Free Republic

They are known as “The Few. The Proud. The Marines.” And until recently, they were “The Only”—as in the only military branch under Pentagon control without a Special Operations command. That changed when the Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC) opened for business at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina on February 24. Most Marines would take issue with the notion that the Corps is a latecomer to the Special Operations team, arguing instead that all Marines are considered elite or “special forces.” As General Dennis Hejlik, MARSOC’s first commander, told Proceedings magazine, “All Marines are special.” Given the Marine Corps’...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Feb.24, 2006) -- Since the founding of the United States of America, there has been a special operation’s unit. First, there were Rodger’s Rangers who fought against the British during the Colonial period. Next came Mosby’s Rangers who fought for the South during the Civil War. More than 50 years ago, the United States activated the Office of Strategic Services, which consisted of three of the military branches (Navy, Army, Air Force) to help defend the country. Friday, in a ceremony here with high military and government officials present, America’s newest weapon will activate...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26, 2006 – The Marine Corps Special Operations Command, the newest addition to the special operations community, will be a complementary force that will ease the strain on other services' elite units and will contribute to the nation's readiness in the global war on terror, the new unit's commander said here today. "I firmly believe that this is the right thing to do for the country at this time," said Marine Brig. Gen. Dennis J. Hejlik, commander of Marine Corps Special Operations Command. "This irregular warfare is here to stay. If we don't start to go that way,...

MarSOC: Just Call Them Marines Fred L. Schultz Proceedings, January 2006 The commanding general of the controversial new Marine Corps Special Operations Command--seen here in Iraq, greeting Marines of Gun 6, Battery M, 4th Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment last year—talks to Proceedings. U.S. MARINE CORPS (LCPL M. A. CARRASCO JR.) Not long after he was tapped to lead the first leatherneck contingent into the nation's Special Operations Command, Brigadier Geneal Dennis J. Hejlik was asked by Marine Commandant Michael Hagee if he had settled on a catchy nickname for his troops. General Hejlik nodded. "Marines," he replied. Later that day,...