SHAKO: Happy Birthday Leathernecks

242 Years Young.

(U.S. Marine Corps photo Staff Sergeant Mark E. Morrow Jr.)

Friday, November 10, was the 242nd anniversary of the creation of the United States Marine Corps. The organization has been defending the Republic since before there was a Republic —  by about nine months.

The Continental Congress resolved on November 10, 1775 to create two battalions of Marines. Captain (later Major) Samuel Nichols — considered the Corps’ first commandant — advertised in and around Philadelphia for “a few good men” and signed them up at Tun Tavern in Philly.

As we have noted in the past, 4GWAR has a warm spot in its heart for the USMC because this blog was born on Nov. 12, 2009 — just two days after the Corps’ birthday.

In the above photo, Marines with color guards from various units stand ready for the Joint Daytime Ceremony at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina on November 8, 2017. The event honored the 242nd Marine Corps birthday and included the traditional birthday cake-cutting.

In 1952, the 20th Marine Corps commandant, General Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr., formalized the ceremony, stating the first piece of cake must be presented to the oldest Marine present, who passes it to the youngest Marine.

Marine Corp uniforms since 1775 (the green number with wig, 5th from the right). Photo courtesy of United States Marine Corps Historical Company.

SHAKO is an occasional 4GWAR posting on military history, traditions and culture. For the uninitiated, a shako is the tall, billed headgear worn by many armies from the Napoleonic era to about the time of the American Civil War. It remains a part of the dress or parade uniform of several military organizations like the corps of cadets at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York.