History of the Marine Corps Flag or Colors
The Marine Corps Flag or Standard
Very little information is available regarding the flags carried by early American Marines,
although indications
are that the Grand Union flag was carried ashore by the battalion led by Captain Samuel Nicholas
on New
Providence Island, 3 March 1776. It is quite possible that the Rattlesnake flag was also carried
on this
expedition.
The standard carried by the Marines during the 1830s and 1840s consisted of a white field with
gold fringe, and
bore an elaborate design of an anchor and eagle in the center. Prior to the Mexican War, this
flag bore the
legend “To the Shores of Tripoli” across the top. Shortly after the war, the legend
was revised to read: “From
Tripoli to the Halls of the Montezumas.” During the Mexican and Civil Wars, Marines in the
field apparently
carried a flag similar to the national flag, comprised of red and white stripes and a union. The
union, however,
contained an eagle perched on a shield of the United States and a half-wreath beneath the
shield, with 29 stars
encircling the entire design.
The official flag of the United States Marine Corps
Beginning in 1876, Marines carried the national colors (the Stars and Stripes) with “U.S.
Marine Corps”
embroidered in yellow on the middle red stripe. At the time of the Vera Cruz landing in 1914, a
more distinctive
standard was carried by Marines. The design consisted of a blue field with a laurel wreath
encircling the Marine
Corps emblem in the center. A scarlet ribbon above the emblem carried the words “U.S.
Marine Corps,” while
another scarlet ribbon below the emblem carried the motto “Semper Fidelis.”
Orders were issued on 2 April 1921 which directed all national colors be manufactured without the
yellow fringe
and without the words “U.S. Marine Corps” embroidered on the red stripe. This was
followed by an order dated
14 March 1922, retiring from use all national colors still in use with yellow fringe or wording
on the flag.
Following World War I, the Army practice of attaching silver bands carrying inscriptions
enumerating specific
decorations and battles was adopted. This practice was discontinued on 23 January 1961.
Marine Corps Order No. 4 of 18 April 1925 designated gold and scarlet as the official colors of the U.S. Marine Corps standard.
These colors, however, were not reflected in the official Marine Corps standard until 18 January
1939,
when a new design incorporating the new colors was approved. The design was essentially that of
today’s
Marine Corps standard.
For a brief time following World War I, the inscribing of battle honors directly on the colors of
a unit was in practice, but realization that a multiplicity of honors and the limited space on
the colors made the system
impractical, and the procedure was discontinued. On 29 July 1936, a Marine Corps Board
recommended that
the Army system of attaching streamers to the staff of the organizational colors be adopted.
Such a system was
finally authorized by Marine Corps Order No. 157, dated 3 November 1939, and is currently in
practice.
The MCO P10520.3B – Marine Corps Flag Manual may be obtained online — Please note
that the official source
for authentic and current digital publications issued by Headquarters Marine Corps staff
agencies, major
commands, and other DOD and Federal agencies that issue publications used by the Marine Corps is
“Publications” on the Marine Corps homepage at #.
This should answer the questions:
