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Leatherneck Magazine of the Marines

December 1970 issue with Miss Alabama Ann Fowler in South Vietnam
Frequency	Monthly
First issue	1917; 108 years ago (1917)
Company	Marine Corps Association
Country	United States
Language	English
Website	www.mca-marines.org/magazines/leatherneck/
ISSN	0023-981X

Leatherneck Magazine of the Marines (or simply Leatherneck) is a magazine for United States Marines.

History and profile

The Quantico Leatherneck was started by off-duty US Marines, and in large part by the post printer, Sgt. Smith, in 1917. The link to Editor & Publisher for February 19, 1921, page 38 contains a passionate article giving the details of the beginnings of the Quantico Leatherneck. Included: Captain Jonas H Platt, a newspaper man in civilian life, 1st Lt. Angus A. Aull (sp?)at the officers' training school held an honorary position with the paper and is the author of the linked Editor & Publisher article.

In 1918, "Quantico" was dropped from the publication's name.

In 1920, with the formation of the Marine Corps Institute (MCI) by Commandant of the Marine Corps John A. Lejeune, Leatherneck became an official Marine Corps publication under the auspices of MCI, and was moved to Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington, D.C. In 1925, the format was changed from a newspaper to a magazine.

During World War II, many of the Marine Corps' combat correspondents were assigned to Leatherneck. In 1943, the Leatherneck Association was formed to govern the magazine, making it more autonomous and answerable only to the Commandant.

The magazine's name derives from the slang term "leatherneck" for a U.S. Marine, referring to the leather-lined collar or stock of the original Marine uniform.

Leatherneck was an official Marine Corps publication until 1972, staffed primarily by active-duty Marines. That year all active-duty positions were eliminated and the magazine returned to Quantico. In 1976, the Leatherneck Association merged with the Marine Corps Association (MCA). As of 2016, MCA continues to publish Leatherneck alongside another Marine Corps periodical, the Marine Corps Gazette.

Mission

"To be the magazine of Marines—yesterday, today and tomorrow."

Leatherneck today

Leatherneck is available in magazine form, online, and through a mobile application.

Col Mary Reinwald, USMC (Ret) became the first female editor-in-chief in 2014.

As of 2015, the magazine has over 40,000 monthly readers.

Staff and contributors

Leatherneck staff and contributors have included the following:

• Gordon Bess, creator of the comic strip Redeye
• George Booth, cartoonist for The New Yorker
• John Clymer, animal and Western artist
• Gustav Hasford, author of The Short-Timers (the basis for the film Full Metal Jacket) and its sequel The Phantom Blooper
• Russ Jones, illustrator, novelist and founding editor of Creepy magazine
• Fred Lasswell, cartoonist best known for his comic strip Snuffy Smith
• Louis R. Lowery, combat photographer who took the photo of the first flag-raising atop Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima
• Mike Ploog, comic-book and movie-storyboard artist
• Lawrence Meyer, journalist and author

List of Leatherneck Magazine Issues

The Leatherneck has been published since 1917

No.	Cover	Year	Month	Volume	Issue	Text
1				I	I	Tbd
2		1975	January	LVIII	1	Designed by Jim Hopewell, our cover includes a reproduction of the historic resolution passed by the Continental Congress on 10 November 1775, authorizing "Two Battalions of Marines." From this resolution evolved the Marine Corps as we know it today. Leatherneck salutes the Corps in its 200th anniversary year.
3		1975	February	LVIII	2	Thirty years ago this month, Sgt Louis Lowery, then a roving photographer for Leatherneck, snapped a quick picture as the American Flag was raised on Iwo Jima. The photograph was memorable in that it was the first taken of the famous flag-raising. Recently, with no one shooting back at him, Lowery set up his camera and took an unhurried photo of the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va. He got a better picture this time
-		1975	3	LVIII	3	Marine reservists, most of them from Albuquerque, N.M., recently flew to Alaska for two weeks of cold weather training. Herb Richardson went along to take pictures and write the article, "North To Alaska," which begins on page 14.
4		1975	4	LVIII	4	LCp Matt Biggie is a member of the Marine Security Guard serving in Zaire's capital city of Kinshasa. In the background are the flags of the United African Organiza-tion. Cover photo by Tom Bartlett, whose story on Zaire begins on page 16.
		1975	5	LVIII	5	Marines and equipment get a tough workout at the Landing Force Training Command, Little Creek, Va. Herb Richardson was on hand to shoot the picture when Cpl Ralph Mayone, accompanied by Pfc Steve Vogrin, tested the installation of a deep-water, fording kit on a jeep. The vehicle splashed through the tank perfectly, and the troops dried out eventually. The LFTC article, called "Super Turtles," begins on page 20.
		1975	6	LVIII	6	Marines of Alpha and Delta Companies, 2d Tank Battalion, Camp Lejeune, N. C., recently spent two weeks training at the Army's Fort Pickett, Va. Delta Company was there to learn about the newly adopted M-60 tank, while Alpha Company got in some last-minute firing with its trusty M-48's prior to deployment to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Herb Richardson was on hand when one of the M-48's cut loose with its 90-mm. main gun. The story, "Track Training, begins on page 18.
		1975	7	LVIII	7	Archibald Summers, first Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, was appointed in 1801-'02, although the office, as such, was not officially authorized until 1833. The painting of Summers on this month's cover is by Maj Charles Waterhouse, USMCR. The post was re-created in 1957. Since then, seven Marines have served as Sergeant Major of the Corps. C. L. Kammeier, Leatherneck's Editor-Publisher, salutes them in an article on page 18.
		1975	8	LVIII	8	President Gerald R. Ford was accompanied by Navy Capt Bryan W. Compton, CO of the USS Nimitz, when the world's largest ship was commissioned at Norfolk, Va., recently. The cover was photographed by Tom Bartlett as the ship's Marine Detachment "presented arms" on the hangar deck. The Nimitz story and additional photos of her Marines begin on page 18.
		1975	9	LVIII	9	The Vietnam Service Medal. Leatherneck dedicates this issue to all those who served in Vietnam, to their valor, their devotion, to their love of country. To those who fought and returned... and, to those who made the supreme sacrifice.... Cover photo by Lou Lowery, Leatherneck Photographic Director. The background photo was taken in Vietnam by Sgt Ernie Lebreque.
		1975	10	LVIII	10	The Navy-Marine Team An early beginning 1775 An early toast to the Navy/ Marine Corps team was rendered in 1775 aboard a ship of the Continental Navy. The acrylic painting of the event on our cover is by Maj USMCR. Charles Waterhouse, USMCR. A story about the Navy / Marine Corps Team appears on page 18.
		1975	11	LVIII	11	Heritage of Our Corps The Battle Standard of the Marine Corps, carried by Sgt L.M. Baade, Marine Color Sergeant. This standard proudly bears streamers representing those foreign and U.S. awards earned by Marine Corps units for combat action, as well as those of the campaigns and expeditions in which Marine Corps units have participated from the American Revolution through the war in Vietnam. Cover design: Jim Hopewell. Photo by Lou Lowery.
		1975	12	LVIII	12	Merry Christmas to all from the staff of Leatherneck Cover design: Jim Hopewell.

References

1. "Who Started the Leatherneck?". Editor & Publisher. Vol. 53, no. 38. 1921-02-19. p. 38.

External links

• Leatherneck.com
• Leatherneck Magazine official site
• Leatherneck app

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Category

• Magazines established in 1925
• Magazines published in Washington, D.C.
• Military magazines published in the United States
• Non-fiction works about the United States Marine Corps
• Magazines established in 1917
• United States Marine Corps lore and symbols