And maintaining that excellence has been no small feat, considering the Corps has served a role in every conflict in US history. That's because the Marines operate on sea, air, and land, and can respond to a crisis in less than 24 hours with the full force of a modern military.
To celebrate the Corps, we've pulled some of their best shots ever.
Marine Corps Military Free Fall Instructors assigned to Marine Detachment — Fort Bragg, release the ashes of Sgt. Brett Jaffe (1971-2012), a Marine rigger, above Phillips Drop Zone at Yuma Proving Grounds, Ariz., on July 26, 2012. | Photo by U.S. Marine Corps
Sgt. Maj. Scott T. Pile speaks to 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit Marines and sailors embarked aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island parked pierside at Naval Base San Diego Aug. 9. | Photo by U.S. Marine Corps
Lance Cpl. Kyle J. Palmer (left), holds a mortar tube steady as Lance Cpl. Samuel E. Robertson (right), mortarmen with the 81mm Mortars Platoon, Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, grabs another mortar round during a joint live fire exercise, July 14. | Photo by U.S. Marine Corps
US Marines assigned to Georgian Liaison Team-9 and Georgian Army soldiers assigned to the 33rd Light Infantry Battalion make their way to the extraction point during Operation Northern Lion II in Helmand province, Afghanistan, July 3, 2013. | Photo by U.S. Marine Corps
Photo by U.S. Marine Corps
Marines with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit Maritime Raid Force depart the USS Essex (LHD 2) on a combat rubber raiding craft during Amphibious Squadron Three/Marine Expeditionary Unit Integration Training (PMINT) off the coast of San Diego March 4, 2015. | Photo by U.S. Marine Corps
U.S. Marines with Fox Company, Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines (BLT 2/1), 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), conduct a Table 3 combat marksmanship course of fire as a part of sustainment training on the flight deck of the USS San Diego (LPD 22), Oct. 1. | Photo by Gunnery Sgt. Rome M. Lazarus, U.S. Marine Corps
Drill Instructor Sgt. Daniel Anderson motivates recruits during physical training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island on December 4, 2014. | Photo by U.S. Marine Corps
U.S. Marines with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response-Africa ascend ropes during an obstacle course on Rota Naval Base, Spain, Feb. 26, 2015. | Photo by Lance Cpl. Christopher Mendoza, U.S. Marine Corps
A Marine salutes the American flag during a wreath laying ceremony at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Washington. The ceremony commemorated the 70th anniversary of the battle for Iwo Jima. With most of the surviving veterans in their 80's and 90's, surviving Marines visited the memorial in remembrance of their brothers in arms. | Photo by U.S. Marine Corps
A Marine supervises from the center of The Basic School permanent personnel battalion during a 10-mile hike aboard the westside of Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., June 28, 2013. | Photo by Lance Cpl. Cuong Le, U.S. Marine Corps
Marines From Recruiting Station Lansing, Recruiting Sub-Stations Grand Rapids North and South, participate in the opening ceremony for the Grand Rapids Pond Hockey Classic, Jan 25. | Photo by U.S. Marine Corps
Drill Instructor Sgt. Jonathan B. Reeves inspects and disciplines recruits with Platoon 1085, Charlie Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina. | Photo by U.S. Marine Corps
Marines with Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, hastily reload an M777 howitzer with a 155 mm artillery shell during a multiple-rounds fire mission as a part of a two-day dual-fire training exercise at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, Nov. 13, 2013. | Photo by U.S. Marine Corps
Marines assigned to Force Reconnaissance Platoon, Maritime Raid Force, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, prepare to conduct a high altitude high opening (HAHO) jump from a CH-53 Super Stallion during category 3 sustainment training in Louisburg, North Carolina. | Photo by U.S. Marine Corps
Sgt. William Wickett, 2nd Radio Battalion, performs a rescue drill during the Marine Corps Instructor of Water Survival Course at Marine Corps Base Camp Johnson, N.C., March 5, 2013. | Photo by U.S. Marine Corps
The Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon marches in front of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial on their way to perform for the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington April 12, 2014. | U.S. Marine Corps
Recruits of India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, conduct pull-ups during a physical training event at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Dec. 28. During the event, drill instructors motivated each recruit to try their best while conducting each set of exercises. Annually, more than 17,000 males recruited from the Western Recruiting Region are trained at MCRD San Diego. | Photo by Lance Cpl. Angelica I. Annastas, U.S. Marine Corps
