Episode 1 · June 03, 2020
Katie Cook - Uncommon Valor
Katie is the first female Blue Angel pilot and flew the illustrious C-130, affectionately known as Fat Albert. She has a fantastic story about her time in Afgha…
Episode 1 · March 11, 2019
Colonial America - E01: How Taverns Shaped the Nation
In this episode, we go back to colonial America, where citizens rallied in taverns to protect their rights. We'll explore Tunn Tavern—the birthplace of the Cont…
Episode 1 · March 01, 2019
Introduction
Welcome! We're excited to launch our new podcast - History of the Marine Corps. Join us as we explore the history and traditions of the United States Marine Cor…
Episode 2 · June 11, 2020
The Marine Rapper - Uncommon Valor
In this episode, I sit with Raymond Lott, better known as the Marine Rapper. If you don't follow him on social media, you should. This guy is driven, and I want…
Episode 2 · March 18, 2019
Colonial America - E02: The Carpenters and Tun Tavern's Legacy
Colonial Philadelphia offered ambitious immigrants, like Samuel and Joshua Carpenter, opportunities in the thriving tavern trade. Quaker roots and friction with…
Episode 29 · January 22, 2020
Quasi-War E29: A New Enemy: France's Attack on American Trade
By the late 18th century, the United States was caught in a growing storm of international conflict. France, once a crucial ally in the Revolution, now viewed A…
Episode 3 · November 25, 2022
Kevin Sadaj - Uncommon Valor
Kevin Sadaj served in the Marine Corps from 1989 to 1993 and participated in Operation Restore Hope. In 2011 he cofounded the Marine Somalia Veterans Associatio…
Episode 3 · March 25, 2019
Colonial America - E03: Samuel Nicholas, First Marine Commandant
Samuel Nicholas was born in February 1744 into a prominent Philadelphia family deeply engaged in the city's social and commercial life. Growing up among merchan…
Episode 30 · January 28, 2020
Quasi-War E30: The Marines Return: America's Response to France
Tensions with France were at a breaking point. Jay's Treaty, the seizure of American ships, and the XYZ Affair had fueled public outrage, forcing the U.S. to ch…
Episode 31 · February 04, 2020
Quasi-War E31: Above the Chaos: Marines in the Topmasts of the First Frigates
In the face of escalating attacks by French privateers, the United States needed more than diplomacy—it needed warships. Congress responded by authorizing the c…
Episode 32 · February 12, 2020
Quasi-War E32: The Yankee Racehorse & the Marines New Home
The Quasi-War raged on in the early 1800s, and the U.S. Navy faced one of its fiercest battles yet. Captain Thomas Truxton and the Constellation set out to chal…
Episode 33 · February 19, 2020
Quasi-War E33: Silent and Deadly: Marines Trojan Horse Raid in Puerto Plata
The newly reestablished Marine Corps wasted no time proving its worth. As war raged at sea, Marines played a role in shipboard combat, manning the rigging as sh…
Episode 34 · March 04, 2020
To the Shores of Tripoli E34: The Rise of Barbary Piracy
The Barbary Wars are often overshadowed by the American Revolution and the War of 1812, but they were the first real test of the United States' ability to proje…
Episode 35 · March 10, 2020
To the Shores of Tripoli E35: The Fight for the Philadelphia
The United States, barely three decades old, faced a crisis that tested its identity and resolve. After fighting a revolution to escape paying tribute to a dist…
Episode 36 · March 24, 2020
To the Shores of Tripoli E36: The Flames That Lit the Harbor
Last week, we saw the humiliating surrender of the Philadelphia. After running aground, Captain Bainbridge and his crew struggled for hours to free the ship, bu…
Episode 37 · April 08, 2020
To the Shores of Tripoli E37: O'Bannon's Marines on the Move
This episode follows Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon and his small Marine detachment as they join William Eaton on a difficult 500-mile march across the desert. Alo…
Episode 38 · April 17, 2020
To the Shores of Tripoli E38: Marines Under Fire in Derne
After months of hardship, battle, and sacrifice, the Marines and their allies had secured Derne. O'Bannon's men had fought hard, losing two Marines in the assau…
Episode 39 · April 23, 2020
