The US Marine Corps: Formed directly in order to combat one of the most harrowing terrorist threats during the late 1700s: The murderous raids all over coastal Europe and Scandinavia by Ottoman funded and equipped North Africa Barbary pirates who had sown terror since the early 1600s.
Mission status: Barbary pirates neutralized COMPLETELY. 90% of their docked dhows set ablaze by hot shot or blasted to kindling with explosive rounds. Over 4000 pirates and resistors killed or taken prisoner. The Barbary pirate chief who surrendered to Commodore Stephen Decatur also handed over his Turkish khirij pattern cavalry sword upon his surrender, the style of the sword which became the template for the Marine Corps dress sword called the Mameluke, still issued today as part of the USMC dress uniform.
