War II , the Army extended their lease to 40 years. In March 1941, the U.S. Navy began maintaining operations at the base and shortly afterward established a Naval Air Reserve Base on 160 acres (0.7 km ) adjacent to Hensley Field. In December 1941, Hensley Field became headquarters of
412-588: A message from U.S. Representative Gordon L. McDonough . McDonough had urged President Truman to add Marine representation on the Joint Chiefs of Staff . President Truman, writing in a letter addressed to McDonough, stated, "The Marine Corps is the Navy's police force and as long as I am President that is what it will remain. They have a propaganda machine that is almost equal to Stalin's ." McDonough then inserted President Truman's letter , dated 29 August 1950, into
515-470: A new hangar had been built on the site of the original World War II-era structure. As of October 2024, the facility was in operation as Kenneth Copeland Airport, owned by Kenneth Copeland Ministries , ( FAA LID : 4T2 ). The airfield has one runway : At the time, no aircraft were based at the airport, and it was not open for public use. In September of that year, the Star-Telegram reported that
618-574: A proposal to Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings and Dallas City Council members to use part of the city-owned AFRC facility as an encampment for homeless people who were being evicted from a large tent city under Interstate 45 near downtown Dallas in response to persistent complaints from Cedars residents about an over-concentration of homeless in the neighborhood. The proposed encampment—to be called Camp Dignity—would include an open-air tent camping area, tiny homes , boarding houses , fruit and vegetable gardens, and on-site work opportunities to give residents
721-781: A ship's landing force, manning the ship's weapons and providing shipboard security. Marine detachments were augmented by members of the ship's company for landing parties, such as in the First Sumatran expedition of 1832 and continuing in the Caribbean and Mexican campaigns of the early 20th centuries. Marines developed tactics and techniques of amphibious assault on defended coastlines in time for use in World War II. During World War II, Marines continued to serve on capital ships, and some were assigned to man anti-aircraft batteries. In 1950, President Harry Truman responded to
824-686: A single command provides a smoother implementation of combined-arms warfare principles. The close integration of disparate Marine units stems from an organizational culture centered on the infantry. Every other Marine capability exists to support the infantry. Unlike some Western militaries, the Corps remained conservative against theories proclaiming the ability of new weapons to win wars independently. For example, Marine aviation has always been focused on close air support and has remained largely uninfluenced by air power theories proclaiming that strategic bombing can single-handedly win wars. This focus on
927-610: A strength of 2,400 officers and 70,000 enlisted. African-Americans were entirely excluded from the Marine Corps during this conflict. Opha May Johnson was the first woman to enlist in the Marines; she joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 1918 during World War I, officially becoming the first female Marine. From then until the end of World War I, 305 women enlisted in the Corps. During the Battle of Belleau Wood in 1918,
1030-463: Is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) that integrates a ground combat element , an aviation combat element , and a logistics combat element under a common command element . While the creation of joint commands under the Goldwater–Nichols Act has improved interservice coordination between each branch, the Corps's ability to permanently maintain integrated multielement task forces under
1133-719: Is a former United States Navy Naval Air Station located on Mountain Creek Lake in southwest Dallas . The installation was established as an Army aviation center, and eventually became home to aviation assets from all the military services. In December 1998, Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) action decommissioned the naval air station ; transferred Carswell AFB to the U.S. Navy and renamed it Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth / Carswell Field; and sent Grand Prairie's Naval Air Reserve, Marine Air Reserve and Texas Air National Guard flying units (wings, groups, squadrons) to Carswell. The former NAS Dallas
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#17327973960681236-523: Is celebrated as the birthday of the Marine Corps . Nicholas was nominated to lead the Marines by John Adams . By December 1775, Nicholas raised one battalion of 300 men by recruitment in his home city of Philadelphia. In January 1776, the Marines went to sea under the command of Commodore Esek Hopkins and in March undertook their first amphibious landing, the Battle of Nassau in the Bahamas, occupying
1339-559: Is that they are of an expeditionary nature, using the mobility of the Navy to provide timely intervention in foreign affairs on behalf of American interests. The Marine Band , dubbed the "President's Own" by John Adams , provides music for state functions at the White House . Marines from Ceremonial Companies A & B, quartered in Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. , guard presidential retreats, including Camp David , and
1442-571: Is where the Union set up the artillery barrage to bombard Fort Pulaski. In April and May 1862, Marines participated in the capture and occupation of New Orleans and the occupation of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, key events in the war that helped secure Union control of the lower Mississippi River basin and denied the Confederacy a major port and naval base on the Gulf Coast . The remainder of
