The resolution was approved on November 10, 1775, officially forming the Continental Marines.

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2 During the American Revolution, many important political discussions took place in the inns and taverns of Philadelphia, including the founding of the Marine Corps. A committee of the Continental Congress met at Tun Tavern to draft a resolution calling for two battalions of Marines able to fight for independence at sea and on shore. The resolution was approved on November 10, 1775, officially forming the Continental Marines. As the first order of business, Samuel Nicholas became Commandant of the newly formed Marines. Tun Tavern s owner and popular patriot, Robert Mullen, became his first captain and recruiter. They began gathering support and were ready for action by early With the founding of the Corps in 1775, the first recruiting drive was held at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia. At the time, the recruiting of volunteers was the responsibility of the various barracks commanders scattered throughout the United States to guard naval installations and man ships. Recruiting posters through to the American Civil War promised prospective recruits of bounties and prizes for service at sea. After the end of the draft in the United States in 1972, recruiters had to shift from merely processing recruits to actively seeking and encouraging them to join an all-volunteer force. Because there are Marine installations in relatively few states, Marine recruiters are typically the public face of the Corps, seen most commonly by the civilian population. The role and importance of Marine Corps recruiting effort is paramount not only to the health of our Corps, but also the defense of our great nation. We should make an effort to preserve, display and educate others on this importance of the Marine Corps Recruiting Service; now referred to as Marine Corps Recruiting Command.

3 Recruiting has been the lifeblood of the Marine Corps since its inception 10 November From the Inns and Taverns in Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War to the modern day recruiting offices throughout the 6th Marine Corps District s Area of Operations, finding those individuals who embrace what General John A. Lejeune published in Article 38, United States Marine Corps Manual, 1921 edition will forever be the recruiter s mission. Gen Lejeune stated: This high name of distinction and soldierly repute we who are Marines today have received from those who preceded us in the Corps. With it we also received from them the eternal spirit which has animated our Corps from generation to generation and has been the distinguishing mark of the Marines in every age. So long as that spirit continues to flourish Marines will be found equal to every emergency in the future as they have been in the past, and the men of our Nation will regard us as worthy successors to the long line of illustrious men who have served as Soldiers of the Sea since the founding of the Corps. The images from some of the first recruiting posters and pamphlets often invoked visions of military pay, travel and adventure, patriotism, defense of the nation, education, medical and other benefits. Marine Corps recruiting efforts throughout the years have not changed much; we still utilize some of these basic methods and practices as we did in the 1700s in order to recruit the next generation of modern day Marines. In 2007, the Marine Corps recruiting theme The Few, The Proud, The Marines was inducted into the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame during the annual Advertising Week, which is the largest and most prestigious annual gathering of advertising and media industry leaders in North America. Our modern day recruiting theme The Few, The Proud, The Marines is a term which derived it roots from a 1779 Continental Marines poster in which Marine Captain William Jones stated, The Continental ship Providence, now lying at Boston, is bound on a short cruise, immediately; a few good men are wanted to make up her complement. In this room, you will find many items used by the United States Marine Corps in its recruiting efforts from 1775 to modern day. The Marine Corps recruiter and our recruiting efforts represent a direct link between America and its Marine Corps. This area was established not only to preserve our recruiting efforts, but also to remind us of the valuable and vital role that recruiting represents to the defense of this great nation. By ensuring that we are seeking the most qualified young men and women to fill our ranks we are able to make Marines, win our Nations battles and develop quality citizens. Semper Fidelis EXHIBIT ENTRANCE SIGN EXPLAINS THE PURPOSE OF OUR EXHIBIT AND RELEVANCE OF THE MARINE CORPS RECRUITING EFFORT.

4 This historical marker is an exact replica of the marker dedicated by the city of Philadelphia on 11 November 2005, honoring the location traditionally regarded as the birthplace of the United States Marine Corps. The duplicate marker was provided to the 6th Marine Corps District by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The original marker is located on Front Street between Chestnut and Walnut Street in Philadelphia, approximately 50 yards east of where Tun Tavern is believed to have once stood. Eighteen days after the Continental Congress 10 November 1775 resolution to raise two battalions of Marines, Samuel Nicholas was appointed as a captain and commanding officer of the newly established Continental Marines. Captain Nicholas quickly began appointing several officers, including Robert Mullan (possibly Mullen or Mullin), and recruitment of Marines began. The new Marine officers utilized numerous public inns and taverns throughout the city of Philadelphia to recruit Marines, including the popular meeting house, Tun Tavern. Legend has it that Captain Mullan, who s family leased Tun Tavern for many years prior to 1774, often used that particular tavern as a recruiting rendezvous spot for himself and his company s two lieutenants. An old account book of the Mullan family, once used to keep business records for Tun Tavern, was also used to log the names of Marine recruits who signed up in the summer of 1776 to serve with Captain Mullan, helping to perpetuate the legend of Tun Tavern as the birthplace of the Marine Corps. THE TUN TAVERN MARKER IS NOT ONLY SYMBOLIC OF THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE MARINE CORPS IT ALSO REPRESENTS THE FIRST ESTABLISHED RECRUITING OFFICE. *The editing and research of the inscription was provided by Kara Newcomer, Historian, USMC History Division.

5 The World War I Effect on the Marine Corps Recruiting Service Although World War I, or The Great War, only lasted from for the United States of America, its impact on the future of the United States Marine Corps would be unquestionable. During this Great War the Marine Corps gained its legendary status within the eyes of American public. It was that legendary status that would entice the farm hand from the wheat fields of Oklahoma to the All- American collegiate athletes of Yale and Princeton into become a part of this Elite Military Organization. Prior to the Marine Corps firing a single shot in Belleau Wood, the American public had already identified the Marine Corps as an Elite Military Organization. It was this identity that set the conditions for the Marine Corps recruiters to be highly selective when President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the Selective Service Act of This law had a significant impact on the Marine Corps as it was positioning for wartime service in France. Of the 239,274 who applied during the course of the war, just 60, 189 were accepted as Marines. (Axelrod, Miracle at Belleau Wood, p.12) During and after the Battle of Belleau Wood some of the headlines that traveled back to the shores of America read U.S MARINES SMASH HUNS and MARINES WIN HOT BATTLE. On June 9, 1918, the New York Times reported that according to recruiting headquarters in New York application for service in the Marine Corps has increased more than 100 percent in the last two days. Young men picked up newspapers, read about the Marine triumph at Belleau Wood, and rushed to the recruiting office. The U.S. Congress was not far from behind. On July 1, 1918 as it turned out, the day after Belleau Wood was finally secured lawmakers authorized the expansion of the Corps to 3,017 officers and 75,000 enlisted men. To be sure, this was still a small elite force, but it represented a massive increase from the 15,000 men who had entered combat, and it brought an absolute end to all talk among legislative as well as executive circles of abolishing the Marines. (Axelrod, Miracle at Belleau Wood, p.181) The effect of World War I and the efforts of the Marine Corps Recruiting Service would have a resounding impact on the future of the Corps and for those who became a part of it. These few wanted the opportunity to become Soldiers of the Sea and be amongst the First to Fight on foreign shores to secure American interests in Any Clime and Place. They almost certainly had the greatest influence on the modern day Marine Corps the Corps we know today. WWI PROBABLY HAD THE MOST IMPACT ON THE MARINE CORPS RECRUITING EFFORTS. IT WAS THE FIRST TIME COLORFUL AND VIBRANT RECRUITING POSTERS AS WELL AS DETAILED RECRUITING BOOKLETS WERE USED TO ENTICE THE AMERICAN PUBLIC INTO BECOMING A PART OF THIS ELITE ORGANIZATION

6 ORIGINAL WORLD WAR I RECRUITING BOOKLETS. ALL ARE PRESERVED AND PROTECTED IN A MYLAR PROTECTIVE COVERS. IN ORDER FOR VIEWERS TO SEE INSIDE THE BOOKLETS, SOME PAGES WERE COPIED AND PLACED ON FORM BOARD FOR EASY VIEWING. * All the original recruiting booklets in our collection are preserved and presented in this manner.

