Today, 7 November, the Philippine Marine Corps celebrates its 74th year of dedicated service to the nation.

In its 74 years of existence, the Marines have earned the reputation of a tough, professional, and well-disciplined fighting force, consistently entrusted with the most challenging assignments. It is a reputation well-deserved.

The story of the Philippine Marines began in 1950 when then Secretary of National Defense Ramon Magsaysay envisioned a ready sea-borne strike force to counter pirates, bandits and other lawless elements operating along the country’s vast coastline. By virtue of AFP General Order No. 319, the first Marine company was organized as a unit of the Philippine Naval Patrol.

Given the difficulty of the mission envisioned for this special unit, the first Marines were, as they are to this day, all volunteers. The first Marine commanding officer, Lieutenant Senior Grade Manuel Gomez, remarked, “Today, as we start training them, we will be striking the first hammer blow in forging the cutting edge of the Armed Forces.”

The Marines conducted their first amphibious landing at Umiray, Quezon on 19 April 1951 as part of the AFP’s anti-Huk Operation Dragnet. On 5 June of the same year, they assaulted and captured a Huk camp at the Zaragoza-San Antonio boundary in Nueva Ecija. Since then, the Marines have always been sent to conflict areas and combat zones.

They were successively deployed across the archipelago, carrying out operations against pirates and smugglers in the Sulu Sea, and suppressing the Kamlon rebellion in Sulu. They were tasked with neutralizing private armies and assisting in anti-criminality drives in various provinces.

The Marines distinguished themselves in the quelling of the secessionist uprising in Southern Philippines that began in the 1970s. They were deployed to various areas for counter-insurgency operations, successfully employing their “Triad Concept” of combat, intelligence, and civil-military operations.

Their effectiveness was perhaps best illustrated in Bicol in 1986 when the residents tried to prevent their pullout and redeployment to Mindanao. The people barricaded the camp to prevent the Marines from leaving.

The desire of the people for the Marines to remain has been replicated time and again in the areas where they have been deployed.

In recent decades, the Marines have also been tasked with several critical law enforcement operations, particularly against heavily-armed groups in Southern Philippines. They distinguished themselves in the campaign against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in 2000.

Since the turn of the century, the Marines have maintained peace in the areas where they were stationed. During the Zamboanga siege in 2013, they once again proved their mettle.

In the 2017 siege of Marawi, with urban warfare that was probably the most intense in the history of the country, the Marines displayed their courage, toughness and tenacity. They secured their objectives and played a significant role in the liberation of the city.

The Marines’ success is attributed to their professionalism, intensive training and discipline. They have internalized their core values of Karangalan (Honor), Katungkulan (Duty), Kabayanihan (Valor).

Humphrey Hawksley and Simon Holberton, authors of the novel Dragon Strike: The Millennium War, described the Marines as “the most highly trained and motivated men in the Philippine military.”

The Marines have been called the “Nation’s Force of Choice.” They have sworn to be the “Most Ready to defend the nation without fear and without fail.”

To ensure this, they continuously enhance their knowledge, skills and technology to meet the demands of a complex and fast changing security environment.

On the occasion of its 74th anniversary, a grateful nation salutes “The Few. The Proud. The Marines.”