1545-564: The Congressional Record . Congressmen and Marine organizations reacted, calling President Truman's remarks an insult, and demanded an apology. Truman apologized to the Marine commandant at the time, writing, "I sincerely regret the unfortunate choice of language which I used in my letter of August 29 to Congressman McDonough concerning the Marine Corps." While Truman had apologized for his metaphor, he did not alter his position that
1648-515: The 38th Parallel until the 1953 armistice . During the war, the Corps expanded from 75,000 regulars to a force of 261,000 marines, mostly reservists; 30,544 marines were killed or wounded during the war, and 42 were awarded the Medal of Honor . The Marine Corps served in the Vietnam War , taking part in such battles as the Battle of Hue and the Battle of Khe Sanh in 1968. Individuals from
1751-647: The Barbary pirates , when William Eaton and First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon led 8 marines and 500 mercenaries in an effort to capture Tripoli . Though they only reached Derna , the action at Tripoli has been immortalized in the Marines' Hymn and the Mameluke sword carried by Marine officers. During the War of 1812 , Marine detachments on Navy ships took part in some of the great frigate duels that characterized
1854-574: The Continental Marines ) [REDACTED] Joint Meritorious Unit Award [REDACTED] Navy Unit Commendation [REDACTED] Valorous Unit Award [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Meritorious Unit Commendation [REDACTED] French Croix de guerre 1914–1918 [REDACTED] Philippine Presidential Unit Citation [REDACTED] Korean Presidential Unit Citation [REDACTED] Vietnam Gallantry Cross The United States Marine Corps ( USMC ), also referred to as
1957-564: The Department of State and the U.S. Marine Corps is nearly as old as the Corps itself. For over 200 years, Marines have served at the request of various Secretaries of State . After World War II , an alert, disciplined force was needed to protect American embassies, consulates, and legations throughout the world. In 1947, a proposal was made that the Department of Defense furnish Marine Corps personnel for Foreign Service guard duty under
2060-616: The F-4 Phantom II in both of its two Naval Reserve fighter squadrons and its single Marine Reserve fighter/attack squadron in the 1970s. The mid-1980s brought to the installation some of the Navy's most sophisticated aircraft, including the F-14 Tomcat and the C-9 Skytrain II . By 1990, there were 2,057 active duty personnel on the base, with an additional 6,789 part-time Reservists and Air National Guardsmen assigned to
2163-507: The First Battle of Bull Run performed poorly, retreating with the rest of the Union forces. Blockade duty included sea-based amphibious operations to secure forward bases. In early November 1861, a group of sailors and Marines landed in the towns of Port Royal and Beaufort, South Carolina. A few days later that task force captured nearby Hilton Head Island. A couple of weeks later a reconnaissance in force group captured Tybee Island. This
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#17327973960682266-681: The Haditha killings and the Hamdania incident . The Anbar Awakening and 2007 surge reduced levels of violence. The Marine Corps officially ended its role in Iraq on 23 January 2010 when it handed over responsibility for Al Anbar Province to the U.S. Army. Marines returned to Iraq in the summer of 2014 in response to growing violence there. Naval Air Station Dallas The Grand Prairie Armed Forces Reserve Complex or Grand Prairie AFRC (formerly Naval Air Station Dallas or Hensley Field )
2369-628: The Joint Chiefs of Staff on matters relating to the Marines and established the structure of three active divisions and air wings that remain today. The beginning of the Korean War (1950–1953) saw the hastily formed Provisional Marine Brigade holding the defensive line at the Pusan Perimeter . To execute a flanking maneuver , General Douglas MacArthur called on United Nations forces, including U.S. Marines, to make an amphibious landing at Inchon . The successful landing resulted in
2472-519: The Maritime Pre-Positioning System was developed: Fleets of container ships are positioned throughout the world with enough equipment and supplies for a marine expeditionary force to deploy for 30 days. Two small manuals published during the 1930s established USMC doctrine in two areas. The Small Wars Manual laid the framework for Marine counterinsurgency operations from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan while
2575-714: The National Security Act of 1947 , three primary areas of responsibility for the U.S. Marine Corps are: This last clause derives from similar language in the Congressional acts "For the Better Organization of the Marine Corps" of 1834 and "Establishing and Organizing a Marine Corps" of 1798. In 1951, the House of Representatives' Armed Services Committee called the clause "one of the most important statutory – and traditional – functions of
2678-466: The Normandy landings . By the end of the war, the Corps had expanded from two brigades to six divisions , five air wings , and supporting troops, totaling about 485,000 marines. In addition, 20 defense battalions and a parachute battalion were raised. Nearly 87,000 marines were casualties during World War II (including nearly 20,000 killed), and 82 were awarded the Medal of Honor . In 1942,
2781-617: The Republic of Vietnam Marine Corps . Marines were withdrawn in 1971 and returned briefly in 1975 to evacuate Saigon and attempt a rescue of the crew of the SS Mayaguez . Vietnam was the longest war up to that time for the Marines; by its end, 13,091 had been killed in action, 51,392 had been wounded, and 57 Medals of Honor had been awarded. Because of policies concerning rotation, more marines were deployed for service during Vietnam than World War II. While recovering from Vietnam,
2884-627: The Revolutionary War , on 3 March 1776, as the Marines gained control of Fort Montagu and Fort Nassau , a British ammunition depot and naval port in New Providence , the Bahamas. The role of the Marine Corps has expanded significantly since then; as the importance of its original naval mission declined with changing naval warfare doctrine and the professionalization of the naval service, the Corps adapted by focusing on formerly secondary missions ashore. The Advanced Base Doctrine of
2987-610: The Small Wars Manual . During World War I , Marines served as a part of the American Expeditionary Force under General John J. Pershing when America entered into the war on 6 April 1917. The Marine Corps had a deep pool of officers and non-commissioned officers with battle experience and thus experienced a large expansion. The U.S. Marine Corps entered the war with 511 officers and 13,214 enlisted personnel and by 11 November 1918 had reached
3090-838: The Tentative Landing Operations Manual established the doctrine for the amphibious operations of World War II . " Operational Maneuver from the Sea " was the doctrine of power projection in 2006. The United States Marine Corps traces its roots to the Continental Marines of the American Revolutionary War , formed by Captain Samuel Nicholas by a resolution of the Second Continental Congress on 10 November 1775, to raise two battalions of marines. This date
3193-583: The United States Department of the Navy since 30 June 1834 with its sister service, the United States Navy . The USMC operates installations on land and aboard sea-going amphibious warfare ships around the world. Additionally, several of the Marines' tactical aviation squadrons, primarily Marine Fighter Attack squadrons, are also embedded in Navy carrier air wings and operate from the aircraft carriers . The history of
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3296-629: The United States Marines , is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combined arms , implementing its own infantry , artillery , aerial , and special operations forces. The U.S. Marine Corps is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States . The Marine Corps has been part of
3399-610: The "Halls of Montezuma" in the Marines' Hymn. In fairness to the U.S. Army, most of the troops who made the final assault at the Halls of Montezuma were soldiers and not Marines. The Americans forces were led by Army General Winfield Scott . Scott organized two storming parties of about 250 men each for 500 men total including 40 marines. In the 1850s, the Marines engaged in service in Panama and Asia and were attached to Commodore Matthew Perry's East India Squadron on its historic trip to
3502-595: The "Navy's biggest contributions to the Marine Corps during WWII was the creation of the Seabees." Despite Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal 's prediction that the Marine flag raising at Iwo Jima meant "a Marine Corps for the next five hundred years", the Corps faced an immediate institutional crisis following the war because of a suddenly shrunken budget. Army generals pushing for a strengthened and reorganized defense establishment attempted to fold
3605-402: The 1990s. The Marine Corps fulfills a critical military role as an amphibious warfare force. It is capable of asymmetric warfare with conventional , irregular , and hybrid forces . While the Marine Corps does not employ any unique capabilities, as a force, it can rapidly deploy a combined-arms task force to almost anywhere in the world within days. The basic structure for all deployed units
3708-406: The 19th century was marked by declining strength and introspection about the mission of the Marine Corps. The Navy's transition from sail to steam put into question the need for Marines on naval ships. Meanwhile, Marines served as a convenient resource for interventions and landings to protect American interests overseas. The Corps was involved in over 28 separate interventions in the 30 years from
3811-705: The Afghan Campaign since 2001, the Battle of Marjah , to clear the Taliban from their key stronghold in Helmand Province. After Marjah, marines progressed north up the Helmand River and cleared the towns of Kajahki and Sangin. Marines remained in Helmand Province until 2014. U.S. Marines served in the Iraq War , along with its sister services. The I Marine Expeditionary Force , along with
3914-1100: The American withdrawal from Lebanon. In 1990, Marines of the Joint Task Force Sharp Edge saved thousands of lives by evacuating British, French and American nationals from the violence of the Liberian Civil War . During the Persian Gulf War of 1990 to 1991, Marine task forces formed for Operation Desert Shield and later liberated Kuwait, along with Coalition forces, in Operation Desert Storm. Marines participated in combat operations in Somalia (1992–1995) during Operations Restore Hope, Restore Hope II , and United Shield to provide humanitarian relief. In 1997, Marines took part in Operation Silver Wake ,
4017-549: The British port of Nassau for two weeks. On 3 January 1777, the Marines arrived at the Battle of Princeton attached to General John Cadwalader 's brigade, where they had been assigned by General George Washington ; by December 1776, Washington was retreating through New Jersey and, needing veteran soldiers, ordered Nicholas and the Marines to attach themselves to the Continental Army . The Battle of Princeton , where
