Which U.S. military branch celebrates its birthday on November 10, one day before Veterans Day?
Answer
U.S. Marine Corps
The U.S. Marine Corps celebrates its birthday on November 10, one day before Veterans Day.
The date marks the corps’ founding in 1775, when the Second Continental Congress authorized two battalions of Continental Marines during the American Revolutionary War. The Marine Corps therefore predates the United States’ Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
The birthday is observed annually throughout the Marine Corps with ceremonies, formal balls, traditional readings, and a birthday message from the Commandant of the Marine Corps. A well-known ceremony includes the cutting of a birthday cake, with the first slice traditionally presented to the oldest Marine present and the second to the youngest.
The Marine Corps birthday is not Veterans Day itself. Veterans Day is observed on November 11 and honors U.S. military veterans generally, while November 10 specifically commemorates the establishment of the Marine Corps. The U.S. Marine Corps is one of the six branches of the U.S. armed forces and serves within the Department of the Navy.