USMC History and Common Terms (FMST 100)

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering foundational USMC history, terminology, significant battles, and key historical figures from the FMST 100 course.

First to Fight

A term describing Marines being at the forefront of every American war since 1775, conducting over 300 landings on foreign shores from the poles to the tropics.

Leathernecks

A nickname originating from the leather stock neckpiece worn from 1775 to 1875 to keep Marines' heads erect, preserved today in the standing collar of dress uniforms.

Devil Dogs

A translation of 'Teufelhunden', a nickname given to Marines by German forces during the 1918 Battle of Belleau Wood in reference to fierce fighting dogs of legendary origin.

Espirit de Corps

The spirit of a unit reflected by all its members, implying devotion and loyalty to the Marine Corps with deep regard for its history, traditions, and honor.

Uncommon valor was a common virtue

Admiral Chester W. Nimitz's characterization of Marines fighting on Iwo Jima during World War II, later applied to the entire Marine Corps in World War II.

Semper Fidelis

The Marine Corps Motto, which is Latin for 'Always Faithful'.

Tun Tavern

The birthplace of the Marine Corps in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where two battalions of Marines were raised on 10 November 1775 by resolution of the Continental Congress.

Captain Samuel Nicholas

The commander of the first two battalions of Marines raised in 1775, traditionally considered the first Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Derna, Tripoli

A Barbary pirates' stronghold stormed by Marines in 1805, marking the first time the 'Stars and Stripes' was raised in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Battle of Belleau Wood

A World War I battle in France (1918) where Marines defeated a German offensive threatening Paris, earning the nickname 'Teufelhunden' and causing the French to rename the area 'the Wood of the Brigade of Marines'.

Chosin Reservoir (Korean War)

A November 1950 retrograde movement in North Korea where surrounded Marines smashed seven Chinese Communist divisions while bringing out all operable equipment, dead, and wounded.

Battle of Hue City

A Tet Offensive engagement in January 1968 where Marines fought house-to-house in South Vietnam without heavy arms to minimize civilian casualties, securing the city on 25 February 1968.

Operation Desert Shield

A 1990 joint military operation launched to halt the advance of Iraqi forces invading Kuwait, which validated the Maritime Prepositioning Force (MPF) and MAGTF concepts.

Operation Desert Storm

A 1991 operation launched after Iraq defied UN resolutions, featuring heavy Marine aviation starting in January 1991 followed by ground forces sweeping into Kuwait to liberate it.

Presley Neville O'Bannon

A First Lieutenant known for heroism at Derna in 1805, where his Marines were the first U.S. forces to hoist the flag over Old World territory, receiving the Mameluke sword from Prince Hamet Bey.

Mameluke Sword

The sword carried by Marine officers today, presented to First Lieutenant Presley Neville O'Bannon in 1805 by Prince Hamet Bey.

Archibald Henderson

Known as the 'Grand Old Man of the Marine Corps', he served as Commandant for 39 years (1820 to 1859), establishing higher standards of discipline, appearance, and training.

Daniel Daly

A Sergeant Major who earned two Medals of Honor (Chinese Boxer Rebellion and First Caco War) and famously shouted, 'Come on, you sons of a b-----, do you want to live forever?' at Belleau Wood.

Smedley D. Butler

A Major General recognized for receiving two Medals of Honor: one for actions in Veracruz and the second for the First Caco War in Haiti.

John A. Lejeune

The 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps (1920-1929) and the first Marine officer to command an Army division in combat (France, 1918).

Lewis B. ('Chesty') Puller

A Lieutenant General awarded 5 Navy Crosses, named 'Tiger of the Mountains' in Nicaragua (1930), and honored as the namesake of the Marine Corps English bulldog mascot.

Ira H. Hayes

A Pima Indian Corporal who was one of the Marines immortalized in the photograph of the second flag raising on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, on 23 February 1945.

Opha Mae Johnson

The first enlisted woman in the Marine Corps, joining on 13 August 1918 as part of the Marine Reserve (F).