4120-883: The Corps continued its record of participation in foreign expeditions, including the Philippine–American War , the Boxer Rebellion in China, Panama, the Cuban Pacifications, the Perdicaris incident in Morocco, Veracruz , Santo Domingo , and the Banana Wars in Haiti and Nicaragua ; the experiences gained in counterinsurgency and guerrilla operations during this period were consolidated into
4223-445: The Corps hit a detrimental low point in its service history caused by courts-martial and non-judicial punishments related partially to increased unauthorized absences and desertions during the war. Overhaul of the Corps began in the late 1970s, discharging the most delinquent, and once the quality of new recruits improved, the Corps focused on reforming the non-commissioned officer Corps, a vital functioning part of its forces. After
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4326-559: The Corps out for the brunt of a series of recommended cuts in late 2010. In light of budget sequestration in 2013 , General James Amos set a goal of a force of 174,000 Marines. He testified that this was the minimum number that would allow for an effective response to even a single contingency operation, but it would reduce the peacetime ratio of time at home bases to time deployed down to a historical low level. Marines and other American forces began staging in Pakistan and Uzbekistan on
4429-496: The Corps studied and developed amphibious techniques that would be of great use in World War II. Many officers, including Lieutenant Colonel Earl Hancock "Pete" Ellis , foresaw a war in the Pacific with Japan and undertook preparations for such a conflict. Through 1941, as the prospect of war grew, the Corps pushed urgently for joint amphibious exercises with the Army and acquired amphibious equipment that would prove of great use in
4532-572: The Corps took on expeditionary duties in the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico , Key West , West Africa, the Falkland Islands , and Sumatra . Commandant Henderson is credited with thwarting President Jackson's attempts to combine and integrate the Marine Corps with the Army. Instead, Congress passed the Act for the Better Organization of the Marine Corps in 1834, stipulating that the Corps was part of
4635-427: The Corps's traditional missions, the Marines have renewed an emphasis on amphibious capabilities. The Marine Corps relies on the Navy for sealift to provide its rapid deployment capabilities. In addition to basing a third of the Fleet Marine Force in Japan, Marine expeditionary units (MEU) are typically stationed at sea so they can function as first responders to international incidents. To aid rapid deployment,
4738-399: The Department of the Navy as a sister service to the Navy. Commandant Henderson volunteered the Marines for service in the Seminole Wars of 1835, personally leading nearly half of the entire Corps (two battalions) to war. A decade later, in the Mexican–American War (1846–1848), the Marines made their famed assault on Chapultepec Palace in Mexico City, which would be later celebrated as
4841-404: The Far East. The Marine Corps played a small role in the Civil War (1861–1865); their most prominent task was blockade duty. As more and more states seceded from the Union , about a third of the Corps's officers left the United States to join the Confederacy and form the Confederate States Marine Corps , which ultimately played little part in the war. The battalion of recruits formed for
4944-426: The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce hatched plans to use vacant parts of the facility as a flying school and "cross-country resort". However, in 1947 the base was instead transferred to the Texas Army National Guard , becoming a headquarters for the 49th Armored Division , and the base hospital was put to use treating polio and cerebral palsy patients from the local area. In 1959, severely deteriorated buildings at
5047-545: The Marine Corps began when two battalions of Continental Marines were formed on 10 November 1775 in Philadelphia as a service branch of infantry troops capable of fighting both at sea and on shore. In the Pacific theater of World War II , the Corps took the lead in a massive campaign of amphibious warfare, advancing from island to island . As of 2022, the USMC has around 177,200 active duty members and some 32,400 personnel in reserve . As outlined in 10 U.S.C. § 5063 and as originally introduced under
5150-489: The Marine Corps should continue to report to the Navy secretary. He made amends only by making a surprise visit to the Marine Corps League a few days later, when he reiterated, "When I make a mistake, I try to correct it. I try to make as few as possible." He received a standing ovation. When gun cruisers were retired by the end of the 1970s, the remaining Marine detachments were only seen on battleships and carriers. Its original mission of providing shipboard security ended in
5253-440: The Marine Corps". It noted that the Corps has more often than not performed actions of a non-naval nature, including its famous actions in Tripoli , the War of 1812 , Chapultepec , and numerous counterinsurgency and occupational duties (such as those in Central America, World War I , and the Korean War ). While these actions are not accurately described as support of naval campaigns nor as amphibious warfare, their common thread
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#17327973960685356-419: The Marine aircraft were destroyed, pilots continued the fight as ground officers, leading supply clerks and cooks in a final defensive effort. Flexibility of execution is implemented via an emphasis on " commander's intent " as a guiding principle for carrying out orders, specifying the end state but leaving open the method of execution. The amphibious assault techniques developed for World War II evolved, with
