Rifleman's Creed

Last updated
MajGen. William H. Rupertus - Author of the Rifleman's Creed William H. Rupertus.jpg
MajGen. William H. Rupertus – Author of the Rifleman's Creed

The Rifleman's Creed (also known as My Rifle and The Creed of the United States Marine) is a part of basic United States Marine Corps doctrine. Major General William H. Rupertus wrote it during World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor between late 1941 and early 1942, but its first publication was in San Diego in the Marine Corps Chevron on March 14, 1942. His reasoning for writing the Creed is believed to be that he felt that his men had to understand the concept "that the only weapon which stands between them and Death is the rifle...they must understand that their rifle is their life..." [1]

Contents

In the past, all enlisted Marines would learn the Creed at recruit training. However, in recent years the Creed has been relegated to the back pages of the standard recruit training guide book, and its memorization is no longer considered required for recruits, but its significance is passed through drill instructors to their recruits throughout each cycle. Different, more concise versions of the Creed have developed since its early days, but those closest to the original version remain the most widely accepted. [2]

Purpose

United States Marine Corps Eagle Globe and Anchor Emblem of the United States Marine Corps.svg
United States Marine Corps Eagle Globe and Anchor

The Rifleman's Creed continues to stand as a pillar concerning the ethos of the Marine Corps. In recruit training for enlisted Marines and Officer Candidates School for commissioned officers the Rifleman's Creed is inescapable. Whilst its continued recitation varies from company to company, platoon to platoon, its presence is assured during the period of recruit training. The Rifleman's Creed is one of the keystones of the United States Marine Corps doctrine and helps designate that every Marine is, first and foremost, a Rifleman regardless of Military Occupational Specialty (or MOS) designation. [1] Even now, in the United States Marine Corps rifle training data book, given to recruits when undertaking Table 1 of rifle qualification, the Rifleman's Creed is printed within the data book to ensure that prior to picking up a weapon a Marine understands what their rifle means to them and their Corps. The last page of the data book reinforces this ideology with the quote from General Alfred M. Gray Jr., the 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps: "Every Marine is, first and foremost, a rifleman. All other conditions are secondary." [3] The Creed itself utilizes a sense of anthropomorphism in order to coerce Marines into seeing their rifle as more than a simple tool of war. This sense of almost familial attachment that a Marine feels towards their rifle is paramount, as a Marine would never leave a man behind, they would also not leave their rifle. [4] [5]

Current text

Rifleman's Creed [6] [7] [8] [9]

This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.

Without me, my rifle is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will ...

My rifle and I know that what counts in war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit ...

My rifle is human, even as I [am human], because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will keep my rifle clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will ...

Before God, I swear this creed. My rifle and I are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.

So be it, until victory is America's and there is no enemy, but peace!

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Full Metal Jacket</i> 1987 war film by Stanley Kubrick

Full Metal Jacket is a 1987 psychological war drama film directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick from a screenplay he co-wrote with Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford. The film is based on Hasford's 1979 autobiographical novel The Short-Timers. It stars Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey, Vincent D'Onofrio, Adam Baldwin, Dorian Harewood, and Arliss Howard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. Lee Ermey</span> US Marine sergeant and actor (1944–2018)

Ronald Lee Ermey was an American actor and U.S. Marine drill instructor. He achieved fame for his role as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in the 1987 film Full Metal Jacket, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Ermey was also a United States Marine Corps staff sergeant and an honorary gunnery sergeant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island</span> US Marine Corps base near Beaufort, South Carolina, US

Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island is an 8,095-acre (32.76 km2) military installation located within Port Royal, South Carolina, approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Beaufort, the community that is typically associated with the installation. MCRD Parris Island is used for United States Marine Corps Recruit Training of enlisted United States Marines. Recruits living east of the Mississippi River report there to receive initial training. Recruits living west of the Mississippi River receive training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California, but may train at MCRD Parris Island by special request.

