The Marine Corps birthday lands on November 10, and Veterans Day follows the very next morning. Two days, back to back, that a lot of people lump together. They shouldn’t. One is a birthday that Marines celebrate like family, with a cake cut by a sword. The other is a national day to thank every American who ever wore the uniform.
Here is where both days come from, what actually happens on each, and how to honor them right in 2026, when the Corps turns 251 on a Tuesday and Veterans Day falls on Wednesday.
In this guide
Marine Corps birthday and Veterans Day at a glance
| Marine Corps birthday | Veterans Day | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | November 10 | November 11 |
| Origin | Continental Congress creates two battalions of Marines, 1775 | The World War I armistice takes effect, 1918 |
| Who it honors | The Corps and every Marine, past and present | Every American who served, living or dead, in war or peace |
| Signature tradition | Commandant’s message, birthday ball, cake cut with a Mameluke sword | Wreath laid at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, parades, moments of silence |
| Federal holiday? | No | Yes, since 1938 (as Armistice Day) |
| 2026 | 251st birthday, Tuesday | Wednesday |
Why the Marine Corps birthday is November 10
On November 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution in Philadelphia to raise two battalions of Marines. Those Continental Marines fought through the Revolution, then were disbanded in 1783 along with the Continental Navy.
Tradition puts the first recruiting at Tun Tavern on Philadelphia’s waterfront, which is why Marines still call a bar on the Delaware River their birthplace. Capt. Samuel Nicholas, commissioned that fall, is regarded as the first Commandant.
Here’s the part most people don’t know. The modern Corps was formally re-established by an act signed by President John Adams on July 11, 1798, and for years that was the date Marines quietly marked. November 10 only became the official Marine Corps birthday in 1921.
How Order 47 made the Marine Corps birthday official
In October 1921, Maj. Edwin North McClellan, who ran the Corps’ historical section, pushed to make November 10 a Marine holiday. On November 1, 1921, Commandant John A. Lejeune signed Marine Corps Order No. 47 and made it happen.
The order is a short history of the Corps and its record, and it directs that the message be read to every command on November 10 of every year. It opens with the founding itself: “On November 10, 1775, a Corps of Marines was created by a resolution of Continental Congress.”
Over a century later, it still is. Wherever Marines are on November 10, in a ballroom, a barracks or a forward operating base, someone stands up and reads Lejeune’s words out loud, followed by the current Commandant’s birthday message.
The Marine Corps birthday ball and the cake cutting
The first formal birthday ball was held in 1925. Today there are hundreds every year, from Washington, D.C. to Okinawa, and the ceremony at the center of each one follows the same script.
In 1952, Commandant Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr. standardized the cake-cutting ceremony across the Corps, and in 1956 it was written into the Marine Corps drill manual. The cake is cut with a Mameluke sword, the same style of curved blade Marine officers have carried since the 1800s, tied by tradition to Lt. Presley O’Bannon and the 1805 fight at Derna on the shores of Tripoli.
- The first piece goes to the guest of honor.
- The second piece goes to the oldest Marine in the room.
- The oldest Marine passes that piece to the youngest Marine present.
That handoff is the whole point. Experience and knowledge passing from one generation of Marines to the next, in front of everyone. It’s why a junior lance corporal and a retired sergeant major can share the most important moment of the night.
Why Veterans Day is November 11
Veterans Day started as the end of a war. The armistice that stopped the fighting in World War I took effect at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month: 11 a.m., November 11, 1918. The Treaty of Versailles that formally ended the war wasn’t signed until June 28, 1919, but the world remembered the day the guns went quiet.
President Woodrow Wilson marked the first anniversary in November 1919 as Armistice Day. An act of Congress approved May 13, 1938 made November 11 a legal federal holiday, dedicated to world peace and to the veterans of World War I.
From Armistice Day to Veterans Day
Then came World War II and Korea, and millions more Americans who had served. In 1947, Navy veteran Raymond Weeks organized a celebration in Birmingham, Alabama to honor all veterans, not just those of World War I, and pushed Washington to follow.
On June 1, 1954, Public Law 380 changed the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day. That October, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first Veterans Day proclamation. From then on, November 11 honored veterans of all wars.
There was one detour. The Uniform Holiday Bill, signed June 28, 1968, moved Veterans Day to the fourth Monday of October to create a three-day weekend. The first October observance in 1971 caused real confusion, and many states refused to move. On September 20, 1975, President Gerald Ford signed Public Law 94-97 sending it back to November 11, starting in 1978. It has stayed there since.
