Semper Fidelis or "Semper Fi." translated from Latin, it means "Always Faithful" and is the official motto of the U.S. Marine Corps. It describes loyalty and commitment to fellow Marines, the Corps, and America. Marines have lived up to this motto and continue to prove it, in the air, on land, or at sea. Working to overcome disadvantage and turn conflict into victory, Marines accomplish great things, and they do so together.

The History of the Marine Corps Motto

Semper Fidelis was adopted about 1883 as the official motto of the Corps. Before that, there had been three mottoes, all traditional rather than official. The first, dating back the War of 1812, was "Fortitudine" ("With Fortitude"). The second, "By Sea and by Land," was obviously a translation of the Royal Marine's "Per Mare, Per Terram". Until 1848, the third motto was "To the Shores of Tripoli", in commemoration of O'Bannon's capture of Derna in 1805. In 1848, after the return to Washington of the Marine battalion that took part in the capture of Mexico City, this motto was revised to: "From the Halls of the Montezumas to the Shores of Tripoli" - a line now familiar to all Americans. This revision of the Corps motto in Mexico has encouraged thought that the first verse of "The Marines' Hymn" was composed by members of the Marine battalion who stormed Chapultepec Castle.

The Marine Corps shares its motto with England's Devonshire Regiment, the 11th Foot, one of the senior infantry regiments of the British Army, whose nickname is "the Bloody Eleventh" and whose motto is also Semper Fidelis. Semper Fidelis is also the title of the official musical March of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Semper Fi