The School of Infantry (SOI) is the second stage of initial military training for enlisted United States Marines after recruit training. The ITB now called IMC went from a 59 day course to 14 week course. Since the initial training pipeline is divided between coasts, Marines from areas east of the Mississippi River usually graduate from MCRD Parris Island and move on to SOI at SOI East, while those from the western half of the nation attend MCRD San Diego and move on to SOI West at the Camp San Onofre area of Camp Pendleton in California. Female Marines are trained at both SOI East and SOI West. The School of Infantry's training mission ensures "Every Marine is, first and foremost, a Rifleman". At SOI, Marines with the Military Occupational Specialty of infantry are trained at the Infantry Training Battalion (ITB), while all non-infantry Marines are trained in basic infantry and combat skills at the Marine Combat Training Battalion. SOI marks a transition in the professional training of entry-level students from basically trained Marines to combat-ready Marines.

<i>Jarhead</i> (film) 2005 film directed by Sam Mendes

Jarhead is a 2005 American biographical war drama film based on the 2003 memoir of the same name by Anthony Swofford, chronicling his military service in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Persian Gulf War. Directed by Sam Mendes, the film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Swofford with Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard, Lucas Black, and Chris Cooper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rifleman</span> Infantry soldier armed with a rifle

A rifleman is an infantry soldier armed with a rifled long gun. Although the rifleman role had its origin with 16th century hand cannoneers and 17th century musketeers, the term originated in the 18th century with the introduction of the rifled musket. By the mid-19th century, entire regiments of riflemen were formed and became the mainstay of all standard infantry, and rifleman became a generic term for any common infantryman.

<i>Jarhead</i> (book) 2003 memoir by Anthony Swofford

Jarhead is a 2003 Gulf War memoir by author and former U.S. Marine Anthony Swofford. After leaving military service, the author went on to college and earned a double master's degree in Fine Arts at the University of Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Swofford</span> American writer and former U.S. Marine

Anthony Swofford is an American writer and former U.S. Marine, best known for his 2003 book Jarhead, based heavily on his accounts of various situations encountered in the Persian Gulf War. This memoir was the basis of the 2005 film of the same name, directed by Sam Mendes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soldier's Creed</span> United States Army tradition

The Soldier's Creed is a standard by which all United States Army personnel are expected to live. All U.S. Army enlisted personnel are taught the Soldier's Creed during basic training, and recite the creed in public ceremonies at the conclusion of training. Both the Soldier's Creed and the Noncommissioned Officer's Creed are required knowledge at enlisted promotion boards to compete for the rank of sergeant and above, as well as 'Soldier of the Month' boards. It is also common practice to recite the Soldier's Creed at the graduation ceremony from Army ROTC. Unlike the U.S. Uniformed Services Oath of Office or the Oath of Enlistment, the Soldier's Creed is not a legally-binding oath and can be affirmed by both commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Marine Corps Women's Reserve</span> World War II U.S. military organization

United States Marine Corps Women's Reserve (USMCWR) was the World War II women's branch of the United States Marine Corps Reserve. It was authorized by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 30 July 1942. Its purpose was to release officers and men for combat, and to replace them with women in U.S. shore stations for the duration of the war plus six months. Ruth Cheney Streeter was appointed the first director. The USMCWR did not have an official nickname as did the other World War II women's military services.

The Sailor's Creed is a code of ethics of the United States Navy, originally developed for the promotion of personal excellence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William H. Rupertus</span> United States Marine Corps general (1889–1945)

William Henry Rupertus was a major general in the United States Marine Corps, who commanded the famed 1st Marine Division in the Pacific in World War II and also authored the USMC Rifleman's Creed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry L. Maxam</span>

Larry Leonard Maxam was a United States Marine who posthumously received the United States' highest military honor — the Medal of Honor — for heroism in the Vietnam War in February 1968,

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Marine Corps Recruit Training</span> Program of initial training for USMC recruits

United States Marine Corps Recruit Training is a 13-week program, including in & out-processing, of recruit training that each recruit must successfully complete in order to serve in the United States Marine Corps.

