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1915 HAITIAN WARRIORS - 23RD MACHINE GUN COMPANY - REUNION CHRISTMAS PHOTO USMC
$ 15.57
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UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS - 23RD MACHINE GUN COMPANY REUNION OF THE 1915 HAITIAN WARRIORS in Philadelphia, PA in 1951. Pictured are Chuck Massey, Chic Harris, Major of Marines Edward O'Day & Jennico McDonald. This appears to be a photograph Christmas Card as it says " Best Wishes for a Merry Christmas " - " See You All in 1952 ". Measures 4" x 51/2" and in Excellent Condition. A SCARCE HAITIAN INCURSION item especially for a Machine Gun Company item. Insured USPS First class mail delivery in the Continental US is $ 5.50.U.S. Invasion and Occupation of Haiti, 1915–34
Following the assassination of the Haitian President in July of 1915, President Woodrow Wilson sent the United States Marines into Haiti to restore order and maintain political and economic stability in the Caribbean. This occupation continued until 1934.
President Woodrow Wilson
The United States Government's interests in Haiti existed for decades prior to its occupation. As a potential naval base for the United States, Haiti’s stability concerned U.S. diplomatic and defense officials who feared Haitian instability might result in foreign rule of Haiti. In 1868, President Andrew Johnson suggested the annexation of the island of Hispaniola, consisting of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, to secure a U.S. defensive and economic stake in the West Indies. From 1889 to 1891, Secretary of State James Blaine unsuccessfully sought a lease of Mole-Saint Nicolas, a city on Haiti’s northern coast strategically located for a naval base. In 1910, President William Howard Taft granted Haiti a large loan in hopes that Haiti could pay off its international debt, thus lessening foreign influence. The attempt failed due to the enormity of the debt and the internal instability of the country.
France, as the former colonizer of Haiti, retained strong economic and diplomatic ties with the Haitian Government. In the 1824 Franco-Haitian Agreement, France agreed to recognize Haitian independence if Haiti paid a large indemnity. This kept Haiti in a constant state of debt and placed France in a position of power over Haiti’s trade and finances.
Haitian Coat of Arms
Although unhappy about the Haitians' close connection to France, the United States became increasingly concerned with heightened German activity and influence in Haiti. At the start of the 20th century, German presence increased with German merchants establishing trading branches in Haiti that dominated commercial business in the area. German men married Haitian women to get around laws denying foreigners land ownership and established roots in the community. The United States considered Germany its chief rival in the Caribbean and feared German control of Haiti would give them a powerful advantage in the region.
As a result of increased instability in Haiti in the years before 1915, the United States heightened its activity to deter foreign influence. Between 1911 and 1915, seven presidents were assassinated or overthrown in Haiti, increasing U.S. policymakers’ fear of foreign intervention. In 1914, the Wilson administration sent U.S. Marines into Haiti. They removed 0,000 from the Haitian National Bank in December of 1914 for safe-keeping in New York, thus giving the United States control of the bank. In 1915, Haitian President Jean Vilbrun Guillaume Sam was assassinated and the situation in Haiti quickly became unstable. In response, President Wilson sent the U.S. Marines to Haiti to prevent anarchy. In actuality, the act protected U.S. assets in the area and prevented a possible German invasion.
The invasion ended with the Haitian-American Treaty of 1915. The articles of this agreement created the Haitian Gendarmerie, essentially a military force made up of U.S. citizens and Haitians and controlled by the U.S. Marines. The United States gained complete control over Haitian finances, and the right to intervene in Haiti whenever the U.S. Government deemed necessary. The U.S. Government also forced the election of a new pro-American President, Philippe Sudré Dartiguenave, by the Haitian legislature in August 1915. The selection of a President that did not represent the choice of the Haitian populace increased unrest in Haiti.
Philippe Sudré Dartiguenave
Following the successful manipulation of the 1915 elections, the Wilson administration attempted to strong-arm the Haitian legislature into adopting a new constitution in 1917. This constitution allowed foreign land ownership, which had been outlawed since the Haitian Revolution as a way to prevent foreign control of the country. Extremely reluctant to change the long-standing law, the legislature rejected the new constitution. Law-makers began drafting a new anti-American constitution, but the United States forced President Dartiguenave dissolve the legislature, which did not meet again until 1929.
