Us Marines, Manhood, and American Culture, 1914-1924

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. ii 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. iii DEDICATION To Sarah iv 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. v 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. vi 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 vii 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 viii 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” . ..

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