Where does the term Devil Dog come from?

Answer 1

This is the best overall explanation I found by a MARINE I can help you with: Subject: Bedeviling "Devil Dog". Has this cherished nickname become a put down for some? By: Lance Cpl. Dorian Gardner Filed under: Marines.mil - Opinion pages MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT San Diego, Calif.(Jan. 14, 2005) -- Coming into the Marine Corps, I wanted the name "Devil Dog" - the name Marines earned from the Germans in World War I. Unfortunately, now that I've earned it, it seems that term has departed from its original meaning. During WWI, the Marines of the Fourth Marine Brigade fought gallantly against German infantry in the battle of Belleau Wood. Here Marines were called "teufelhunden" - hounds from hell - a word German soldiers used to describe the Marines' constant attack and deadly aim. Marines walked off that battlefield proud - some carrying others off - but they knew that men had died for something. Today, the nickname teufelhunden, or Devil Dog, is still used to represent today's Marines. Unfortunately, few Marines still use Devil Dog with honorable reference. A colleague recently told me that the history of Devil Dog inspired him to become a Marine, but now when he hears the term, he is ducking, trying not to get chewed out. The name seems to have been converted into a negative phrase. Higher-ranking Marines many times refer to junior Marines as "Devil Dog" instead of by rank. Marine corporals and above insist we lance corporals and below call them by rank. In fairness, "Devil Dog" is too casual a term for junior Marines to call higher-ranking Marines. It's a matter of professionalism. But I believe this consideration for propriety has distorted a once-beloved nickname into a sarcastic put-down. The term is often used to suggest that something is wrong or that somebody messed up. Higher-ranking Marines are using this phrase toward Marines of lower rank in a belittling sense. "I think that 95 percent of the time, the term is used as a demeaning reference. When (higher-ranking Marines) say it, it is as if they think 'I am not even going to regard you or your rank,'" said Lance Cpl. Chris Delaney, Communications Information Systems Department. "Almost every time you hear it, you can assume something is wrong. It is like being one step above a recruit." As a recruit, I was taught the history behind the phrase, and I valued that name as much as I valued the name Marine. A Devil Dog and a Marine are one in the same. Using the term in a negative sense allows it to take on a second meaning, a meaning by which no Marine can be proud to use. As an 18-year-old beginning my service after boot camp at my military occupational specialty school, I was pleased to find young Marines like myself who were just as motivated as I was. Today, I don't know if it is the base or the Marines around me, but since I arrived to the depot, it is hard to stay motivated with many Marines of higher authority looking down without sharing the same enthusiasm I had with peers at MOS school. Applying "Devil Dog" with irreverence and sarcasm only disgraces the legacy of those proud Belleau Wood warriors. Pride is the only thing we should draw from the sound of this name. These are not my words buy should help you with your quest for the truth! Anyone should be proud to be a "DevilDog or a DevilDoc!" Always faithful, former US Corpsman Shannon L Pickard HM3 1992-1998

Answer 2

The term "Devil Dog" is a nickname given to the United States Marine Corps by the German soldiers they faced in World War I during the Battle of Belleau Wood. The Marines fought bravely and fiercely, earning the respect of their enemy with their tenacity and courage. The term stuck as a symbol of the Marine Corps' fighting spirit and ferocity.