Some of the Gendarmerie’s more unpopular policies—including racial segregation, press censorship and forced labor—led to a peasant rebellion from 1919 to 1920. The U.S. Senate sent an investigative committee into Haiti in 1921 to examine claims of abuse, and subsequently the U.S. Senate reorganized and centralized power in Haiti. After the reorganization, Haiti remained fairly stable and a select group achieved economic prosperity, though most Haitians remained in poverty.
In 1929, a series of strikes and uprisings led the United States to begin withdrawal from Haiti. In 1930, U.S. officials began training Haitian officials to take control of the government. In 1934, the United States, in concert with President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Good Neighbor Policy, officially withdrew from Haiti while retaining economic connections.
Lore of the Corps
Starting in boot camp, all Marines study the actions of those who have served before them. The history of the Marine Corps is a rich tapestry weaving together the contributions of all Marines. Over the past two centuries, certain aspects of the Corps’ history have taken on an almost legendary status. Below are examples of some of the stories, terms, and traditions that have come to be known as the “Lore of the Corps.”
The
The Blood Stripe
Marine Corps tradition maintains that the red stripe worn on the trousers of officers and noncommissioned officers, and commonly known as the “blood stripe,” commemorates those Marines killed storming the castle of Chapultepec in 1847. Although this belief is firmly embedded in the traditions of the Corps, it has no basis in fact. The use of stripes clearly predates the Mexican War.
In 1834, uniform regulations were changed to comply with President Andrew Jackson’s wishes that Marine uniforms return to the green and white worn during the Revolutionary War. The wearing of stripes on the trousers began in 1837, following the Army practice of wearing stripes the same color as uniform jacket facings. Colonel Commandant Archibald Henderson ordered those stripes to be buff white. Two years later, when President Jackson left office, Colonel Henderson returned the uniform to dark blue coats faced red. In keeping with earlier regulations, stripes became dark blue edged in red. In 1849, the stripes were changed to a solid red. Ten years later uniform regulations prescribed a scarlet cord inserted into the outer seams for noncommissioned officers and musicians and a scarlet welt for officers. Finally, in 1904, the simple scarlet stripe seen today was adopted.
"Leatherneck"
In 1776, the Naval Committee of the Second Continental Congress prescribed new uniform regulations. Marine uniforms were to consist of green coats with buff white facings, buff breeches and black gaiters. Also mandated was a leather stock to be worn by officers and enlisted men alike. This leather collar served to protect the neck against cutlass slashes and to hold the head erect in proper military bearing. Sailors serving aboard ship with Marines came to call them “leathernecks.”
Use of the leather stock was retained until after the Civil War when it was replaced by a strip of black glazed leather attached to the inside front of the dress uniform collar. The last vestiges of the leather stock can be seen in today’s modern dress uniform, which features a stiff cloth tab behind the front of the collar.
The term “leatherneck” transcended the actual use of the leather stock and became a common nickname for United States Marines. Other nicknames include “soldiers of the sea,” “devil dogs,” and the slightly pejorative “gyrene,” (a term which was applied to the British Royal Marines in 1894 and to the U.S. Marines by 1911), and “jarhead.”
Semper Fidelis
"Semper Fidelis"
The Marine Corps adopted the motto “Semper Fidelis” in 1883. Prior to that date three mottoes, all traditional rather than official, were used. The first of these, antedating the War of 1812, was “Fortitudine.” The Latin phrase for “with courage,” it was emblazoned on the brass shako plates worn by Marines during the Federal period. The second motto was “By Sea and by Land,” taken from the British Royal Marines “Per Mare, Per Terram.” Until 1848, the third motto was “To the shores of Tripoli.” Inscribed on the Marine Corps colors, this commemorated Presley O’Bannon’s capture of the city of Derna in 1805. In 1848, this was revised to “From the halls of the Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli.”
“Semper Fidelis” signifies the dedication that individual Marines have to “Corps and country,” and to their fellow Marines. It is a way of life. Said one former Marine, “It is not negotiable. It is not relative, but absolute…Marines pride themselves on their mission and steadfast dedication to accomplish it.”
"Devil Dogs"
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According to Marine Corps tradition, German soldiers facing the Marines at Belleau Wood called them teufelhunden. These were the devil dogs of Bavarian folklore - vicious, ferocious, and tenacious. Shortly thereafter, a Marine recruiting poster depicted a dachshund, wearing an Iron Cross and a spiked helmet, fleeing an English bulldog wearing the eagle, globe and anchor.
