Marine Corps History

1
Marine Corps History

• Post Vietnam Era Keeping the Peace
• 1976-1986

2
Post Vietnam Statistics

• Total Strength 192,000
• Enlisted 174,000
• Officers 18,000
• High School Grads below 50
• Drug Use Not Tested
• Criminal Records Not Checked
• Morale Low
• Desertions High
• Violent Crime High

3
1976

• Jul Marines Evacuate American citizens from
  Beirut, Lebanon
• Sep Marines begin wearing the camouflage utility
  uniform
• Nov First annual Marine Corps Marathon held in
  Washington, DC

4
1977

• May TBS graduates first male/female class
• Jun the billett Director of Women Marines is
  eliminated from the Corps (males and females are
  no longer considered separate parts of the Marine
  Corps)
• Nov Unit Deployment Program (UDP) replaces
  unaccompanied tours of duty to the Far East
  (maintain unit cohesion, enhance combat readiness)

5
1978

• May Margaret A. Brewer
  becomes the first female Brigadier
  General in the corps
• Aug CAX (combined arms exercise) becomes a part
  of Marines training for decades to come
  (Air/Ground
  Live Fire Training)
• Oct Commandant becomes a full member of the JCS
  (Joint Chiefs of Staff)

6
1979

• Feb US Embassy (Iran) attacked and Marines
  abducted (held captive for one week)
• Jun US Embassy (Nicaragua) Marines help evacuate
  1400 as Sandinista forces overthrow Somoza
  dictatorship
• Oct US Embassy (El Salvador) attacked
• Nov US Embassy (Iran) overrun and 65 Americans
  taken hostage
• Nov US Embassy (Pakistan) attacked and burned
• Dec Marine Corps establishes the
  Maritime Pre-positioning Force (MPF)

7
1980

• Mar Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF)
  established
• Apr Operation Desert One
  fails to rescue hostages (Iran)
• Total Strength 188,000
• Enlisted 170,000
• Officers 18,000
• High School Grads 80
• Drug Use Not Tested
• Criminal Records Checked before allowed into
  Corps

8
1981

• Jan 52 American hostages freed after 444 days in
  captivity (Iran)
• Advances
• CH53E Super Stallion (double the lift and
  in-flight refueling)
• AV8 Harriers (aboard ship with helicopters)
• M198 155mm Howitzer
• Urinalysis testing, The War On Drugs Begins

9
1982

• Jun Marines evacuate 580 U.S. citizens (Lebanon)
• Sep Marines take up positions at Beirut
  International Airport (responding to a massacre
  of innocent Palestinian refugees)
• Oct High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle
  (HMMWV) replaced the Jeep Meal Ready to
  Eat (MRE) replaced C rations
• Dec RDJTF replaced with Central Command
  (CENTCOM) (Middle East, South West Asia, Indian
  Ocean)

10
1983

• Jan F/A-18 Hornet replaces F-4 A-4
• Feb Kevlar replaces steel helmet
• Apr U.S. Embassy bombed killing 61 (Lebanon)
• Aug Beirut Airport Marines under attack
• Sep Cease Fire in effect but sniper fire
  continues
• Oct Grenada 22MAU invades to stop a Communist
  coup
• Oct Beirut Truck bomb destroys BLT 1/8 building
  (241 dead)
• Dec U.S. Embassy bombed (Kuwait)

11
1984

• Feb Beirut U.S. civilians evacuated
• Marines withdraw
• May LCAC
• Landing Craft Air Cushion in
  service
• Sep U.S. Embassy Annex Building
• bombed killing 23 (Beirut,
  Lebanon)

12
1985

• Jan 9mm Beretta replaces the .45 caliber pistol
• Jun Special Operations Capable (SOC)
• mandatory for deploying units
• Jun Communist Guerrillas kill four off-duty
• Marine Embassy Guards (El Salvador)

13
1986

• Mar Libyan missile boats sunk during training
• exercise (Gulf of Sidra)
• Mar Libyan Terrorist bomb night club frequented
• by US Citizens (Germany)
• Apr U.S. bombs Libyan targets
• Sep Officers removed from SNCO
• Academies

14
Acronyms

• MAGTF
• CE
• SE
• GCE
• ACE
• MEU
• MEB
• MEF
• MAU
• MAB
• MAF

• TBS
• UDP
• CAX
• MPF
• RDJTF
• MRE
• HMMWV
• CENTCOM

• SOC
• SNCO
• JCS
• SOC
• NEO
• TRAP
• SAR

15
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