Every Marine is a Rifleman

Marines usually learned military tactics through personal experience or conversations with salty vets. The Corps offered very little training before the 20th century - nothing was formalized, and lessons learned from previous engagements were lost through time.

The first officer's school, the School of Application, was opened in 1891 at the Marine Barracks in Washington. These were some of the first MOS schools and every newly commissioned officer would attend. Many Marines who excelled in their profession also served as instructors, and their real-world experience coupled with theoretical teaching excelled the Marines to the forefront of their fields in roles such as artilleryman and machine gunner.

Colonel Charles Heywood became the 9th Commandant of the Marine Corps in 1891, and he continued to build the Corps training program. He created formal schools for officers and established a system of examinations to assess their qualifications for promotion. Heywood was also a big supporter of enlisted training and focused on target practice and better marksmanship skills. The Marine Corps saw significant improvement in the tactics and accuracy of Marines as a result of this training.

When the world entered the Great War, the Marine Corps focused on marksmanship. Target practiced received more attention in 1918, and no enlisted men were sent overseas who had not qualified as Marksman or better. As the United States headed into France, Marines were skilled and educated riflemen.

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