Veterans Day vs. Memorial Day
This is the mix-up veterans correct every year. Memorial Day, in May, honors the men and women who died in service. Veterans Day honors everyone who served, and it’s mostly aimed at the ones still with us: the guy next door who did four years in the Navy, your aunt who retired from the Air Force, your grandfather who came home from Korea.
So on Veterans Day, “thank you for your service” is exactly the right thing to say. And the spelling is Veterans Day, no apostrophe. It’s a day for veterans, not a day that belongs to one veteran.
How Veterans Day is observed
The national observance happens at Arlington National Cemetery. At 11 a.m., a wreath is laid at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, followed by a ceremony in the Memorial Amphitheater. In 2025, the 72nd annual National Veterans Day Observance included a full honors wreath-laying supported by The Old Guard and The U.S. Army Band.
Across the country, towns hold parades, schools host veterans, and many people stop for a moment of silence at 11 a.m. Federal offices and banks close. Most other businesses stay open, which is why a lot of veterans spend the day at work like any other.
How to honor the Marine Corps birthday and Veterans Day
- Call the Marine in your life on November 10. Say “Happy birthday, Marine.” They’ll know exactly what you mean, and it lands harder than you think.
- Ask a veteran one real question on November 11. Where they served, what their unit was like, who they still talk to. Then listen.
- Show up. Go to the local parade, the VFW or American Legion post, or the ceremony at your town’s memorial.
- Stop at 11 a.m. One minute of silence, wherever you are, the same hour the guns stopped in 1918.
- Get the gear right. If you’re buying a gift, buy it for the branch they actually served in. A Marine is not a soldier, and they will tell you.
Marine Corps and veteran shirts for November
We make tees for the people these two days are about, printed to order in the U.S. on ring-spun cotton. Most orders arrive in 3 to 8 business days, so order by early November if you want it on by the 10th.
- Semper Fidelis Tee: a battle-worn eagle clutching the Eagle, Globe and Anchor, for Marines and Marine veterans
- Marines The Few Tee: the Eagle, Globe and Anchor in a storm-charged graphic
- Navy Forged by the Sea Tee: a rope-wrapped anchor rising out of the waves, for sailors and Navy veterans
- This We’ll Defend Army Tee: the U.S. Army’s motto under a battle-worn eagle
- Always a Soldier Veteran Tee: a worn flag, a military star and stencil lettering
- Desert Storm Veteran Tee: weathered dog tags for Gulf War veterans
- Strongest Americans Veteran Tee: a soldier in full kit with eagle wings in flag colors
See the full lineup of military and veteran designs in the Patriotic collection, and for the firefighters and first responders in your life, the First Responder collection.
Marine Corps birthday and Veterans Day FAQ
How old is the Marine Corps in 2026?
251 years old. The Corps counts from November 10, 1775, so the 2026 Marine Corps birthday is the 251st. The 250th was celebrated in 2025.
Is the Marine Corps birthday a federal holiday?
No. It’s a Marine Corps holiday, not a federal one. Veterans Day on November 11 is the federal holiday.
What do you say to a Marine on November 10?
“Happy birthday, Marine.” “Semper Fi” works too. Semper Fidelis, Latin for always faithful, has been the Marine Corps motto since 1883.
Why does the oldest Marine pass cake to the youngest?
It stands for experience being handed down from one generation of Marines to the next. The ceremony was standardized across the Corps in 1952.
Is it Veterans Day or Veteran’s Day?
Veterans Day, no apostrophe. The day honors all veterans rather than belonging to any one of them.
What’s the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day?
Memorial Day honors those who died in military service. Veterans Day honors everyone who served, living or dead, in wartime or peacetime.
Sources
- History of Veterans Day, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs historians, via Grand Forks Air Force Base
- From Armistice to Veterans Day, National Archives, The Text Message blog (2018)
- The Commandant Behind Marine Corps Birthday Traditions, Military.com (2025)
- United States Marine Corps Birthday, Wikipedia (Order 47, 1798 act, 1925 ball, 1952 and 1956 cake ceremony)
- National Veterans Day Observance, Nov. 11, 2025, DVIDS
- 3d MEB 250th Marine Corps Birthday Ball cake cutting, DVIDS
Stucci Apparel makes statement graphic tees printed to order in the U.S. Happy birthday, Marines. And to every veteran: thank you. We don’t do halfway, and neither did you.