To the Shores of Tripoli E39: The Marines Who Won, The Diplomats Who Lost
Lear's deal handed Yusuf a way out of certain defeat, allowing him to save face and retain power. The United States agreed to pay Yusuf $60,000 for the Philadel…
Episode 4 · April 02, 2019
Colonial America - E04: Taxes, Tensions, and the Path to Rebellion
Today, we're diving into the restless spirit of the colonies that gave rise to the Marine Corps. Enlightenment ideals clashed with Britain's post-war taxes, pus…
Episode 48 · December 21, 2020
Treaty by Broadside: The Marines at Algiers
This episode covers the Second Barbary War. This was a fast, brutal campaign that forced Algiers to the table through naval strength, not diplomacy. For decades…
Episode 49 · December 28, 2020
The Grand Old Man E49 Gone to Fight: Henderson and the Making of the Modern Corps
Archibald Henderson shaped the Marine Corps during one of its most transformative periods. From the decks of the USS Constitution during the War of 1812 to stre…
Episode 5 · April 08, 2019
Colonial America - E05: From Liberty Poles to the Boston Tea Party
Boston in 1768 was a city teetering on the edge. British troops enforced oppressive taxes, soldiers patrolled the streets, and freedoms once taken for granted b…
Episode 50 · January 04, 2021
Sumatran Expedition E50 The Price of Pepper: Marines at Quallah Battoo
This episode picks up after the War of 1812, when American merchantmen returned to open waters and resumed global trade. As routes expanded into the Pacific, So…
Episode 51 · January 11, 2021
American Indian Wars E51 Before the War Drums: Native Nations and Early American Conflict
This episode marks the beginning of Marine involvement in the American Indian Wars. It traces how early settlements like Jamestown quickly shifted from fragile …
Episode 52 · January 18, 2021
American Indian Wars E52 Gone to Fight the Indians: Marines on the Early Frontier
In this episode, we're picking up right after the American Revolution, when the United States emerged as the dominant force in North America. While hundreds of …
Episode 53 · January 25, 2021
American Indian Wars E53 Christmas Promises and Gunfire The Ambush That Changed Everything
This episode covers the Dade Massacre and the lead-up to the Second Seminole War. What started with Tecumseh's efforts to unite Native nations eventually sparke…
Episode 54 · February 01, 2021
American Indian Wars E54 Swamp War: The Marines Enter Florida
Seminoles were launching coordinated attacks across Florida. The U.S. Army struggled to respond. Their tactics didn't work in the swamps, and the terrain gave t…
Episode 55 · February 08, 2021
American Indian Wars E55 Into the Glades: The Last War of the Swamp
Marines were thrown into some of the harshest terrain imaginable, battling not just Seminole warriors, but the unforgiving Everglades itself. This episode cover…
Episode 6 · April 15, 2019
Colonial America - E06: The Intolerable Acts and Colonial Resistance
In this episode, we delve into General Thomas Gage's daunting task of enforcing the Intolerable Acts in a colony teetering on rebellion. While Britain sought co…
Episode 68 · May 10, 2021
The Gilded Age E68 Gold-Plated Peace: Marines in the Age of Industry
After the Civil War, the Marine Corps entered its quietest era. There were no major wars, little funding, and almost no growth. But quiet didn't mean inactive. …
Episode 69 · June 21, 2021
The Gilded Age E69 The Making of the Modern Marine Corps
This episode covers an often overlooked period of Marine Corps activity during the Gilded Age. While the nation focused on industry and expansion, Marines were …
Episode 7 · April 29, 2019
Colonial America - E07: From Militia to Marines - America's Fight Takes Shape
Tensions between England and its American colonies erupted into open conflict after Lexington and Concord, rallying undecided colonists to the rebel cause. In M…
Episode 71 · July 19, 2021
The Banana Wars E71 Doctrine Backed by Firepower: The Monroe Legacy in Latin America
This episode marks the beginning of a new era for the Marine Corps. Between 1898 and World War I, Marines were no longer just a shipboard force. They were centr…
Episode 72 · July 26, 2021
