Devil Dogs
BY THE NUMBERS
By The Numbers, a look at what’s in the news . . . by the numbers. These are just numbers, not suggestions that they mean more or less than what they are. We do not suggest that one number is connected to another. These are simply facts with no extraneous details, bias or slanted reporting. To borrow (and perhaps mangle a bit) a quote from legendary fictional detective Joe Friday, it’s just the numbers, ma’am!
No one wants war, and we’re reminded of that almost daily by what’s going on in Iran. But if and when things get to that point, the United States has always been lucky to have the best military in the word. Coming up on April 27 is a day designated as Devil Dog Day, a reference to the U.S. Marine Corps. When the worldwide HQ of Sagamore News Media heard that, we knew we had to find out more . . . By The Numbers!
4-27-1918
It was in a small woods around Chateau-Thierry in France in World War I. The French were joined by the U.S. 2nd Division, 4th Marine Brigade in a battle to stop Germany from advancing to Paris. The fighting was fierce. So fierce, in fact, that it got down to hand-to-hand combat. The Marines held the ground and did so so fiercely and so well that the German soldiers called them Teufelshunde, which we are told translates to Devil Dogs. The name has stuck with the Corps ever since.
9,700
But that battle resulted in almost 10,000 Allied casualties.
No. 2
Despite the fierce reputation, did you know the U.S. Marine Corps is the second-smallest branch in the U.S. armed forces? They have around 175,000 active personnel with around 30,000 reserves.
1,300
Marines have a little more than 1,300 manned aircraft.
35,000
At any given time, the Marines have around 35,000 men and women actively deployed around the world.
8 percent
Speaking of women, females make up only about 8 percent of the USMC personnel. A little less than that make up the officer ranks. That’s the lowest percentage of any branch of the U.S. military.
150+
There’s no question that the Marines create leaders. At any given time, there are 150 or more Fortune 500 companies have CEOs who came from the USMC.
7-11-1798
Yup, you guessed it. That’s when The Corps was founded. But wait, that’s not the whole story. July is when the current version of the Marines began. But the Continental Marines got their start back during the American Revolution – on Nov. 10, 1775.
1926
That’s the year the snack cakes called Devil Dogs were founded by N.E. Drake Baking Co. in New York. The company is now owned by McKee Foods.