Eighty one years ago on March 14, 1942, My Rifle the Creed of a United States Marine, was published in the Marine Corps San Diego Chevron.
The Chevron was a popular newspaper by the San Diego Marines read all around the country.
Our grandfather, Major General William Henry Rupertus, wrote this Rifleman’s Creed when he was commanding officer of the Marine Corps Base San Diego. At the time he was overseeing the infantry and the flood of recruits. For perspective, this was right after the Japanese bombed the US fleet at Pearl Harbor, catapulting America into WWII.
By the time My Rifle the Creed of a United States Marine was published in the Chevron, Rupertus was on his way to New River, NC, to join General Vandegrift in Tent City (Now Camp Lejeune) as Assistant Division Commander of the First Marine Division.
They had a tremendous job before them in forming and training this division that would be the first to fight the Japanese in the Pacific by the summer of 1942.
Rupertus was an expert rifleman. He had competed on the Marine Corps Rifle Team, was awarded the Distinguished Marksman medal, and had been a rifle and pistol instructor. He also witnessed the Japanese military in action while he was stationed in China in the 1920s and 1930s. The thousands of American men joining the Marine Corps to fight the Japanese in the Pacific needed to be prepared.
Rupertus knew the rifle would save lives and help win the ground war in the jungles of the Pacific against a tenacious and embedded enemy.
On the Old Breed General book tour, I was asked about the Rifle Creed. And Marine Top Padgett asked me to recite it on the spot! So, I had to get this down.
Top lives in Charlotte, NC. He is a Korean War veteran of the 1st Marine Division and a former drill instructor. He just celebrated his 92 birthday! Top told me he used to make sure his “maggots” recited “My Rifle the Creed of a United States Marine.”
As a granddaughter of the Marine who wrote this, I needed to finally get it down!!
Since summer 2022, I worked hard to remember and recite this creed.
Obsession set in. For accountability, I videotaped it.
My August 2022 attempt: https://amyrupertuspeacock.com/wp-content/uploads/video.mp4
I recited it in February 2023 at Lake Norman, while describing to my husband (thanks for listening again!) how the brave Marines landed on the islands in the Pacific with the enemy firing upon them. IMG_1616
This is a motivating creed for our riflemen and rifle-women, and me. It is an honor to share this history.
Should we find ourselves in the Pacific again, Heaven forbid, I pray the Marines and our Army soldiers will remember this powerful creed by a US Marine.
My Rifle the Creed of a United States Marine
This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
My rifle is my best friend. It is my life.
I must master it as I must master my life.
Without me, my rifle is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true.
I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will.
My rifle and myself know that what counts in war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit.
My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my life.
Thus, I will learn it as a brother.
I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel.
I will ever guard it against the ravages of weather and damage as I will ever guard my legs, my arms, my eyes and my heart against damage. I will keep my rifle clean and ready.
We will become part of each other. We will…
Before God, I swear this creed. My rifle and myself are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.
So be it, until victory is America’s and there is no enemy, but peace!
Semper Fi, Amy
- USMC reference on this frequently requested topic:
