Leatherneck Magazine

Last updated

Leatherneck Magazine of the Marines
Leatherneck Magazine December 1970 cover.png
December 1970 issue with Miss Alabama Ann Fowler in South Vietnam
FrequencyMonthly
First issue1917;108 years ago (1917)
Company Marine Corps Association
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Website www.mca-marines.org/magazines/leatherneck/
ISSN 0023-981X

Leatherneck Magazine of the Marines (or simply Leatherneck) is a magazine for United States Marines.

Contents

History and profile

The Quantico Leatherneck was started by off-duty US Marines, and in large part by the post printer, Sgt. Smith, in 1917. [1] The link to Editor & Publisher for February 19, 1921, page 38 contains a passionate article giving the details of the beginnings of the Quantico Leatherneck. Included: Captain Jonas H Platt, a newspaper man in civilian life, 1st Lt. Angus A. Aull (sp?)at the officers' training school held an honorary position with the paper and is the author of the linked Editor & Publisher article.

In 1918, "Quantico" was dropped from the publication's name.

In 1920, with the formation of the Marine Corps Institute (MCI) by Commandant of the Marine Corps John A. Lejeune, Leatherneck became an official Marine Corps publication under the auspices of MCI, and was moved to Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington, D.C. In 1925, the format was changed from a newspaper to a magazine.

During World War II, many of the Marine Corps' combat correspondents were assigned to Leatherneck. In 1943, the Leatherneck Association was formed to govern the magazine, making it more autonomous and answerable only to the Commandant.

The magazine's name derives from the slang term "leatherneck" for a U.S. Marine, referring to the leather-lined collar or stock of the original Marine uniform.

Leatherneck was an official Marine Corps publication until 1972, staffed primarily by active-duty Marines. That year all active-duty positions were eliminated and the magazine returned to Quantico. In 1976, the Leatherneck Association merged with the Marine Corps Association (MCA). As of 2016, MCA continues to publish Leatherneck alongside another Marine Corps periodical, the Marine Corps Gazette .

Mission

"To be the magazine of Marines—yesterday, today and tomorrow."

Leatherneck today

Leatherneck is available in magazine form, online, and through a mobile application.

Col Mary Reinwald, USMC (Ret) became the first female editor-in-chief in 2014.

As of 2015, the magazine has over 40,000 monthly readers.

Staff and contributors

Leatherneck staff and contributors have included the following:


List of Leatherneck Magazine Issues

The Leatherneck has been published since 1917

No.CoverYearMonthVolumeIssueText
1IITbd
2
Leatherneck Magazine Volume 58 Issue 1 January 1975 1975 01 Cover.jpg
Leatherneck Magazine Volume 58 Issue 1 January 1975
1975JanuaryLVIII1Designed by Jim Hopewell, our cover includes a reproduction of the historic resolution passed by the Continental Congress on 10 November 1775, authorizing "Two Battalions of Marines." From this resolution evolved the Marine Corps as we know it today.

Leatherneck salutes the Corps in its 200th anniversary year.

31975FebruaryLVIII2Thirty years ago this month, Sgt Louis Lowery, then a roving photographer for Leatherneck, snapped a quick picture as the American Flag was raised on Iwo Jima. The photograph was memorable in that it was the first taken of the famous flag-raising.

Recently, with no one shooting back at him, Lowery set up his camera and took an unhurried photo of the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va. He got a better picture this time

-
Leatherneck Magazine March 1975 Volume 58 Issue 3 1975 03 Leatherneck Magazine Cover.jpg
Leatherneck Magazine March 1975 Volume 58 Issue 3
19753LVIII3Marine reservists, most of them from Albuquerque, N.M., recently flew to Alaska for two weeks of cold weather training. Herb Richardson went along to take pictures and write the article, "North To Alaska," which begins on page 14.
419754LVIII4LCp Matt Biggie is a member of the Marine Security Guard serving in Zaire's capital city of Kinshasa. In the background are the flags of the United African Organiza-tion. Cover photo by Tom Bartlett, whose story on Zaire begins on page 16.
19755LVIII5Marines and equipment get a tough workout at the Landing Force Training Command, Little Creek, Va. Herb Richardson was on hand to shoot the picture when Cpl Ralph Mayone, accompanied by Pfc Steve Vogrin, tested the installation of a deep-water, fording kit on a jeep. The vehicle splashed through the tank perfectly, and the troops dried out eventually. The LFTC article, called "Super Turtles," begins on page 20.
19756LVIII6Marines of Alpha and Delta Companies, 2d Tank Battalion, Camp Lejeune, N. C., recently spent two weeks training at the Army's Fort Pickett, Va. Delta Company was there to learn about the newly adopted M-60 tank, while Alpha Company got in some last-minute firing with its trusty M-48's prior to deployment to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Herb Richardson was on hand when one of the M-48's cut loose with its

