Gen. Charles C. Krulak, USMC (CMC); 5 May 1997

“For over 221 years our Corps has done two things for this great Nation. We make Marines, and we win battles.”“For over 221 years our Corps has done two things for this great Nation. We make Marines, and we win battles.”

Marine Recruiter, ca. 1915

“You cannot exaggerate about the Marines. They are convinced to the point of arrogance, that they are the most ferocious fighters on earth - and the amusing thing about it is that they are.”

“You cannot exaggerate about the Marines. They are convinced to the point of arrogance, that they are the most ferocious fighters on earth - and the amusing thing about it is that they are.”

Father Kevin Keaney1st Marine Division ChaplainKorean War

“The United States Marine Corps, with its fiercely proud tradition of excellence in combat, its hallowed rituals, and its unbending code of honor, is part of the fabric of American myth.”

“The United States Marine Corps, with its fiercely proud tradition of excellence in combat, its hallowed rituals, and its unbending code of honor, is part of the fabric of American myth.”

Thomas E. Ricks; Making the Corps, 1997

“We are United States Marines, and for two and a quarter centuries we have defined the standards of courage, esprit, and military prowess.”

“We are United States Marines, and for two and a quarter centuries we have defined the standards of courage, esprit, and military prowess.”

Gen. James L. Jones, USMC (CMC); 10 November 2000

"You are part of the world's most feared and trusted fighting force. Engage your brain before you engage your weapon.  Share your courage with each other as we enter the uncertain terrain north of our Line of Departure.  Keep faith in your comrades on your left and right and Marine Air overhead.  Fight with a happy heart and a strong spirit.  For the mission's sake, our country's sake and the sake of the men who carried the Division's colors in past battles -- who fought for life and never lost their nerve -- carry out your mission and keep your honor clean. Demonstrate to the world there is 'No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy' than a United States Marine."

"You are part of the world's most feared and trusted fighting force. Engage your brain before you engage your weapon.  Share your courage with each other as we enter the uncertain terrain north of our Line of Departure.  Keep faith in your comrades on your left and right and Marine Air overhead.  Fight with a happy heart and a strong spirit.  For the mission's sake, our country's sake and the sake of the men who carried the Division's colors in past battles -- who fought for life and never lost their nerve -- carry out your mission and keep your honor clean. Demonstrate to the world there is 'No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy' than a United States Marine."MajGen J N Mattis, CG, 1st MarDiv - Iraq, March 2003

Gen. Colin Powell, U. S. ArmyChairman Joint Chiefs of StaffDuring Operation Desert Storm

“Lying offshore, ready to act, the presence of ships and Marines sometimes means much more than just having air power or ship's fire, when it comes to deterring a crisis. And the ships and Marines may not have to do anything but lie offshore. It is hard to lie offshore with a C-141 or C-130 full of airborne troops.”

“Lying offshore, ready to act, the presence of ships and Marines sometimes means much more than just having air power or ship's fire, when it comes to deterring a crisis. And the ships and Marines may not have to do anything but lie offshore. It is hard to lie offshore with a C-141 or C-130 full of airborne troops.”

David H. Freedman, Forbes Magazine

“With their survival as an institution and as individual human beings at stake, the Marines have had to ruthlessly and endlessly examine, discard, define, refine, and redefine their approaches to achieve the ultimate in rapid, effective response to dynamic challenges.”

“With their survival as an institution and as individual human beings at stake, the Marines have had to ruthlessly and endlessly examine, discard, define, refine, and redefine their approaches to achieve the ultimate in rapid, effective response to dynamic challenges.”

Admiral William Halsey, U.S. Navy

“The Marine Corps has just been called by the New York Times, 'The elite of this country.' I think it is the elite of the world. “

"The man who will go where his colors go without asking, who will fight a phantom foe in a jungle or a mountain range, and who will suffer and die in the midst of incredible hardship, without complaint, is still what he has always been, from Imperial Rome to sceptered Britain to democratic America. He is the stuff of which legends are made. His pride is his colors and his regiment, his training hard and thorough and coldly realistic, to fit him for what he must face, and his obedience is to his orders. As a legionnaire, he held the gates of civilization for the classical world ... today he is called United States Marine.”

"The man who will go where his colors go without asking, who will fight a phantom foe in a jungle or a mountain range, and who will suffer and die in the midst of incredible hardship, without complaint, is still what he has always been, from Imperial Rome to sceptered Britain to democratic America. He is the stuff of which legends are made. His pride is his colors and his regiment, his training hard and thorough and coldly realistic, to fit him for what he must face, and his obedience is to his orders. As a legionnaire, he held the gates of civilization for the classical world ... today he is called United States Marine.”

LtCol T R Fehrenbach, USA, in "This Kind of War":