THE GLOBE AND ANCHOR MEN

272 Pages·2017·5.48 MB·English

by  Mark Folse

THE GLOBE AND ANCHOR MEN:
U.S. MARINES, MANHOOD, AND AMERICAN CULTURE,
1914-1924

by
MARK RYLAND FOLSE
ANDREW J. HUEBNER, COMMITTEE CHAIR
DANIEL RICHES
LISA DORR
JOHN BEELER
BETH BAILEY

A DISSERTATION

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
in the Department of History
in the Graduate School of
The University of Alabama

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA

2018
Copyright Mark Ryland Folse 2018
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ABSTRACT
This dissertation argues that between 1914 and 1924, U.S. Marines made manhood
central to the communication of their image and culture, a strategy that underpinned the Corps’
effort to attract recruits from society and acquire funding from Congress. White manhood
informed much of the Marines’ collective identity, which they believed set them apart from the
other services. Interest in World War I, the campaigns in Hispaniola, and the development of
amphibious warfare doctrine have made the Marine Corps during this period the focus of
traditional military history. These histories often neglect a vital component of the Marine
historical narrative: the ways Marines used masculinity and race to form positive connections
with American society. For the Great War-era Marine Corps, those connections came from their
claims to make good men out of America’s white youngsters. This project, therefore, fits with
and expands the broader scholarly movement to put matters of race and gender at the center of
military history.
It was along the lines of manhood that Marines were judged by society. In France,
Marines came to represent all that was good and strong in American men. In Haiti and the
Dominican Republic, however, they demonstrated the ironies and weaknesses of American
manhood through cruel and inhumane treatment of natives. Marines maintained positive
connections with society through this controversy regardless.
Throughout the Great War-Era, Marines promoted a style of manliness that emphasized
popular Victorian notions of honor, courage, selflessness, self-control, hard work, and strength.
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In doing so, they kept traditional ideals of manhood at a time when American men’s culture had
begun to shift toward a newer form of masculinity that valued consumption over production and
appearances over character. In the Great War Marines presented themselves as the knightly
saviors of civilization. In Hispaniola they portrayed themselves as the enforcers of peace and
law whose manhood was far superior to the Haitians’ and Dominicans’. As Marines promoted
themselves as a man-making institution, one that could turn Americans into good citizens, they
demonstrated how adaptive their manly image could be through peace, war, and foreign
occupation duty.

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DEDICATION
To Sarah

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This project would never have been possible were it not for the wonderful advice and
encouragement from many people over the years. Former Marine Corps Commandant General
Charles C. Krulak provided me with the initial push toward exploring the Great War-era Marine
Corps. My conversation with him at Birmingham Southern College solidified in my mind that I
was going to write a dissertation on the Marine Corps. My advisor, Dr. Andrew Huebner, has
been a wonderful mentor and teacher who has worked patiently with me on ideas, drafts, and my
ignorance of proper comma usage. Dr. Dan Riches has been truly indispensable as a teacher as
well who nurtured my intellectual growth in every stage of my academic life. Professors John
Beeler, Lawrence Kohl, Howard Jones, Lawrence Clayton, Harold Selesky, Gregory Urwin, and
Beth Bailey all shaped my interest in military and naval history and guided me into becoming a
better practitioner of my craft. Dr. Lisa Dorr was the first of my professors to steer me toward
exploring masculinity in the Marine Corps. I resisted at first but I’m glad I gave in.
I have the utmost gratitude towards the wonderful professionals at the Marine Corps
History Division and Marine Corps Archives in Quantico, Virginia. Annette Amerman, who I
interned under for two summers, has been an incredible source of knowledge, support, and
friendship. Charles Neimeyer, Paul Weber, Chuck Melson, Breanne Roberts, and Paul
Westermeyer all challenged me to think about and shape my project in ways I would not have
come up with on my own.
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This project would not have been possible were it not for the generous financial support I
have received over the years. The University of Alabama History Department’s teaching
assistantships and fellowships, and the UA Graduate School’s Graduate Council Fellowship have
helped sustained me and my family through this process. Many thanks are owed to The Marine
Corps Heritage Foundation for seeing fit to award me their prestigious General Lemuel C.
Shepherd, Jr. Memorial Dissertation Fellowship in the summer of 2015. Their gift was more
than financial, it was a crucial boost to my morale that made me more determined than ever to
see this project through. They saw the potential value of “The Globe and Anchor Men” at a time
when I still had many doubts.
Thank you to my parents, Lynn and Royce, for the love and support. Thank you to my
father, Glenn, for the same and for starting my lifelong interest in the Marine Corps in the first
place. A special thank you is owed to my mother-in-law, Barbara Meginniss, without whose
help babysitting this project would have ground to a halt at the birth of my daughter Annette.
And last, but certainly not least, my deepest gratitude and affections are reserved for my truly
wonderful wife Sarah. She has brought more joy and meaning to my life than I ever thought
possible. I’m the man that I am today because of her and no matter how miserable I made my
self over this project, she was always there to remind me how great my life truly is and how
thankful I should be.