Jason Dunham

The first Marine posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War after covering an armed grenade with his helmet and body in Karabilah, Iraq.

Dakota Meyer

The first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War, who made five trips into an intense kill zone in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, to evacuate over two dozen Afghan soldiers and retrieve fallen Marines.

Battle of Chapultepec

An 1847 battle during the Mexican War where Marines assaulted the royal palace in Mexico City, inspiring the Marine Hymn lyric 'Halls of Montezuma'.

Blood Stripe

A red stripe worn on the dress blue trousers of E4-E9 NCOs and Officers, worn to commemorate the Marine casualties sustained at the Battle of Chapultepec.

Battle of Wake Island

A heroic defense by heavily outnumbered Marines against invading Japanese forces from 8 December to 23 December 1941, inflicting severe enemy casualties before falling.

Battle of Guadalcanal

The first United States land offensive of World War II, launched on 7 August 1942 in the Solomon Islands, which tested new amphibious doctrine and served as a turning point in the Pacific.

Battle of Tarawa

A November 1943 landing on Tarawa Atoll and Betio Island that Marines secured within 76 hours despite heavy casualties caused by landing craft grounding on an extended reef.

Battle of the Mariana Islands

The June and July 1943 invasion of Saipan, Guam, and Tinian, involving over 136,000 troops under Lieutenant General Holland M. Smith—the largest field force under Marine command to that date.

Battle of Iwo Jima

The largest and bloodiest all-Marine battle in history, beginning on 19 February 1945, resulting in over 23,300 Marine casualties to secure airfields for bombing operations.

Roy S. Geiger

A Major General who assumed command of the 10th Army during the Battle of Okinawa in April 1945, becoming the only Marine officer to command a field Army.

Pusan Perimeter

A defensive engagement in summer 1950 where the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade (5th Marines) deployed rapidly to Korea, pushed back North Korean forces six miles, and secured the perimeter.

Operation Chromite

The code name for the 15 September 1950 amphibious invasion at Inchon, where Marines scaled sea walls with ladders to cut enemy supply lines and capture Seoul.

Thermal Boots ('Mickey Mouse' boots)

Cold-weather footwear developed in the early 1950s for Korea featuring two rubber layers with wool pile and sealed air insulation, known for their bulbous black appearance.

Operation Summit

The first ground combat attack assisted by helicopter transport in history, during which squadron HMR-161 completed 65 flights moving 224 Marines and over 17,000 pounds of supplies in Korea.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

A Congressional resolution passed after North Vietnamese boats attacked the USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy in August 1964, providing legal justification for conventional U.S. combat operations in Vietnam.

Battle of Khe Sanh

A 77-day siege starting 21 January 1968, in which a reinforced Marine regiment held the Khe Sanh Combat Base against three North Vietnamese divisions.

Battle of Nasiriyah

A March 2003 operation in Iraq where RCT-1 and UK elements seized two critical bridges across the Euphrates River and cleared Ba'athist fighters.

Battle of Najaf

An August 2004 battle centered around the Wadi as-Salam Cemetery, concluded after Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani negotiated an agreement placing the city under Coalition control.

Operation Phantom Fury

The Second Battle for Fallujah, launched on 8 November 2004, marking the heaviest sustained house-to-house urban fighting for Marines since the Vietnam War.

Anbar Awakening

A movement formed by 20 Sunni tribes in 2006 after insurgents murdered Sheikh Abu Ali Jassim, leading local tribes to unite with Coalition forces to expel insurgents from Ramadi.

Montford Point Marines

Approximately 20,000 African American Marines trained at a segregated facility at Montford Point, North Carolina, between 1942 and 1949 under Executive Order No. 8802.

Navajo Code Talkers

Native American Marines who utilized an unbreakable military code based on the Navajo language across every major Pacific engagement from 1942 to 1945.

Women's Armed Services Integration Act

Legislation passed by Congress on June 12th, 1948, establishing women as a permanent part of the regular Marine Corps.

when was the rights of a pow established

1949 Geneva conventions

when and who wrote the code of conduct

17 aug 1917 by Dwight d Eisenhower