MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. – The United States Marine Corps employs thousands of civilian personnel across its installations to support daily operations and long-term mission requirements. The men and women who are often referred to as “Civilian Marines,” serve in a range of professional fields while working alongside military personnel. While many of these employees are veterans, many others have never served in the military or worked with Marines before. This is where the Marine Corps Acculturation Program, a two-day course created to provide civilian employees with information about Marine Corps history, organization, structure, and customs, is essential to forming unit cohesion and culture between civilians and Marines.
“We get to directly support Marines and work alongside them, and that means something to me,” Katherine Furry, a geographer with Marine Corps Intelligence Activity who attended the most recent class. “This program plays a huge role in bridging the gap between civilians and Marines,” she continued.
The program was established in 2007 and consists of five modules covering Marine Corps history, mission, installation organization, customs and courtesies, and available resources for civilian employees. Newly hired civilian personnel assigned to Marine Corps installations are encouraged to attend, regardless of prior military experience. But as Furry learned, the course is still valuable even to employees who have been on the job for a while.
“I wish I would’ve done this right away,” she said, “It would’ve helped me with things that I had to have Marines explain to me.”
After completing the course, participants are presented with a certificate of completion and an honorary Civilian Marine lapel pin.
“When they complete the course, they get a pin and a certificate,” said Manieri. “The civilian Marines feel proud to wear that pin.”
The curriculum contains a standardized set of core modules, with additional content tailored to reflect each installation’s location and historical assets. At MCB Quantico, the program includes a visit to the National Museum of the Marine Corps, where participants view exhibits covering the history of the Marine Corps from its establishment in 1775 to present-day operations.
“It’s a pretty incredible museum,” said Frankie Hollis, a social science research analyst with the Department of Veterans Affairs. “I didn’t know much about the history before I went but I think it helps lay the foundation for civilians to understand Marine Corps culture.”
“We get to directly support Marines and work alongside them,” said Furry. “And that means something to me.” In 1999, then commandant of the Marine Corps Gen Charles C. Krulak sought to formalize the importance of civilian employees to the Marine Corps. That is when he introduced the term, “Civilian Marines.” It identifies civilian personnel as members of the Marine Corps team within the Department of the Navy and highlights the unique role civilians have in the military.
“If the commandant uses the term ‘Civilian Marine’ and is passionate about it, then we need to carry that tradition on and use that term to identify any civilian that works for the Department of the Navy,” said Matthew Manieri, workforce development manager with Civilian Manpower Branch on Quantico.