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CONTENTS
ABSTRACT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
DEDICATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
LIST OF FIGURES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1. WITH HARD TWO-FISTED HANDS: WHITE MANHOOD IN MARINES’
SERVICE PUBLICATIONS, 1914-1918. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

2. A SURE NOUGH MAN: MANHOOD AND MARINES’ RECRUITING
EFFORTS, 1914-1918 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

3. THE CLEANEST AND STRONGEST OF OUR YOUNG MANHOOD:
MARINES, THE GREAT WAR, AND THE TEST OF AMERICAN MANHOOD . . . . . . . . . 99

4. TROPICALITIS: MARINES, HISPANIOLA, AND THE DEGENERACY OF
AMERICAN MANHOOD, 1915-1922 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

5. TO BUILD UP A CLASS OF MEN: MARINES AND POST-WAR AMERICAN
MANHOOD, 1919-1924. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

CONCLUSION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
APPENDIX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: “Join the U.S. Marine Corps: Soldiers of the Sea” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Figure 2: “First to Fight”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Figure 3: “U.S. Marines: Soldiers of the Sea” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Figure 4: “All In The Day’s Work” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Figure 5: “Dangerous Citizens” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Figure 6: “Kipling Poem”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Figure 7: “The Port Royal Munition Factory” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Figure 8: “Uncle Sam Knows” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Figure 9: “Thanks Giving Number” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Figure 10: “The Kind of Enlisted Man With Whom the Civilian is Acquainted” . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Figure 11: “The Marine’s Catechism—Who Am I?”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Figure 12: “Boat Drill” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Figure 13: “Wall Scaling”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Figure 14: “An Out-Door Gymnasium” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Figure 15: “A Man’s Game”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Figure 16: “Active on Sea and Land” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Figure 17: “The Colors” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Figure 18: “Marine Corps Week”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Figure 19: “Man Wanted—to Fill This Hat” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
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Figure 20: “Strike 3!” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Figure 21: “Devil-Dogs!” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Figure 22: “Where There’s Action-U.S. Marines” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Figure 23: “Recruiting Advertisements” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Figure 24: “The Crusaders: The Old and the New” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Figure 25: “U.S. Marine” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Figure 26: “The Rescuer” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Figure 27: “The Boys All Swung into Action Laughing and Kidding Each Other”. . . . . . . . . . 118
Figure 28: “It was Only Because We Rushed”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Figure 29: “This is Open Warfare, Just Our Style”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Figure 30: “The Marines Break Through!”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Figure 31: “La Brigade Marine Americaine Au Bois De Belleau” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Figure 32: “The Girl He Left Behind” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Figure 33: “Martha the Marine! The Uniform is the Thing!”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Figure 34: “Martha on Ship”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Figure 35: “The Marines’ Bulletin” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Figure 36: “Honest Pride”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Figure 37: “Tell it to the Marines” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Figure 38: “Cheese It! De Cop!!”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Figure 39: “The Missionary” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Figure 40 “A Bad Child”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Figure 41: “Uncle Sam’s Pet Nephew”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Figure 42: “Your Crown is Save-as long as You’re Good!”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
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