5459-429: The Marine mission and assets into the Navy and Army. Drawing on hastily assembled Congressional support, and with the assistance of the so-called " Revolt of the Admirals ", the Marine Corps rebuffed such efforts to dismantle the Corps, resulting in statutory protection of the Marine Corps in the National Security Act of 1947 . Shortly afterward, in 1952 the Douglas–Mansfield Act afforded the commandant an equal voice with
5562-428: The Marines along with Cadwalader's brigade were personally rallied by Washington, was the first land combat engagement of the Marines; an estimated 130 marines were present at the battle. At the end of the American Revolution, both the Continental Navy and Continental Marines were disbanded in April 1783. The institution was resurrected on 11 July 1798; in preparation for the Quasi-War with France , Congress created
5665-455: The Marines and U.S. media reported that Germans had nicknamed them Teufel Hunden, meaning " Devil Dogs " for their reputation as shock troops and marksmen at ranges up to 900 meters; there is no evidence of this in German records (as Teufelshunde would be the proper German phrase). Nevertheless, the name stuck in U.S. Marine lore. Between the World Wars , the Marine Corps was headed by Commandant John A. Lejeune , and under his leadership,
5768-432: The Marines had gained a reputation as expert marksmen , especially in defensive and ship-to-ship actions. They played a large role in the 1813 defense of Sacket's Harbor , New York and Norfolk and Portsmouth , Virginia, also taking part in the 1814 defense of Plattsburgh in the Champlain Valley during one of the final British offensives along the Canadian-U.S. border. The Battle of Bladensburg , fought 24 August 1814,
5871-554: The Marines of the Executive Flight Detachment of HMX-1 provide helicopter transport to the President and Vice President , with the radio call signs " Marine One " and "Marine Two", respectively. The Executive Flight Detachment also provides helicopter transport to Cabinet members and other VIPs . By authority of the 1946 Foreign Service Act, the Marine Security Guards of the Marine Embassy Security Command provide security for American embassies , legations , and consulates at more than 140 posts worldwide. The relationship between
5974-515: The Midwest Area of the Air Corps Ferrying Command, after Major Thomas D. Ferguson, commander of the field, was made control officer for the Middle West Area of the United States. Hensley Field was the first base of operations for the 455th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Forces . The installation became Naval Air Station Dallas on 1 January 1943. Its initial mission was to provide primary flight training for Naval Aviation Cadets destined for commissioned service as Naval Aviators in
6077-402: The Naval Air Reserve squadrons stationed at NAS Dallas was the first Naval Air Reserve squadron to be called to active service in the Korean War. The station continued to grow with the construction of newer, longer runways and jet aircraft were assigned to NAS Dallas in 1952. In 1963, the base was the first Naval Air Reserve installation to operate the F-8 Crusader until later transitioning to
6180-410: The Navy Seabees were created with the Marine Corps providing their organization and military training. Many Seabee units were issued the USMC standard issue and were re-designated "Marine". Despite the Corps giving them their military organization and military training, issuing them uniforms, and redesignating their units, the Seabees remained Navy. USMC historian Gordon L. Rottmann writes that one of
6283-446: The Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. Enlisted personnel destined for aviation duty with the Fleet were also trained at NAS Dallas, and at one time a number of Free French aviators received flight training at the installation. During World War II, the base also served as a radial engine repair station, with thousands of engines overhauled. NAS Dallas also handled all air traffic for the adjacent North American Aircraft Company plant and
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#17327973960686386-418: The Nevada Cities Campaign. There was brutal fighting on Reno Hill, which was eventually captured by the Chinese. Although Reno was lost, the 5th Marines held both Vegas and Carson through the rest of the campaign. In this one campaign, the Marines suffered approximately 1,000 casualties and might have suffered much more without the U.S. Army's Task Force Faith . Marines would continue a battle of attrition around
6489-399: The Taliban-held town of Garmsir in Helmand Province on 29 April 2008, in the first major American operation in the region in years. In June 2009, 7,000 marines with the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (2nd MEB) deployed to Afghanistan in an effort to improve security and began Operation Strike of the Sword the next month. In February 2010, the 2nd MEB launched the largest offensive of
6592-581: The U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division , spearheaded the 2003 invasion of Iraq . The Marines left Iraq in the summer of 2003 but returned in the beginning of 2004. They were given responsibility for the Al Anbar Province , the large desert region to the west of Baghdad . During this occupation, the Marines lead assaults on the city of Fallujah in April ( Operation Vigilant Resolve ) and November 2004 ( Operation Phantom Fury ) and saw intense fighting in such places as Ramadi , Al-Qa'im and Hīt . The service's time in Iraq courted controversy with events such as
