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This Marine officer sword is 38" overall. The stainless steel, non-sharp blade is 32" long. " UNITED STATES MARINES" is engraved on one side of the blade. ABS handle. Metal scabbard. Great quality.
Marine Corps lore states that a sword of this type was presented to Marine Corps Lt. Presley O'Bannon by the Turkish viceroy, Prince Hemet, on December 8, 1804, during the First Barbary War, as a gesture of respect. Upon his return to the states, the state of Virginia presented him with a silver-hilted sword featuring an eaglehead hilt and a curved blade modeled after the original Mameluke given him by Hamet. Its blade is inscribed with his name and a commemoration of the battle of Tripoli. However, Richard Zacks in his book, The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, The First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805, states that the first appearance of the idea that the sword came from Hemet was an early 20th century newspaper article written by an O'Bannon descendant. The current Marine Corps history states that Prince Hemet indeed presented his sword to O'Bannon and upon return to the United States, the state of Virginia presented him with a silver-hilted saber as well.
Perhaps due to the Marines' distinguished record during this campaign, including the capture of the Tripolitan city of Derna after a long and dangerous desert march, Marine Corps Commandant Archibald Henderson adopted the Mameluke sword in 1825 for wear by Marine officers. After initial distribution in 1826, Mameluke swords have been worn except for the years 1859-75 (when Marine officers were required to wear Army M1850 foot officers' swords), and a brief period when swords were suspended during World War II. Since that time, Mameluke swords have been worn by Marine officers in a continuing tradition to the present day as of 2007.
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