The Origins of the Marine Corps Birthday Celebration
Every November 10th, Marines around the world gather to celebrate a tradition that is both historic and deeply symbolic. Birthday cakes are cut with Mameluke swords, the oldest Marine passes the first piece of cake to the youngest, and a nearly century-old birthday message is read aloud to all commands. What many may not realize is that these revered traditions are surprisingly young, created during a period when the Marine Corps’ very survival was in question.
The story begins in 1920, when Major General John A. Lejeune became Commandant of the Marine Corps. Though the Corps had earned national fame for its valor at battles like Belleau Wood, it faced serious threats in peacetime. Post-World War I America favored disarmament, and budget cuts were being debated in Congress. Some even questioned whether a separate amphibious force was necessary, suggesting the Army and Navy could handle what the Marines did. Lejeune recognized that the Corps needed more than battlefield success to survive—it needed an enduring identity.
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In 1921, Major Edwin McClellan, who led the Marine Corps’ historical section, proposed shifting the official birthday to November 10, 1775—the day the Second Continental Congress authorized raising two battalions of Continental Marines. McClellan also suggested creating an annual celebration to reinforce the Corps’ legacy and service to the nation. Lejeune formalized this with Marine Corps Order No. 47, instructing that a birthday message be read to every Marine command each year. This connected modern Marines to their Continental predecessors, giving them a sense of history and purpose beyond the battlefield.
The first formal Birthday Ball was held in Philadelphia in 1925, featuring political and military dignitaries and a parade through the city. Over the following years, traditions like the cake-cutting ceremony emerged. By the 1930s, a large cake was cut at Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C., and standardized birthday protocols were issued in 1952, becoming part of the Marine Corps Drill Manual in 1956. Today, the cake is cut with a Mameluke sword, with the first slice given to the guest of honor, the second to the oldest Marine, who then passes it to the youngest.
These celebrations were not merely ceremonial. Lejeune understood that rituals could help the Corps endure political and budgetary pressures. Annual birthday events increased public visibility and reminded Americans—and lawmakers—that the Marine Corps was a unique and essential institution. Even Marines in combat zones adapted these traditions, using rationed desserts or MREs to honor their birthday. Over time, additional customs such as motivational runs, uniform pageants, and wreath-laying ceremonies at the grave of the first Marine officer, Samuel Nicholas, were added, further strengthening esprit de corps.
In 2025, the Marine Corps celebrated its 250th birthday. The traditions that Lejeune and his colleagues established a century ago remain central to Marine identity. They serve as a powerful reminder that the survival of a military institution often depends not only on its battlefield achievements but also on the lasting traditions that connect generations, instill pride, and create an identity that cannot easily be erased. The Marine Corps exists today as much because of these enduring rituals as for its combat prowess.
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