A tradition was born. Although an “unofficial mascot,” the first bulldog to “serve” in the United States Marine Corps was King Bulwark. Renamed Jiggs, he was enlisted on 14 October 1922 for the “term of life.” Enlistment papers were signed by Brigadier General Smedley D. Butler. Although he began his career as a private, Jiggs was quickly promoted to the rank of sergeant major. His death at the age of four was mourned throughout the Corps. His body lay in a satin-lined casket in a hangar on Marine Corps Base Quantico until he was buried with military honors.
Other bulldogs followed in the tradition of Jiggs. From the 1930s through the early 1950s, the name of the bulldogs was changed to Smedley as a tribute to Major General Butler. In the late 1950s, the Marine Barracks in Washington became the new home for the Marine Corps’ bulldog. Chesty, named in honor of the legendary Lieutenant General Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller, Jr, made his first public appearance on 5 July 1957.
Today the tradition continues. The bulldog, tough, muscular and fearless, has come to epitomize the fighting spirit of the United States Marine Corps.
8th and I
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A notice posted in the Washington newspaper National Intelligence on 3 April 1801 offered “a premium of 100 dollars” for the “best plan of barracks for the Marines sufficient to hold 500 men, with their officers and a house for the Commandant.” The site for the barracks, near the Washington Navy Yard and within marching distance of the Capitol, was chosen by President Thomas Jefferson, who rode through Washington with Lieutenant Commandant William W. Burrows.
The competition was won by George Hadfield, who laid out the barracks and the house in a quadrangle. The barracks were established in 1801, the house, home of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, was completed in 1806. It is the oldest public building in continuous use in the nation’s capital.
Marine Corps traditions holds that when Washington was burned by the British during the War of 1812, both the Commandant’s House and the barracks were spared out of respect for the bravery shown by Marines during the Battle for Bladensburg.
Today, 8th and I is home to one of the most dramatic military celebrations in the world -- The Evening Parade. Held every Friday evening from May through August, the Evening Parade features “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, “The Commandant’s Own” The United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, and the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon. It has become a lasting symbol of the professionalism, discipline, and esprit de Corps of the United States Marines, a celebration of the pride taken in a history that spans more than 230 years.
The Eagle, Globe and Anchor
Eagle, Globe and Anchoe
The origins of the eagle, globe, and anchor insignia worn by Marines can be traced to those ornaments worn by early Continental Marines as well as to the British Royal Marines.
In 1776, Marines wore a device depicting a fouled anchor. Changes were made to that device in 1798, 1821, and 1824. An eagle was added in 1834. The current insignia dates to 1868 when Brigadier General Commandant Jacob Zeilin convened a board “to decide and report upon the various devices of cap ornaments of the Marine Corps.” A new insignia was recommended and approved by the Commandant. On 19 November 1868, the new insignia was accepted by the Secretary of the Navy.
The new emblem featured a globe showing the western hemisphere intersected by a fouled anchor and surmounted by an eagle. Atop the device, a ribbon was inscribed with the Latin motto “Semper Fidelis.” The globe signified the service of the United States Marines throughout the world. The anchor was indicative of the amphibious nature of the Marine Corps. The eagle, symbolizing a proud nation, was not the American bald eagle, but rather a crested eagle, a species found throughout the world.
On 22 June 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed an Executive Order which approved the design of an official seal for the United States Marine Corps. Designed at the request of General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., Commandant of the Marine Corps, the seal replaced the crested eagle with the American bald eagle, its wings proudly displayed. With the approval of this seal by the President of the United States in 1955, the emblem centered on the seal was adopted as the official Marine Corps emblem.
The eagle, globe, and anchor insignia is a testament to the training of the individual Marine, to the history and traditions of the Marine Corps, and to the values upheld by the Corps. It represents “those intangible possessions that cannot be issued: pride, honor, integrity, and being able to carry on the traditions for generations of warriors past.” Said retired Sergeant Major David W. Sommers, “the emblem of the Corps is the common thread that binds all Marines together, officer and enlisted, past and present…The eagle, globe and anchor tells the world who we are, what we stand for, and what we are capable of, in a single glance.”
