View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Aquila Digital Community The University of Southern Mississippi The Aquila Digital Community Dissertations Fall 12-1-2018 Esprit De Marine Corps: The Making of the Modern Marine Corps through Public Relations, 1898-1945 Colin Colbourn University of Southern Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations Part of the Mass Communication Commons, Military History Commons, Public Relations and Advertising Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Colbourn, Colin, "Esprit De Marine Corps: The Making of the Modern Marine Corps through Public Relations, 1898-1945" (2018). Dissertations. 1593. https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/1593 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ESPRIT DE MARINE CORPS: THE MAKING OF THE MODERN MARINE CORPS THROUGH PUBLIC RELATIONS, 1898-1945 by Colin M. Colbourn A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School, the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Humanities at The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Approved by: Dr. Andrew Wiest, Committee Chair Dr. David Davies Dr. Kyle Zelner Dr. Andrew Haley Dr. Heather Stur ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ Dr. Andrew Wiest Dr. Luis Iglesias Dr. Karen S. Coats Committee Chair Director of School Dean of the Graduate School December 2018 COPYRIGHT BY Colin M. Colbourn 2018 Published by the Graduate School ABSTRACT Between the Spanish-American War and World War II, the United States Marine Corps institutionalized the use of public relations and publicity to craft an elite military identity and to endear the Corps to the American public. The Marine Corps adapted this approach in the wake of threats to its existence and as the service benefited from the power of a sensationalist press in the early twentieth century. Fundamental to the Corps’ public relations strategy from 1898 to 1945 was the employment of community-level public relations through the use of “human interest” stories, a practice that brought the stories of Marines to their hometowns. That the Marine Corps focused much of its publicity on the experiences of individual Marines from the turn of the twentieth century through World War II is often overlooked. During the interwar period, Major General Commandant John A. Lejeune served to legitimize the Marine Corps’ position in the military establishment and in front of the American public. Lejeune applied progressive principles of education, professionalization, and public relations in order to assure that the Marine Corps survived the post-World War I downturn in funding. Lejeune also helped to establish Marine Corps alumni groups like the Marine Corps Association and created lasting traditions such as the birthday celebration, which helped to ensure that even when Marines left the service, they still had an important role in supporting the Corps. Lejeune’s eight-year tenure as commandant established lasting policies and the interwar commandants who succeeded Lejeune secured his legacy through reinforcing and even expanding his reforms. ii Many historians argue that the Marine Corps’ survival and public endearment in the twentieth century was rooted in its military actions in World War I and World War II. However, it was the early institutionalization of the Corps’ public relations efforts that provided consistent community-level support for the Corps during and between these wars. From the “follow-up” book in Chicago in 1907 to “Joe Blow” stories in World War II, the Marine Corps demonstrated a clear understanding of the need to bring the stories of Marines to their hometowns in order to effectively establish a lasting public image. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This idea for this dissertation began in 2006 when I was a college intern with the Marine Corps History Division in Quantico, Virginia. Walking onto Marine Corps Base, Quantico was a shock for a kid from the Midwest that had no experience with the military. That the Marine Corps was special seemed obvious; an afterthought. I did not know it then, but that was the start of my career as a military historian. I then spent then next twelve years researching why the Marine Corps seemed so special. Throughout those past twelve years, my work has been influenced by many colleagues, mentors, family, friends, and even institutions. I am truly indebted to everyone who played even the smallest of roles in helping me develop this work. Throughout this process, I have had the great fortune to travel all over the world, including to many of the battlefields that appear in this dissertation. I have written portions of this dissertation in eight different countries and spent many hours writing at 30,000 feet. Few words can properly express my appreciation for the love and intellectual support provided over these years from my wife, Rachel. Once I started working full-time and left the safety of the university environment, the road toward the completion of this dissertation became much longer. Every day, Rachel has provided tremendous support and sacrificed our time together, whether I wrote zero words or 3,000. Any writer can appreciate the looming weight of deadlines and the long days and lonely nights in front of books and the computer. Without Rachel’s understanding, love, and support, I never could have finished this project. This dissertation is as much a testament to her dedication to me finishing, as it is to my own. Rachel’s support, along with my remarkably large and loving family have been essential to my mental and intellectual health throughout this iv process. My mother and step-father, Luanne and Steve Peterson, my father, Charles Colbourn, and my siblings, Hannah, Bryan, Jeff, and Brian have all had to hear about my work for years and always continued to support my endeavors. My best friends, Nick Hussong, Peter Corey, and Matt Biddle are more like brothers than friends. For their support, I am forever grateful. Much of the research for this dissertation was completed with the funding and support of several institutions and individuals. Throughout my tenure at the University of Southern Mississippi, I received several travel grants to conduct research at the National Archives and the Marine Corps History Division and Archives. In 2012, I received the General Lemuel C. Shepherd Dissertation Fellowship from the U.S. Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, which helped to fund several research trips to the Washington, D.C. area from Mississippi. In 2012, I also received a scholarship at USM, funded by C. Paul Hilliard, called the “World War II in the Pacific Fellowship.” With this fellowship, I was able to travel to Guam, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima and had the honor to meet and interview World War II veterans who told me first-hand the importance of “Joe Blow” stories to their families back home. I have been researching and developing ideas and hypotheses about the Marine Corps’ public relations program since I first entered USM. As such, I have had a tremendous amount of guidance and mentorship from the absolutely top notch military (and non-military) history faculty there. My advisor (and former landlord) Dr. Andrew Wiest, provided not only a cabin for me to rent while I was at USM, but also expert guidance and insight as I developed my dissertation. Dr. Wiest has an uncanny ability to get straight to heart of the big picture issues, and for that help, I am truly grateful. Dr. v Andrew Haley has for many years had to suffer through my knocks on the door to his office to bounce ideas around and get his expert advice on the socio-cultural side of the dissertation. Dr. Kyle Zelner has had to leave the colonial era in order to help with my twentieth century dissertation. Dr. Zelner is an amazing writer and has truly helped me raise the bar for writing over the years. Dr. David Davies brought his expertise in Journalism and Mass Communication to this dissertation and has always been a supportive mentor throughout this process. Dr. Heather Stur has provided critical mentorship over the years and has brought several big-picture themes to this dissertation that I knew might exist, but needed an extra push to bring to the page. Mentorship from my Masters and undergraduate advisors, Dr. Michael Neiberg and Dr. Kenneth Swope respectively, was also important in developing this dissertation. That I had Dr. Swope as a professor and mentor at both Ball State University and Southern Mississippi was particularly beneficial. In 2006, I approached my history professor at Ball State, Dr. David Ulbrich, to ask about how I could get more involved with military history. Dave suggested that I apply to an internship at the Marine Corps History Division and helped me make that a reality. Since then, Dave has been a close friend and extremely supportive mentor. Dave has always celebrated my accomplishments and has provided the type of intellectual and professional support that a historian needs to get ahead in this competitive environment. I am not ashamed to say that much of my success is derived from Dave’s support and willingness to get into the weeds with my work and with colleagues in the profession. I could not have asked for a better friend and mentor for these past twelve years. vi There are many colleagues and historians whose guidance and friendship have made this dissertation possible. At Southern Miss, Michael Doidge, Dr. Jason Engle, Ryan Tickle, and Marty Morgan have all been great friends and colleagues and have provided valuable advice and discussions throughout my graduate career.