I was just curious after a discussion with my veteran wife. Why is the Marine Corps flag senior to the Navy flag during joint service color guards. I'm looking for a real answer, not just a "we're better than the squids". Thank you.

quote:

Originally posted by HumboldtStu:
I was just curious after a discussion with my veteran wife. Why is the Marine Corps flag senior to the Navy flag during joint service color guards. I'm looking for a real answer, not just a "we're better than the squids". Thank you.

Per DOD Directive 1005.8:

By virtue of the authority vested in the Secretary of Defense, under the provisions of
reference (b), and pursuant to agreement with the Secretary of Transportation and the
Secretary of Commerce, members of the Armed Forces of the United States and
Merchant Marine midshipmen shall take precedence in the following order when in
formations:
3.1. Cadets, United States Military Academy.
3.2. Midshipmen, United States Naval Academy.
3.3. Cadets, United States Air Force Academy.
3.4. Cadets, United States Coast Guard Academy.
3.5. Midshipmen, United States Merchant Marine Academy.*
3.6. United States Army.
3.7. United States Marine Corps.
3.8. United States Navy.
3.9. United States Air Force.
3.10. United States Coast Guard.
3.11. Army National Guard of the United States.
3.12. Army Reserve.
3.13. Marine Corps Reserve.
3.14. Naval Reserve.
3.15. Air National Guard of the United States.
3.16. Air Force Reserve.
3.17. Coast Guard Reserve.

So, if you face the Color Guard, the Left Rifleman is a soldier, a soldier carries the National Ensign, a soldier carries the Army flag, a Marine carries the MC flag, a sailor carries the Navy flag, an airman carries the AF flag, a coast guardsman carries the CG flag, then there is a Marine as the Right Rifleman. Thus, in accordance to DOD Directive on seniority of services.

According to the Department of Defense Directive 1005.8, the prescribed precedence of military flags is determined by service birthdays. The appropriate order is given below:

Army Birthday --14 June 1775
Marine Corps Birthday – 10 November 1775
Navy Birthday – 13 Oct 1775-Abolished Feb 1781-Reinstated 7 Sep 1781
Air Force Birthday – 18 September 1947
*Coast Guard Birthday – 4 August 1790

*As Per the Institute of Heraldry, and in keeping with the order in which troops are listed in Department of Defense Directive 1005.8, during peacetime the Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security. During wartime, if the Coast Guard comes under the control of the Department of Defense, then the Coast Guard flag would come before the Air Force flag in order of precedence.

The more interesting part of the story is the history behind why that precedence is observed by the Department of Defense.

Seniority of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps is obscured by the divergent elements of the intentions of the Continental Congress as compared to the realization of those intentions. Although the intention of the Congress to establish an Army is apparent in several resolutions of June 1775, the realization of those intentions was not effected until 01 January 1776 when General Washington stated in his orderly book, "This day giving commencement to the new Army which in every point of view is entirely Continental." Likewise the Navy which the Congress created by resolution in October 1775 was not to be realized until several months later. The process of procuring and outfitting ships as well as enlisting and commissioning personnel was a time consuming one. The commander in chief of the Navy and other officers were not commissioned until 22 December 1775.

The Marine Corps, on the other hand, even though established by resolution on 10 November 1775, was actually a force in readiness before the Army or the Navy. Samuel Nicholas was commissioned a Captain of Marines on 28 November 1775, a month before the first officer of the Continental Navy was commissioned. In fact, the only facts that correspond to the present parade order of Army, Marine Corps, and Navy respectively, are the dates when their first officers were commissioned, in June, November, and December of 1775. Indeed, the Marine Corps' claim to being the oldest integral force in being results primarily from fortunate circumstances. The Corps was much smaller and more closely knit than either of the other services, and its origin was not complicated by the existence of provincial and local forces already in the field.

Thus, the Continental Marine force was all regular Marine from the beginning during the period when the Army was an amorphous mass of mixed Continentals and militia, and the Navy lacked ships. The Marine Corps, therefore, could be considered the first truly "federal" armed services branch of the United States of America. In any case, the present order of parade precedence has become one of our foremost military customs and as the foregoing has indicated, there is little evidence to support any change in that order. The present order of parade precedence is defined in DoD Directive 1005.8 as Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.

Therefore, by analogy, the order of display of colors in any fashion, to include service branch seals, should be in the same order.

thank you for the replies.