Our Core Values
Marines fight and win our nation’s battles with honor, courage and commitment. Recruits learn through physical training and classroom instruction, that to be a Marine is to become both an elite warrior and an honorable one. Earning the title “Marine” requires a commitment to live by the values of the Marine Corps. Honor, Courage and Commitment form the bedrock of every Marine’s character, and guide every decision they will make all around the world. Under demanding conditions, these are the values Marines count on, so that their nation can count on them.
Marine Principles and Core Values
Semper Fidelis
Semper Fidelis distinguishes the Marine Corps bond from any other. It goes beyond teamwork—it is a brotherhood that can always be counted on. Latin for “always faithful,” Semper Fidelis became the Marine Corps motto in 1883. It guides Marines to remain faithful to the mission at hand, to each other, to the Corps and to country, no matter what. Becoming a Marine is a transformation that cannot be undone, and Semper Fidelis is a permanent reminder of that. Once made, a Marine will forever live by the ethics and values of the Corps.
Marine Corps Enlisted Oath
I, (state your name),
do solemnly swear…
to support and defend…
the constitution of the United States…
against all enemies…
foreign and domestic;
and to bear true faith…
and allegiance to the same;
that I will obey…
the orders of…
the President of the United States…
and the orders of…
those officers…
appointed over me…
according to regulations…
and the uniform code of military justice.
So help me God.
Marine Corps Officers Oath
I, (state your full name),
do solemnly swear…
that I will support and defend…
the constitution of the United States…
against all enemies…
foreign and domestic;
and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;
that I take this obligation freely…
without mental reservation…
or purpose of evasion…
and that I will well and faithfully…
discharge the duties…
of the office of which I am about to enter.
So help me God.