Semper Fi: U.S. Marine Corps birthday today

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today marks the 233rd birthday of the establishment of the U.S. Marine Corps.

The USMC can trace its roots back to the Continental Marines of the American Revolutionary War, formed at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, by a resolution of the Second Continental Congress on November 10, 1775, to raise 2 battalions of Marines.

The U.S. Marines adopted the motto "Semper Fidelis," Latin meaning "Always Faithful," in 1883, on the initiative of Colonel Charles McCawley, the 8th Commandant of the Marine Corps.

"Semper fidelis," or the shortened "Semper Fi," signifies the dedication and loyalty that individual Marines have for "Corps and Country,"

"Semper Fidelis" is also the title of the official march of the United States Marine Corps, composed by John Philip Sousa in 1889.

Sousa was director of the United States Marine Band.

On the United States Marine Corps Seal, the symbol of the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor emblem holds a ribbon emblazoned "Semper Fidelis."