Official history of the Starfleet Marines in Theta Fleet

[Kathryn Burke]

Starfleet Marines.

Born in 1775 on Earth, the United States Marine Corps became one of the most feared and respected fighting forces on the planet. The Marines attitude of "first to fight" became a decisive factor in many battles.

The USMC continued to be one of the premiere fighting forces during WWIII and were in large part responsible for many historic and politically significant locations being spared from the worst attacks. As the planet united under one government, a number of specialty fighting groups, including the Marines, retained their separate identities and continued to keep their parts of the world safe from insurgents.

When Starfleet formed in 2161 the Marines, being mostly ground-based and amphibious combat troops, were not deemed necessary in the age of starships and phaser weapons, so were not part of exploratory missions. However, they were still used on some staircases and in embassies.

There was also a need for Marines outside of Starfleet. They became the defenders of outlying colonies and Federation embassies throughout the galaxy. The Peacekeepers. As such, they continued to be the premiere ground defenders and protectors of the Federation. From time to time, they were called out to fight in a ground war and to support humanitarian assistance in zones where military protection was needed.

With the Cardassian and Dominion Wars, the need for ground forces again came to the forefront and the Starfleet Marines were brought in to aid in ground combat.

Now, many of the larger starships carry a Marine detachment for ground combat, securing perimeters, scouting and repelling borders. Or anywhere their special training and abilities can be of service.

Starfleet Marines are a separate group attached to Starfleet and so do not wear a Starfleet uniform but instead wear the traditional olive drab BDUs. (They do have the option, at the CO's discretion, of wearing a Marine-specific uniform similar to the Starfleet uniform.) They also have their own chain of command, the Marine CO on the ship reporting directly to the Captain of the starship.

Links of interest:
http://www.marines.com
http://www.marineheritage.org
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Starfleet
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/United_ ... of_Planets