QUANTICO, Va. - The Marine Corps has a long standing tradition of remembering its history through small details. The blood stripe on the trousers of noncommissioned officers, the sword all officers carry and even the smallest detail such as the insignia a base uses all reflect the Corps distinguished history.
To honor Quantico’s historic past and separate itself from Marine Corp Combat Development Command, the base commander, Col. Dan Choike, approved a new insignia to represent the base.
The two commands were using similar insignia, but with the separation of the two units due to the creation of Marine Corps Installations Command, it was decided that Quantico needed it’s own.
“We did some research over the various insignias that were over time used at Quantico since 1917 when it was Marine Barracks Quantico,” said Gary Matthews, the deputy director of operations for the base. “Then we went to the Combat Visual Information Center’s graphics section and they came up with an insignia from the 1917 era.”
The new insignia combines the bronzed eagle, globe and anchor emblem as it existed in 1917, along with the traditional scarlet and gold colors of the Corps. In text there is the familiar motto of Quantico: “The Crossroads of the Marine Corps”
This isn’t just a new insignia, it will actually be the first official insignia for the base that is registered with the Marine Corps History Division.
“We are actually adopting an official insignia,” said Pete Streng, the base director of operations. “The other ones were never really official, but this one will be registered.”
The insignia is still pending approval from the Historical Division, but once that process is complete Marines can expect to see it spread across the base.