6695-538: The USMC generally operated in the Northern I Corps Regions of South Vietnam . While there, they were constantly engaged in a guerrilla war against the Viet Cong , along with an intermittent conventional war against the North Vietnamese Army , this made the Marine Corps known throughout Vietnam and gained a frightening reputation from the Viet Cong. Portions of the Corps were responsible for the less-known Combined Action Program that implemented unconventional techniques for counterinsurgency and worked as military advisors to
6798-412: The United States Marine Corps. Marines had been enlisted by the War Department as early as August 1797 for service in the newly-built frigates authorized by the Congressional "Act to provide a Naval Armament" of 18 March 1794, which specified the numbers of marines to recruit for each frigate. The Marines' most famous action of this period occurred during the First Barbary War (1801–1805) against
6901-413: The Vietnam War, the U.S. Marines resumed their expeditionary role, participating in the failed 1980 Iran hostage rescue attempt Operation Eagle Claw , the Operation Urgent Fury and the Operation Just Cause . On 23 October 1983, the Marine barracks in Beirut was bombed , causing the highest peacetime losses to the Corps in its history (220 marines and 21 other service members were killed) and leading to
7004-399: The ability to transition to more permanent housing and jobs. City officials did not comment on the proposal. In February 2017, it was revealed that the U.S. Navy had violated the 2001 environmental settlement, having inexplicably failed to formulate and implement a plan to clean up the contamination, despite having been granted an extension. According to letters between the navy and the city,
7107-437: The addition of air assault and maneuver warfare doctrine, into the current " Operational Maneuver from the Sea " doctrine of power projection from the seas. The Marines are credited with developing helicopter insertion doctrine and were the earliest in the American military to widely adopt maneuver-warfare principles, which emphasize low-level initiative and flexible execution. In light of recent warfare that has strayed from
7210-465: The air station reached its maximum utilization with a total of 121 aircraft on board. On 28 February 1946 the air station went into caretaker status on the authority of Aviation Planning Directive 27-NN-46. Subsequently, the field became an outlying landing field of Naval Air Station Dallas . By April of that year, it became clear that the U.S. military did not have plans to use the base to its full capacity, and local aviation entrepreneur Reed Pigman and
7313-405: The airfield was being used for helicopter pilot training, and Kenneth Copeland Ministries (KCM) was using the former hospital as a medical clinic for church members. One of the runways had been closed due to surface deterioration; KCM said it was raising funds to repair and reopen it. The seaplane ramp was still extant. United States Marine Corps 10 November 1775 (249 years) (as
7416-518: The base began on 24 July 1942. Marine Glider Group 71 (MLG-71) and Marine Glider Squadron 711 (VML-711) under the command of Colonel Vernon M. Guymon arrived at the base in November 1942 and the station was officially commissioned on 1 December 1942. When it was completed, the airfield had three runways and a seaplane launching ramp leading into Eagle Mountain Lake . In May 1943, the Marine Corps cancelled its glider program and on 30 June 1943,
7519-539: The base was redesignated a Naval Air Station. The Navy's Strategic Tasks Air Group 2 used the airfield to test newly developed remote control aircraft until 1944 when they were moved to Traverse City, Michigan . On 1 April 1944, the air station reverted to Marine Corps control by the authorization of CNO Dispatch 31TWX1715. The Air Station's next higher echelon command was Commander, Naval Air Bases, Clinton, Oklahoma . On 9 April, Marine Aircraft Group 33 (MAG-33) arrived from Bogue Field , North Carolina . The base
7622-481: The base were used in a science fiction film entitled Beyond the Time Barrier , in which the protagonist, an Air Force test pilot, travels into the future on a supersonic airplane and returns to find that the air base from which he took off is in ruins. By 1973, maps depicted Eagle Mountain Lake as an abandoned airfield. In the early 1980s, the property was transferred to televangelist Kenneth Copeland , and
7725-491: The border of Afghanistan as early as October 2001 in preparation for Operation Enduring Freedom . The 15th and 26th Marine Expeditionary Units were some of the first conventional forces into Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in November 2001. After that, Marine battalions and squadrons rotated through, engaging the Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces. Marines of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit flooded into
7828-519: The cleanup could take another 15 years and cost an additional $ 27 million. At that time—unable to redevelop the site for other uses—the city had leased various areas for industrial uses such as storage of surplus road vehicles. On 26 August 2020, the Dallas City Council announced the signing of a $ 2 million contract for a new master plan to redevelop 738 acres (299 ha) of the site, although city officials said that efforts to clean up
7931-631: The coast, known as the Battle of Chosin Reservoir . The fighting calmed after the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, but late in March 1953, the relative quiet of the war was broken when the People's Liberation Army launched a massive offensive on three outposts manned by the 5th Marine Regiment . These outposts were codenamed "Reno", "Vegas", and "Carson". The campaign was collectively known as