The Marine Hymn
Following the Barbary Wars of 1805, the Colors of the Corps were inscribed with the words “to the shores of Tripoli.” After the capture and occupation of Mexico City in 1847, the Colors were changed to read “from the shores of Tripoli to the Halls of Montezuma.” These events in Marine Corps history are the origin of the opening words of the Marines’ Hymn.
Tradition holds that the words to the Marines’ Hymn were written by a Marine serving in Mexico. In truth, the author of the words remains unknown. Colonel Albert S. McLemore and Walter F. Smith, Assistant Band Director during the John Philip Sousa era, sought to trace the melody to its origins. It was reported to Colonel McLemore that by 1878 the tune was very popular in Paris, originally appearing as an aria in the Jacques Offenbach opera Genevieve de Brabant. John Philips Sousa later confirmed this belief in a letter to Major Harold Wirgman, USMC, stating “The melody of the ‘Halls of Montezuma’ is taken from Offenbach’s comic opera...”
Its origins notwithstanding, the hymn saw widespread use by the mid-1800s. Copyright ownership of the hymn was given to the Marine Corps per certificate of registration dated 19 August 1891. In 1929, it became the official hymn of the United States Marine Corps with the verses shown on the right.
On 21 November 1942, the Commandant of the Marine Corps authorized an official change in the first verse, fourth line, to reflect the changing mission of the Marine Corps. The new line read "in the air, on land and sea." That change was originally proposed by Gunnery Sergeant H.L. Tallman, an aviator and veteran of World War I.
Shortly after World War II, Marines began to stand at attention during the playing of The Marines’ Hymn, Today that tradition continues today to honor all those who have earned the title "United States Marine."
00:0000:00
The Marines' Hymn
From the Halls of Montezuma
to the Shores of Tripoli,
We fight our country’s battles
On the land as on the sea.
First to fight for right and freedom,
And to keep our honor clean,
We are proud to claim the title
of United States Marine.
"Our flag’s unfurl’d to every breeze
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in every clime and place
Where we could take a gun.
In the snow of far-off northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes,
You will find us always on the job
The United States Marines.
"Here’s health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve;
In many a strife we’ve fought for life
And never lost our nerve.
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven’s scenes,
They will find the streets are guarded
By United States Marines."
By the summer of 1915, however, it became necessary to put
aside advance base work for immediate problems. This time, the
1st Regiment, headed by Colonel Theodore P. Kane was called to
reinforce Marine forces in Haiti. The policy which dictated
United States intervention resulted from requests by American
business interests and the chaotic conditions which then existed
in Haiti. Also, the United States felt obligated by the Monroe
Doctrine to protect the interests and property of foreign
(European) nations. (37)
On 15 August, the 1st Regiment, minus the 2d Company which
remained at Philadelphia for instruction in submarine mining,
landed the 4th, 6th, and 22d Companies at Port au Prince and the
5th, 11th, 19th, and 23d Companies at Cape Haitien. (38)
In addition to rendering assistance in maintaining the
economic stability of the country, the regiment carried out
extensive patrolling into the interior of the country. An
estimated 25,000 to 50,000 Cacos lived in the rugged mountains
contiguous with the Dominican Republic. These people were
soldiers of fortune who lived on the country as bandits in
normal times and supported one or the other of the candidates
for the presidency during revolutionary periods. The mission
of the 1st Regiment in the next few months was to seek out and
appease, or "tame" the Cacos. The Marines had many skirmishes
with these rebels, with the attack and capture of Fort Riviere
on 17 November being an engagement of particular note.
The fort was situated on the summit of Montagne Noir, 4,000
feet above the sea, which commanded the surrounding country for
miles in every direction. The fort itself was an old French
bastion of approximately 200 square feet with thick walls of brick
and stone. The walls had been loopholed to command the plain
at the foot of the height.
All avenues of approach had been previously closed so that
no Cacos could escape. The only real difficulty encountered
by the Marines, was in crossing an open plain 800 yards wide
under heavy fire. Fortunately for the Marines, the fire of the
Cacos was inaccurate. One company of Marines advanced while
covering fire was provided by two other companies. The main
entrance to the fort on the north had been sealed by the Cacos
and a breach in the south wall had been made for passage. It
was through this hole that the Marines forced their way, over whelming the enemy within the fort in a vicious 10-minute,
hand-to-hand fray which resulted in a total of 51 Cacos being
killed, including their leader General Joseph Dorzeme Michels.