90-mm. main gun. The story, "Track Training, begins on page 18.

19757LVIII7Archibald Summers, first Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, was appointed in 1801-'02, although the office, as such, was not officially authorized until 1833. The painting of Summers on this month's cover is by Maj Charles Waterhouse, USMCR.

The post was re-created in 1957. Since then, seven Marines have served as Sergeant Major of the Corps. C. L. Kammeier, Leatherneck's Editor-Publisher, salutes them in an article on page 18.

19758LVIII8President Gerald R. Ford was accompanied by Navy Capt Bryan W. Compton, CO of the USS Nimitz, when the world's largest ship was commissioned at Norfolk, Va., recently.

The cover was photographed by Tom Bartlett as the ship's Marine Detachment "presented arms" on the hangar deck. The Nimitz story and additional photos of her Marines begin on page 18.

19759LVIII9The Vietnam Service Medal. Leatherneck dedicates this issue to all those who served in Vietnam, to their valor, their devotion, to their love of country. To those who fought and returned... and, to those who made the supreme sacrifice....

Cover photo by Lou Lowery, Leatherneck Photographic Director. The background photo was taken in Vietnam by Sgt Ernie Lebreque.

197510LVIII10The Navy-Marine Team

An early beginning 1775 An early toast to the Navy/ Marine Corps team was rendered in 1775 aboard a ship of the Continental Navy. The acrylic painting of the event on our cover is by Maj USMCR. Charles Waterhouse, USMCR. A story about the Navy / Marine Corps Team appears on page 18.

197511LVIII11Heritage of Our Corps

The Battle Standard of the Marine Corps, carried by Sgt L.M. Baade, Marine Color Sergeant. This standard proudly bears streamers representing those foreign and U.S. awards earned by Marine Corps units for combat action, as well as those of the campaigns and expeditions in which Marine Corps units have participated from the American Revolution through the war in Vietnam. Cover design: Jim Hopewell. Photo by Lou Lowery.

197512LVIII12Merry Christmas to all from the staff of Leatherneck

Cover design: Jim Hopewell.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Geiger</span> US Marine Corps general (1885–1947)

Roy Stanley Geiger was a United States Marine Corps four-star general who served in World War I and World War II. In World War II, he became the first Marine Corps general to lead a field army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John A. Lejeune</span> United States Marine Corps commandant

John Archer Lejeune was a United States Marine Corps lieutenant general and the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps. Lejeune served for nearly 40 years in the military, and commanded the U.S. Army's 2nd Division during World War I. After his retirement from the Marine Corps he became superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl E. Anderson</span> United States Marine Corps general

Earl Edward Anderson was a U.S. Marine four-star general. He was the youngest active duty Marine ever promoted to the rank of general and the first active duty Marine Naval Aviator to be promoted to a 4-star rank. He became Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps on April 1, 1972. He was promoted to general on March 31, 1972. General Keith B. McCutcheon had been promoted to four-star rank the day of his retirement for medical reasons on July 1, 1971. During his 35-year Marine career, he served in combat actions in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine Corps League</span>

The Marine Corps League is the only congressionally chartered United States Marine Corps-related veterans organization in the United States. Its congressional charter was approved by the 75th U.S. Congress and signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 4, 1937. The organization credits Major General John A. Lejeune, the 13th Marine Corps commandant, as one of its founding members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Magnus</span> United States Marine Corps general

Robert Magnus is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 30th Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps from September 8, 2005, to July 2, 2008. He retired from active duty on July 17, 2008, after 38 years of total service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allen H. Turnage</span> United States Marine Corps general

Allen Hal Turnage was a United States Marine Corps General who earned the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Service Medal while leading the 3rd Marine Division on Bougainville and Guam in World War II.

