History of the Marine Corps

From the calm of a Sunday morning in Hawaii to the sands of the South Pacific, this chapter marks the turning of the tide. It begins with the shock of Pearl Harbor and the desperate stands at Wake, Guam, and Corregidor, small garrisons that fought to the last shot. It follows the first lonely outpost in Iceland, where Marines waited through wind and ice while the world slipped into war, then turns to the islands of the Solomons, where the Corps learned to fight, bleed, and win in the jungles of the Pacific. Out of fire, hunger, and mud, a new kind of Marine emerged: amphibious, relentless, and ready for the long road to victory. Support the Series Listen ad-free and a week early on historyofthemarinecorps.supercast.com Donate directly at historyofthemarinecorps.com Try a free 30-day Audible trial at audibletrial.com/marinehistory Social Media Instagram - @historyofthemarines Facebook - @marinehistory Twitter - @marinehistory

From the jungles of the Caribbean to the wheatfields of France, this chapter traces the Marines' transformation from a small expeditionary force into a modern fighting corps. In the Dominican Republic and Haiti, they battled rebellion and unrest, forging legends in men like Smedley Butler, Dan Daly, and Herman Hanneken. Their story carries on through the siege and smoke of the Boxer Rebellion and into the trenches of the Great War, where the Marines proved their worth and defined what it means to wear the eagle, globe, and anchor. Support the Series Listen ad-free and a week early on historyofthemarinecorps.supercast.com Donate directly at historyofthemarinecorps.com Try a free 30-day Audible trial at audibletrial.com/marinehistory Social Media Instagram - @historyofthemarines Facebook - @marinehistory Twitter - @marinehistory

This episode follows the Marines from secret missions in Mexico to Civil War battlefields. We begin with Lieutenant Archibald Gillespie's covert journey that helped ignite the conquest of California and trace how that campaign laid the foundation for the Corps' presence on the Pacific coast and the birth of Camp Pendleton. From there, we turn inward as the nation collapses into civil war. The Marine Corps splits in two, with brother facing brother at sea and on land, from Bull Run to Charleston Harbor, from the ironclads at Hampton Roads to the final assault at Fort Fisher. Both the Union and Confederate Marines fight with the same discipline they once shared, even as their causes diverge. Support the Series Listen ad-free and a week early on historyofthemarinecorps.supercast.com Donate directly at historyofthemarinecorps.com Try a free 30-day Audible trial at audibletrial.com/marinehistory Social Media Instagram - @historyofthemarines Facebook - @marinehistory Twitter - @marinehistory

After the Revolution left America without a Navy or Marine Corps, global tensions forced the young republic to rebuild its strength at sea. This episode follows the Corps' revival in 1798 and its first tests in battle, from the Quasi-War with France to the campaign against the Barbary pirates and the daring raid to burn the captured frigate Philadelphia. It explores how Commandant William Ward Burrows shaped the Corps' discipline and structure, how the Marine Band became "The President's Own," and how Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon led the first Marines across the desert to Derne. We end with the start of the War of 1812, when Marines proved their courage from the decks of Old Ironsides to the shores of Canada, securing their place as a permanent part of the nation's defense. Support the Series Listen ad-free and a week early on historyofthemarinecorps.supercast.com Donate directly at historyofthemarinecorps.com Try a free 30-day Audible trial at audibletrial.com/marinehistory Social Media Instagram - @historyofthemarines Facebook - @marinehistory Twitter - @marinehistory

This is a special 20-minute preview from our 250 Years of the Marine Corps series. In this opening chapter, a handful of men in Philadelphia answer a new call to arms and unknowingly found one of the most storied fighting forces in history. The preview covers the earliest days and how ordinary men began a legacy that still defines Marines today. Support the Series Listen ad-free and a week early on historyofthemarinecorps.supercast.com Donate directly at historyofthemarinecorps.com Try a free 30-day Audible trial at audibletrial.com/marinehistory Social Media Instagram - @historyofthemarines Facebook - @marinehistory Twitter - @marinehistory

In the spring of 1945, the Battle of Okinawa became the bloodiest fight of the Pacific War. What was meant to be the final step toward Japan turned into a storm of mud, coral, and fire that tested every limit of courage and endurance. This episode follows the Marines through the final weeks of the campaign. It is a story of bravery and exhaustion, of shattered armies and civilians trapped between them, of generals who chose death over surrender, and of the staggering cost of victory. When the guns finally fell silent, more than two hundred thousand people were dead. The island lay in ruins, but amid that devastation came moments of humanity. ************* Visit HistoryoftheMarineCorps.com to subscribe to our newsletter, explore episode notes and images, and see our references. Follow us on social media for updates and bonus content: Facebook and Twitter (@marinehistory) and Instagram (@historyofthemarines). Visit AudibleTrial.com/marinehistory for a free audiobook and a 30-day trial.

This episode begins with the thunder of Easter Sunday, 1945, when Marines and soldiers of the U.S. Tenth Army hit the beaches of Okinawa. After weeks of naval bombardment, they expected hell on the sand. Instead, they found silence. The Japanese had pulled back, choosing to fight from caves and ridges deep inland. That calm didn't last. Within days, night counterattacks and ambushes tested the Marines' resolve. The 6th Division clawed through the Motobu Peninsula's jagged hills while the 1st secured the plains below. Offshore, the fleet endured waves of kamikaze strikes, and the battleship Yamato made its final, suicidal run. By late April, northern Okinawa was in American hands. The Marines had earned their victory ridge by ridge, cave by cave. But as they looked south toward Shuri's fortified lines, they knew this was only the beginning. The battle for Okinawa, the last and bloodiest campaign of the Pacific, was still waiting. ************* Visit HistoryoftheMarineCorps.com to subscribe to our newsletter, explore episode notes and images, and see our references. Follow us on social media for updates and bonus content: Facebook and Twitter (@marinehistory) and Instagram (@historyofthemarines). Visit AudibleTrial.com/marinehistory for a free audiobook and a 30-day trial.

The battle's later weeks were a relentless grind through Iwo Jima's strongest defenses. Marines battered the "Meat Grinder" of Hill 382, Turkey Knob, and the Amphitheater, where progress was measured in yards and companies were reduced to fragments. Caves, reverse-slope positions, and night counterattacks forced constant, costly use of tank–infantry teams, flamethrowers, and demolitions. This episode will finish up our Iwo Jima series. We'll close with the sobering numbers, highlight the overlooked contributions of Montford Point Marines, and also examine the extraordinary sacrifice of Navy corpsmen. ************* Visit HistoryoftheMarineCorps.com to subscribe to our newsletter, explore episode notes and images, and see our references. Follow us on social media for updates and bonus content: Facebook and Twitter (@marinehistory) and Instagram (@historyofthemarines). Visit AudibleTrial.com/marinehistory for a free audiobook and a 30-day trial.