7 WWII RECRUITING EXHIBIT

8 WOMAN MARINE RECRUITING EXHIBIT

9 WOMAN MARINE RECRUITING EXHIBIT Original World War II Recruiting Poster: Circa 1942 Free a Marine to fight! This recruiting campaign was a call for women to serve in the Marine Corps Women s Reserve during World War II. This, however, was not the first time that free a man to fight was significant in helping turn the tide of war and assisting in the recruitment of women to serve in the Marine Corps. During World War I, women had freed a man to fight, and some 300 Marinettes had freed male Marines from their desk and typewriter at Headquarters Marine Corps, to go to France. World War II brought many changes to the lives of American women, many of which would have lasting consequences on traditional roles. Women Marines in this war served in more than 200 military specialties. In addition to clerical work, they also filled positions as parachute riggers, mechanics, radio operators, mapmakers and welders. By June 1944, women reservists made up 85 percent of the enlisted personnel on duty at Headquarters Marine Corps and almost two-thirds of the personnel manning all major posts and stations in the United States and Hawaii. At war's end, General Alexander A. Vandegrift, 18th Commandant of the Marine Corps, credited these women with "putting the 6th Marine Division in the field." Women Marines became a permanent part of the regular Marine Corps on 12 June 1948 when Congress passed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act (Public Law 625) but they had already proven themselves in two world wars. Donated by: Homer Helter of Homer Helter s Antique and Military Mall in Naples, Fla.

10 ORIGINAL RECRUITING POSTERS ARE PRESENTED WITH A DESCRIPTIVE NARRATIVE AS TO THE HISTORY AND THE EMOTION THE POSTER IS MEANT TO INVOKE, MOST OF THE POSTERS IN OUR COLLECTION ARE DISPLAYED IN THIS MANNER. Original: Korean War Era Recruiting Poster Donated by Master Sergeant Ramon Gallimore "The Marine Corps Builds Men" was a theme of a series of Marine Corps recruiting posters over some three decades, from the 1950s to the 1980s. This poster focuses on "Valor." A brother poster focused on "Pride." Several of these "Build Men" posters simply showed images of Marines and Marine life with the words "The Marine Corps Builds Men." The key was to offer the Recruiting Station Public Affairs NCO, now called the Marketing and Public Affairs NCO, poster options to place on "A" frame signs, in windows and in other hightraffic areas. In the late 1970s, and into the early 80s, the words "Body, Mind and Spirit" were added to the basic theme of building men.

11 MARINE CORPS RECRUITING ORIGINAL WORLD WAR II ERA MARINE CORPS RECRUITING SERVICE BANNER (CA ). DURING THE 1950'S, IT WAS CUSTOMARY TO HAVE RECRUITING BANNERS SUCH AS THIS ONE AT THE US POST OFFICE ACROSS THE NATION WHICH AIDED IN THE RECRUITMENT EFFORTS.

12 WORLD TRADE CENTER STEEL OBTAINED FROM THE NEW YORK PORT AUTHORITY, THIS CAREFULLY DISPLAYED ARTIFACT IS SYMBOLIC OF THE POST 9-11 GENERATION OF VOLUNTEERS WHO JOINED OUR CORPS IN DEFENSE OF THIS GREAT NATION. MOST RECRUITING OFFICES BECOME OVERWHELMED WITH POTENTIAL APPLICANTS SEEKING ENLISTMENT, REMINSCENT OF THE SCENE AFTER DECEMBER 7, THE PHOTOGRAPH IN THE CASE WAS DONATED BY A RECRUITER WHO WAS GIVEN THE PHOTOGRAPH BY APPLICANT WHO JOINED THE MARINE CORPS IMMEDIATELY AFTER SEPTEMBER 11, THE APPLICANT WAS A FIRST RESPONDER WHO ASSISTED THE RELIEF EFFORTS IN LOWER MANHATTAN.

13 OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE 6 TH MARINE CORPS DISTRICT RECRUITING EXHIBIT OPENED ON 9 NOVEMBER 2011 BY THE CG ERR, BRIGADIER GENERAL LORI REYNOLDS AND MASTER SERGEANT RAMON GALLIMORE

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