8034-565: The collapse of North Korean lines and the pursuit of North Korean forces north near the Yalu River until the entrance of the People's Republic of China into the war. Chinese troops surrounded, surprised, and overwhelmed the overextended and outnumbered American forces. The U.S. Army's X Corps, which included the 1st Marine Division and the Army's 7th Infantry Division regrouped and inflicted heavy casualties during their fighting withdrawal to
8137-522: The early 20th century codified their combat duties ashore, outlining the use of Marines in the seizure of bases and other duties on land to support naval campaigns. In 1987, the USMC Sea School was closed; in 1998, all Marine Detachments on board ships were disbanded. Throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries, Marine detachments served aboard Navy cruisers, battleships, and aircraft carriers. Marine detachments served in their traditional duties as
8240-664: The early 21st-century as the Grand Prairie Armed Forces Reserve Complex to accommodate expanding military training requirements for the Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces . Ownership of remaining areas of the complex was transferred by the U.S. Navy to the city of Dallas, which sought to redevelop the site as a mixed-use development; however, the plans stalled when it was discovered that various areas of
8343-611: The end of the American Civil War to the end of the 19th century. They were called upon to stem political and labor unrest within the United States. Under Commandant Jacob Zeilin 's tenure, Marine customs and traditions took shape: the Corps adopted the Marine Corps emblem on 19 November 1868. It was during this time that "The Marines' Hymn" was first heard. Around 1883, the Marines adopted their current motto " Semper fidelis " ( Always Faithful ). John Philip Sousa ,
8446-630: The evacuation of American citizens from the U.S. Embassy in Tirana , Albania. Following the attacks on 11 September 2001 , President George W. Bush announced the Global War on Terrorism . The stated objective of the Global War on Terror is "the defeat of Al-Qaeda , other terrorist groups and any nation that supports or harbors terrorists". Since then, the Marine Corps, alongside the other military services, has engaged in global operations around
8549-601: The facility is a private airport run by Kenneth Copeland Ministries as Kenneth Copeland Airport ( FAA LID : 4T2 ). In 1942, 2,931 acres (11.9 km) of former ranch land were purchased on the eastern shore of Eagle Mountain Lake so the Marine Corps could set up glider operations. When it was announced to the public on 23 June 1942, the base was touted as the first of its kind, and was designed to house 500 officers, 1,500 trainees, and 1,000 enlisted troops. It would cost $ 5,000,000 (equivalent to $ 88,038,462 in 2023) to build, according to preliminary estimates. Construction of
8652-477: The field became the home of Marine Aircraft Group 53 which was the Marine Corps' first night fighter group. From then on the base was used primarily for night fighter training. Two common night fighters that operated from the field were the Grumman F6F Hellcat and F7F Tigercat . 28 February 1945 saw the arrival of VMF(N)-544 to MCAS Eagle Mountain Lake and it was also during this time that
8755-409: The infantry is matched with the doctrine of "Every Marine [is] a rifleman", a precept of Commandant Alfred M. Gray, Jr. , emphasizing the infantry combat abilities of every Marine. All Marines, regardless of military specialization , receive training as a rifleman , and all officers receive additional training as infantry platoon commanders. During World War II at the Battle of Wake Island , when all
8858-636: The musician and composer, enlisted as a Marine apprentice at age 13, serving from 1867 until 1872, and again from 1880 to 1892 as the leader of the Marine Band . During the Spanish–American War (1898), Marines led American forces ashore in the Philippines, Cuba, and Puerto Rico , demonstrating their readiness for deployment. At Guantánamo Bay , Cuba, the Marines seized an advanced naval base that remains in use today. Between 1899 and 1916,
8961-680: The nation, but primarily from Texas, Oklahoma, and eastern New Mexico continued to train at NAS Dallas. Hensley Field passed from the command of the U.S. Air Force to that of the U.S. Navy on 30 September 1949, but the field continued to serve as an Air Force Reserve training center. The Air Force conducted air operations for the Air Force Reserve , the Texas Air National Guard , and for the USAF Civil Air Patrol regional liaison office. In 1950, one of
9064-541: The provisions of the Foreign Service Act of 1946. A formal Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the Department of State and the Secretary of the Navy on 15 December 1948, and 83 Marines were deployed to overseas missions. During the first year of the program, 36 detachments were deployed worldwide. The Marine Corps was founded to serve as an infantry unit aboard naval vessels and was responsible for
9167-427: The security of the ship and its crew by conducting offensive and defensive combat during boarding actions and defending the ship's officers from mutiny ; to the latter end, their quarters on the ship were often strategically positioned between the officers' quarters and the rest of the vessel. Continental Marines manned raiding parties, both at sea and ashore. America's first amphibious assault landing occurred early in
9270-538: The site are contaminated with toxins including jet fuel , lead paint and DDT . The city then sued the navy; a settlement was reached in May 2001, with the navy agreeing to pay the city US$ 18.55 million for having violated various environmental regulations and rendered redevelopment infeasible, and agreeing to spend another $ 34.65 million over the ensuing 15 years to clean up the complex. On 1 May 2016, Cedars Neighborhood Association president Michael Sitarzewski presented
