The
Marine Hymn is the official
hymn of the
United States Marine Corps. It is also the oldest official song in the
U.S. Armed Forces. It has an obscure origin. The words are dated from the
19th century, but no one knows the author. The music is from the opera, "
Genevieve de Brabant[?]" by
Jacques Offenbach. That opera opened in
Paris in
1859. The Marine Corps secured a
copyright on the song on 19 August
1919. It is often mistakenly referred to as "The Marine Corps' Hymn".