Louis R. Lowery was a United States Marine Corps captain. He was the only Marine Corps combat photographer to cover six major campaigns during World War II. He is best known for taking the first photographs of the first American flag that was raised on top of Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima on the morning of February 23, 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerald C. Thomas</span> United States Marine Corps general

Gerald Carthrae Thomas was a United States Marine Corps general who served as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1956 with more than 38 years of distinguished service which included duty on four continents, spanning the two World Wars, Haiti, and the Korean War. During World War I, he fought in major offensives, including the Battle of Belleau Wood, and was awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Bess</span> American comics artist

Gordon C. Bess was an American cartoonist, best known for the comic strip Redeye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John K. Davis</span> United States Marine Corps general (1927–2019)

John Kerry Davis, also known as J.K. Davis, was a United States Marine Corps four-star general. Davis, a Vietnam War veteran and naval aviator, served as the Commanding General of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (1977–1978) and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (1978-1978). His final assignment was as the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps from July 1, 1983, to June 1, 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwin H. Simmons</span> United States Marine Corps general

Edwin Howard Simmons was a United States Marine Corps brigadier general. He was a career officer who served in combat during three wars — including landing at Inchon and fighting at the Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War. He was renowned as the official Marine Corps historian, being called "the collective memory of the Marine Corps". His 1974 book The United States Marines: A History is a seminal reference text.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merrill B. Twining</span> US Marine Corps general (1902–1996)

General Merrill Barber Twining was a United States Marine Corps general who received a "tombstone promotion" to four-star general upon retirement. He was the brother of Air Force General Nathan Farragut Twining, and the nephew of Rear Admiral Nathan Crook Twining.

The Marine Corps Association is the professional organization for members of the United States Marine Corps and friends of the Corps. It is known for its publications Leatherneck Magazine and Marine Corps Gazette. As of 2009, MCA became part of MCA&F, the Marine Corps Association & Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vernon E. Megee</span> United States Marine Corps general

General Vernon Edgar Megee was a United States Marine Corps general. He is recognized as a pioneer in the development of close air support for ground combat operations. He served as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1956 to 1957; with his final billet from 1957 to 1959 as commanding general, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. When he retired from the Marine Corps, after 40 years of active duty service, he received a promotion to 4-star rank.

John William Thomason Jr. was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Marine Corps, as well as an author and illustrator of several books and magazine stories.

The Marine Corps Gazette is a professional journal by and for members of the United States Marine Corps. Known as "The Professional Journal of U.S. Marines", the Gazette was founded in 1916 at Marine Corps Base Quantico by Colonel John A. Lejeune as the vehicle to launch the Marine Corps Association (MCA). The MCA continues to publish the Gazette alongside Leatherneck Magazine. The headquarters of the Gazette is in Quantico, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine Tactical Air Command Squadron 38</span> Military unit

Marine Tactical Air Command Squadron 38 (MTACS-38) was a United States Marine Corps aviation command and control unit that provided the Tactical Air Command Center (TACC) for the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. The TACC is the senior agency in the Marine Air Command and Control System (MACCS) and serves as the operational command post for the commander of the aviation combat element and their staff. The squadron was based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California and fell under the command of Marine Air Control Group 38 and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leslie M. Palm</span> United States Marine Corps general, CEO/Publisher Marine Corps Association

Leslie Mather Palm is a retired United States Marine Corps major general and former publisher and CEO of the Marine Corps Association. His last active duty position was the Director, Marine Corps Staff, Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington, D.C. (1996–1998). Palm retired on September 1, 1998.

Don Sherwood was an American cartoonist and illustrator who created Dan Flagg, the first nationally syndicated comic strip to feature a U.S. Marine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George L. Bartlett</span> American Brigadier general (1924–2024)

George Lewis Bartlett was a decorated officer in the United States Marine Corps with the rank of Brigadier General. A veteran of three wars, he began his career as Enlisted Marine during World War II and served as Navigator-Bombardier in Pacific theater. Bartlett remained in the Marines and rose through the ranks to the capacity of Director, Facilities and Services Division, Installations and Logistics.

References

  1. "Who Started the Leatherneck?". Editor & Publisher. Vol. 53, no. 38. 1921-02-19. p. 38.