The Banana Wars E72 Veracruz and the Rise of the Expeditionary Force
This episode covers a critical turning point for the Marine Corps and American foreign policy. After the fall of Mexico's President Madero and the rise of Huert…
Episode 73 · August 02, 2021
The Banana Wars E73 Boots in the Cane Fields: Marines and the Sugar Wars of Cuba
What began as a limited intervention in Cuba escalated into a long-term pattern of rapid Marine deployments throughout Latin America. From the 1906 occupation o…
Episode 74 · August 09, 2021
The Banana Wars E74 Butler's Baptism: The 1912 Intervention in Nicaragua
This episode tracks the deepening U.S. military involvement in Nicaragua during the early 20th century. What started as a limited response to protect American p…
Episode 75 · August 15, 2021
The Banana Wars E75 Sandino's War: The Long Fight for Nicaragua
This episode highlights the peak of U.S. military intervention in Nicaragua, where the Marine Corps carried the burden of stabilizing a nation caught in continu…
Episode 76 · August 23, 2021
The Banana Wars E76 From Trenches to Tropics: Marines in the Dominican Republic
In both the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, the U.S. moved from diplomatic oversight and economic leverage to full military occupations. Marines were running …
Episode 77 · August 30, 2021
The Banana Wars E77 Blood, Medals, and Morality: The Haiti Intervention Begins
This episode tells the story of one of the most daring and cinematic missions in Marine Corps history: the assassination of Haitian rebel leader Charlemagne Pér…
Episode 78 · September 06, 2021
The Banana Wars E78 Conduct Unbecoming: Haiti and the Corps' Dark Chapter
This episode closes out the Marine Corps' long and difficult involvement in Haiti, covering the final years of occupation, the death of rebel leader Benoit Batr…
Episode 79 · September 13, 2021
Women in the Corps E79 Breaking Formation: The First Generation of Women Marines
This episode marks a critical shift in the Marine Corps' story. One that recognizes the courage, determination, and professionalism of the first women to earn t…
Episode 80 · September 20, 2021
Women in the Corps E80 The Sword and the Sock Bun: The Rise of Women Marines
When we left off in our last episode, Colonel Joseph W. Knighton posed two critical questions to Commandant General Alexander Vandegrift. This episode picks up …
Episode 81 · September 27, 2021
Philippine-American War E81 Luzon to Samar: The Corps in the Philippine Insurrection
Marines played a key role in U.S. operations in the Philippines after the Spanish-American War. What started as a campaign to drive out Spanish forces quickly t…
Episode 82 · October 04, 2021
Boxer Rebellion E82 Marines in the Boxer Rebellion
In our last episode, we wrapped up the story of the Marine Corps' campaign in the Philippines. This week, we shift focus to another major deployment at the turn…
Episode 93 · January 31, 2022
Interwar Period E93 Forged Between Wars: The Corps Transformed
When Marines returned home after World War I, they stepped into a country ready to celebrate them as heroes. Parades filled city streets, families welcomed them…
Episode 94 · February 22, 2022
Interwar Period E94 The Marines Rebuild: Readiness in the Quiet Years
In this episode, we follow the Marine Corps through one of its most important transitions. After WWI, Marines provided security in far-off places like China and…
Episode 95 · March 28, 2022
Interwar Period E95 From Riflemen to Warfighters: Training for a New Kind of War
This is our third episode covering how the interwar years quietly reshaped the Marine Corps into a force built for the future. We break down how the Corps inves…
Episode 96 · April 11, 2022
Marine Aviation E96 Wings of the Corps: The Rise of Marine Aviation
In this episode, we follow how the Marine Corps went from doubting pilots to building one of the world's deadliest air-ground teams. Aviation started as a sides…
Episode 97 · July 04, 2022
Marine Aviation E97 From Wildcats to F-35s: The Marine Airpower Revolution
This episode is the final chapter in the story of Marine aviation and how it matured into one of the most advanced and reliable combat arms of the U.S. military…