The culture of the United States Marine Corps is widely varied but unique amongst the branches of the United States Armed Forces. Because members of the Marine Corps are drawn from across the United States, it is as varied as each individual Marine but tied together with core values and traditions passed from generation to generation of Marines. As in any military organization, the official and unofficial traditions of the Marine Corps serve to reinforce camaraderie and set the service apart from others. The Corps' embracement of its rich culture and history is cited as a reason for its high esprit de corps.

The U.S. Army Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer, otherwise known as the Noncommissioned Officer's Creed, and commonly shortened to the NCO creed, is a tool used in the United States Army to educate and remind enlisted leaders of their responsibilities and authority, and serves as a code of conduct. Each branch has their own version, and many have been altered over the years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James M. Masters Sr.</span> United States Marine Corps general (1922–1988)

James Marvin Masters Sr. was a United States Marine Corps lieutenant general who during the course of his career served as a China Marine, fought in numerous battles in the Pacific during World War II and commanded units from platoon to division size. He received the Navy Cross for his actions during the Battle of Okinawa and was also a recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal during a military career that spanned the 35 years between 1933 and 1968. He died at his home in Washington, D.C., on 5 August 1988.

A School of Infantry provides training in weapons and infantry tactics to infantrymen of a nation's military forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Micheal Barrett</span> 17th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps

Micheal P. "Mike" Barrett is a retired United States Marine who served as the 17th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, succeeding Carlton W. Kent on June 9, 2011. As the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Barrett was the highest ranking noncommissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps. He was succeeded by Ronald L. Green on February 20, 2015.

References

  1. 1 2 "Marines' Rifle Creed. My Rifle – The Creed of a United States Marine". Marine Corps University. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  2. "Rifleman's Creed". lejeune.usmc.mil. 2007-03-10. Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 2021-11-29 via Internet Archive.
  3. "ART NAVMC 11660 REV 02-12" (PDF). Lejeune Marines. February 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  4. Howard, Mick (2013). "A Military Tradition Institutionalized: Rhetorical Personification and Anthropomorphism in "The Rifleman's Creed"". The Journal of Military Experience: 101.
  5. "Marine Corps University > Research > Marine Corps History Division > Frequently Requested Topics > Marines' Rifle Creed". www.usmcu.edu. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
  6. Major General William H. Rupertus. "My Rifle: The Creed of a U.S. Marine". United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on 2007-03-10.
  7. "Chapter Four  Training for Victory". 100 years of making marines at Marine Corps Recruit Depot : Parris Island, South Carolina (PCN 10600010000) (PDF) (First ed.). Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. 2015. p. 66 (PDF p. 5). OCLC   926058315 . Retrieved 31 January 2021. ... even as I, because it is my life.
  8. Sturkey, Marion F. (2002). Warrior Culture of the U.S. Marines (1st ed.). Plum Branch, SC: Heritage Press International. ISBN   9780965081450. OCLC   50611498. via "Rifleman's Creed". Heritage Press International. Retrieved 31 January 2021. ... even as I am human, because it is my life.
  9. Standards (PDF). FIRES Center of Excellence. 29 July 2010. p. 6. Retrieved 31 January 2021. ... even as I am human, because it is my life.
  10. Nelson, Thomas (2000). Kubrick, Inside a Film Artist's Maze. Indiana University Press. p. 246.
  11. Stevenson, James A. (1988). "Beyond Stephen Crane: 'Full Metal Jacket'". Literature/Film Quarterly. 16 (4): 238–243. JSTOR   43797551.
  12. Charles, Michael; Townsend, Keith (2011). "Full Metal Jarhead: Shifting the Horizon of Expectation". Journal of Popular Culture. 44 (5): 922. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5931.2011.00880.x.
  13. Family Guy Clip – this is my wheelchair, 19 May 2020, retrieved 2024-02-21