The Marines suffered no casualties. The forces involved in the
attack on Fort Riviere were the 5th Company (Captain W. W. Low),
the 13th Company (Captain C. Campbell), Marine Detachment,
Connecticut (Captain Barker), Seaman Company, Connecticut
(Lt (jg) S. D. Mc Caughey) and Automatic Gun Detachment, 3d
Company. The actual assault on the fort was made by the 5th
Company which accounted for 29 of the 51 Cacos. The remaining
22 jumped from the fort during the hand-to-hand combat and were
killed by the covering forces.
With the capture of Fort Capois shortly thereafter, Haiti
became relatively stable and its inhabitants resumed more
peaceful pursuits. The regiment continued to patrol and
garrison a number of towns until called to the neighboring
Dominican Republic where internal disorder in the early months
of 1916 threatened American lives and property.
By the end of April, the 1st Regiment had joined the 1st,
9th, 13th (artillery), 14th, and 24th Companies from the 2d
Regiment in Haiti, and in the early part of May, these companies,
together with the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 19th Companies of the
regiment were moved to Santo Domingo City to protect the
American Legation and later to occupy the city during a period
of insurrection. On 1 July, the companies remaining in Haiti
were detached from the 1st Regiment. On this same date, the
1st Regiment was redesignated the 2d Regiment and vice versa.
Consequently, the 1st Regiment, which was in Haiti, was then,
through redesignation, the 2d Regiment All lineage and honors
of the old 1st Regiment than belonged to the 2d Regiment. On
1 July the 2d Regiment was comprised of Field and Staff, Naval
Detachment, 1st and 2d Sections of the 7th and 17th Companies,
and the 15th, 16th, 20th, and 23d Companies. The 11th, 19th,
and 22d Companies joined the 2d during July and the 18th Company
joined on 8 September.(39) The 11th Company went on an expedi tion to the Dominican Republic late in July to seek arms of the
revolutionists while the remaining companies remained with the
2d in Haiti. By the end of the summer, bandit activity had
quieted down and the regiment settled into a more normal routine.
Although some patrolling continued, the main activity centered
around training the Marines of the 2d and the men of the newly
organized Haitian Constabulary. (40)
The 15th Company of the regiment formed part of a mounted
expedition sent to Azua, Dominican Republic, in September to
quell a rebellion. On 12 November, its range firing completed,
the 10th Company rejoined the regiment and was stationed at
Fortaleza de San Luis, Santiago, Dominican Republic. (41)
When the decrease in bandit activity and the active parti cipation of the United States during 1917 and 1918 in World War•
I, the frustrated 2d Regiment spent the war years in routine
barracks duty. Occasional patrol activity and frequent changes
in organization and personnel did little to alleviate the dis appointment of those Marines stuck in the tropics and who were
not able to take part in the great war. In the early months of
1917, the 53d, 54th, and 57th Companies joined the regiment
and the 7th, 11th, 17th, 20th, and 22d Companies were detached.
Later that spring, the 2d began to benefit from the war mobili zation efforts of the United States. When the 16th and 23d
Companies were detached on 25 May, sufficient personnel were
available to organize the 64th and 65th Companies. The only
notable events of the next year and a half were the frequent
changes of command.
The spring of 1919, however, witnessed a considerable in crease in bandit activity in Haiti. On 26 March, the 36th,
100th, 148th, and 153d Companies joined the regiment, and a
month later, the 2d took to the field as the native gendarmerie
was unable to contain the increasing banditry. Four of the
regiment's companies operated in southern Haiti, while two
companies moved into the rural areas in the central part of
the island. During the month of May, all companies of the 2d
Regiment, except the 148th, participated in a concerted drive
to clear the republic of thieves and bandits. The 196th and
197th Companies joined the 2d in June, and both companies
assisted in mopping up the bandit strongholds during the
following several months.
On 17 December, the 36th, 57th, 63d, 100th, 148th, and
196th Companies were transferred to the 8th Regiment. (42) With
the organization of the Supply Company on 24 January 1920, the
2d Regiment was composed of Field and Staff, Supply, 53d, 54th,
62d, 64th, l53d, and 197th Companies. (43) The Field and Staff
was redesignated Headquarters Company on 1 February.
During 1920-21, with banditry finally suppressed and peace
restored, the regiment continued its garrison duties with
reduced personnel, assisting in the training of the native
constabulary and performing other duties