History of Integration of the United States Marine Corps
Since its official birth date, November 10, 1775, the United States Marine Corps has passionately and powerfully defended our nation’s interests on land and sea, and successfully protected the lives, property, and generic well being of its citizens as part of the United States Armed Forces. As the primary purpose and drive, the U.S. Marine Corps maintains Fleet Marine Forces of combined air and ground units to seize and defend advanced Naval bases, and for land operations that are carried out as part of a naval campaign. It develops the tactics, techniques, and equipment for amphibious landing operations. The orps provides detachments for service aboard warships and for the protection of naval bases and stations. It guards U.S. embassies, legations, and consulates in countries abroad. The corps also guards the White House, the annual presidential retreat at Camp David, as well as the U.S. Naval Academy. The Marine Corps also performs other duties as directed by the president, who ranks as the Commander in Chief. Present day, the Marine Corps is a completely desegregated military force, compiled of men and women of many races, various sexual orientations, and ages. In fiscal 2007, which ended September 30, blacks made up 10.9 percent of Marine recruits, up from 7.8 percent in 2006, the smallest proportion of black recruits for the Corps since the all-volunteer force began 33 years ago. Today, black men and women constitute almost one-fifth of their strength. However, as early as the Revolutionary war there have been scores of regulations and occurrences preventing and thus finally allowing the enlistment of blacks into the Marines. It wasn’t until 1941, that the very first steps toward ending segregation in the armed forces were taken. Just as every single struggle that blacks in the United States have fought for justice against, the Marine Corps is no different struggle. The Marine Corps was the last branch of the Armed Forces to allow the enlistment of