United States Marine Corps off-base, except in transit to and from their place of duty and in the event of an emergency. As in any military organization, the official and unofficial traditions of the Marine Corps serve to reinforce camaraderie and set the service apart from others. The Corps' embrace of its rich culture and history is cited as a reason for its high "esprit de corps". The "Marines' Hymn" dates back to the 19th century and is the oldest official song in the United States armed forces. The Marine motto "Semper Fidelis" means "Always Faithful" in Latin, often appearing as "Semper Fi"; also
Organization of the United States Marine Corps four Marine logistics groups are: Although the notion of a Marine special warfare contribution to the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) was considered as early as the founding of USSOCOM in the 1980s, it was resisted by the Marine Corps. Then Commandant Paul X. Kelley expressed the popular belief that Marines should support Marines, and that the Corps should not fund a special warfare capability that would not support Marine operations. However, resistance from within the Marine Corps dissipated when Marine leaders watched the Corps' "crown jewels"—the 15th and 26th MEU (Special Operations Capable) {MEU(SOC)s}—sit on the sidelines during the