9373-465: The site was redeveloped into a distribution center for The Home Depot , which opened in 2021. Soon after the BRAC closure, ownership of 738 acres (299 ha) of the former base was transferred from the U.S. government to the city of Dallas, but plans to redevelop the land for other uses have been stalled since 2001 due to the U.S. Navy's failure to clean up environmental contamination that occurred while
9476-547: The site was used by the military. The City of Dallas established Hensley Field in August 1929 as a training field for Reserve pilots of the then- U.S. Army Air Corps . The facility was named for Major William N. Hensley , a flying instructor located near Dallas in the 1920s and one of the few on board the first trans- Atlantic dirigible crossing in 1919. The city leased the site to the United States Army for
9579-595: The station was used to train USMC dive bomber pilots and later became home to the Marines' night fighter program. After the war the air station went into caretaker status in December 1946, became an outlying landing field of Naval Air Station Dallas , and was later used by the Texas Army National Guard and other branches of the U.S. military before being sold to a private owner in the 1970s. Today,
9682-533: The station. The total economic impact of the base by then was almost $ 76 million. By the following year, more than 1,700 soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines had been deployed from the base to the Persian Gulf in support of the Gulf War . The installation was closed in 1998 as part of the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission conducted by the Department of Defense, but was partially reopened in
9785-604: The upcoming conflict. In World War II , the Marines performed a central role in the Pacific War , along with the U.S. Army. The battles of Guadalcanal , Bougainville , Tarawa , Guam , Tinian , Cape Gloucester , Saipan , Peleliu , Iwo Jima , and Okinawa saw fierce fighting between marines and the Imperial Japanese Army . Some 600,000 Americans served in the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II. The Battle of Iwo Jima, which began on 19 February 1945,
9888-443: The war, which were the first and last engagements of the conflict. Their most significant contribution was holding the center of General Andrew Jackson 's defensive line at the 1815 Battle of New Orleans , the final major battle and one of the most one-sided engagements of the war. With widespread news of the battle and the capture of HMS Cyane , HMS Levant and HMS Penguin , the final engagements between British and U.S. forces,
9991-662: The world in support of that mission. In spring 2009, President Barack Obama 's goal of reducing spending in the Defense Department was led by Secretary Robert Gates in a series of budget cuts that did not significantly change the Corps's budget and programs, cutting only the VH-71 Kestrel and resetting the VXX program. However, the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform singled
10094-530: Was arguably the most famous Marine engagement of the war. The Japanese had learned from their defeats in the Marianas Campaign and prepared many fortified positions on the island including pillboxes and network of tunnels. The Japanese put up fierce resistance, but American forces reached the summit of Mount Suribachi on 23 February. The mission was accomplished with high losses of 26,000 American casualties and 22,000 Japanese. The Marines played
10197-594: Was later recommissioned as the Grand Prairie Armed Forces Reserve Complex, with the half that housed the aircraft-related facilities (such as the runway, hangars, etc.) going to the Texas Air National Guard , and the half with most non-aircraft related facilities going to the U.S. Army Reserve and a small area to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve . Vought Aircraft Industries operated a government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) plant next to Grand Prairie AFRC until 2014. In 2019
10300-466: Was not enough; Barney and Miller's forces were overrun. In all of 114 marines, 11 were killed and 16 wounded. During the battle Captain Miller's arm was badly wounded, for his gallant service in action, Miller was brevetted to the rank of Major USMC. After the war, the Marine Corps fell into a malaise that ended with the appointment of Archibald Henderson as its fifth commandant in 1820. Under his tenure,
10403-488: Was one of the worst days for American arms, though a few units and individuals performed heroic service. Notable among them were Commodore Joshua Barney's 500 sailors and the 120 marines under Captain Samuel Miller USMC, who inflicted the bulk of British casualties and were the only effective American resistance during the battle. A final desperate Marine counter attack, with the fighting at close quarters, however
10506-491: Was the flight test facility and the receiving station for 4,400 SNJ Texan training aircraft manufactured at that plant. In early 1946, Congress appropriated funds to establish a Naval Reserve training program at NAS Dallas and by March of that year the Naval Reserve had taken over the field. The Marine Air Reserve Training Command also established itself there at that time. Naval and Marine Corps Reservists from across
10609-544: Was used as a "finishing school" for USMC dive bomber crews before they were deployed to combat. In July 1944, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that the USMC was considering expanding the base to accommodate more dive bomber trainees. MAG-33 stayed until 17 August 1944, when they left for San Diego , California . In August, Marine Aircraft Group 93 (MAG-93) arrived from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and remained until November. In December
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