John Southard. Defend and Befriend

The United States Marine Corps struggles with multiple personalities. Originally designed to serve as naval infantry aboard ships, the Marines naturally evolved into an amphibious assault force; “From the Sea,” as recent Marine Corps propaganda puts it. The iconic statue of Marines raising Old Glory over Iwo Jima at Arlington National Cemetery tells that story well, and is the dominant narrative the corps tells itself about its role in the world. But the Marines also have another set of missions. In the early part of the last century, as American interests in Latin America expanded, Marines served as “the State Department's Army,” putting down rebellion in places like Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua. These experiences were codified in the Marine Corps Small Wars Manual of 1940, to this author's knowledge the first military field manual published by a university press. The Small Wars Manual was an important source for the writing of The U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual of 2006.

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