A Brief History of U.S. Marine Corps Officer Procurement, 1775-1969

This publication is derived from official records and appropriate published manuscript sources. It is published for the information of those interested in the history of Marine officer procurement from 1775 to 1969. In order to chronicle the history of Marine Corps officer procurement, a clarification of terminology is needed. "Procurement" is the normally accepted term to describe the obtaining of officers-for the military. Actually, "procurement" is defined "as obtaining or securing." There are, of course, further definitions of the word, but all basically refer to the process of obtaining or securing. Officer procurement, however, as witnessed throughout Marine Corps history, in both lean and plentiful years, has been more appropriately reflected in the term "selection," to wit: "...a choosing in preference to another or other; picked out especially for excellence or some special quality; picked." Consequently, the business of procuring officers for the Marine Corps is officially known as "Officer Selection" and an officer who does in fact select officer candidates is known as an "Officer Selection Officer." Historically, officer selection or officer procurement, regardless of the terminology used, is and has been fundamental to the success of the Corps. Such was the case in 1775 ... and so it will be in the future.