“As the safety and prosperity of nations ultimately and essentially depend on the protection and the blessing of Almighty God, and the national acknowledgment of this truth is not only an indispensable duty which the people owe to Him, but a duty whose natural influence is favorable to the promotion of that morality and piety without which social happiness can not exist nor the blessings of a free government be enjoyed; and as this duty, at all times incumbent, is so especially in seasons of difficulty or of danger, when existing or threatening calamities, the just judgments of God against prevalent iniquity, are a loud call to repentance and reformation; and as the United States of America are at present placed in a hazardous and afflictive situation by the unfriendly disposition, conduct, and demands of a foreign power, evinced by repeated refusals to receive our messengers of reconciliation and peace, by depredations on our commerce, and the infliction of injuries on very many of our fellow-citizens while engaged in their lawful business on the seas – under these considerations it has appeared to me that the duty of imploring the mercy and benediction of Heaven on our country demands at this time a special attention from its inhabitants”

John Adams (Prayer Proclamation 1798) (Founding Father/Second President of the United States)

This prayer proclamation was given because the Muslims were attacking our merchant ships in the seas of the Middle east. These pirates were killing and stealing American shipments to the Middle East, then the Muslims decided to start holding people for ransom, then our delegates went to the Middle East and negotiated with the leaders and we paid tribute (Ransom money/extortion money) to them for the safety of our people who traded in the area. We did this until Thomas Jefferson became President and he went to Congress and told them if you build me a Navy that we would not be paying this extortion money any longer. So Congress approved our first Naval ships and we took them to the Middle East seas and fought against the Muslim pirates for over thirty years, and had such victory that the Muslims signed a peace treaty on the Shores of Tripoli. This is where we get our song for the Marine Core.