Leatherneck magazine

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Leatherneck magazine is a magazine for members of the United States Marine Corps. Its name derives from the slang leatherneck for a U.S. Marine, referring to the leather-lined collar or stock of the original Marine uniform.

The magazine was founded in 1917 at the Marine base in Quantico, Virginia by enlisted men, as a newspaper for news of interest for other Marines, and first published on November 17, 1917 as The Quantico Leatherneck. The newspaper was supported by the base commander and became The Leatherneck in 1918. Major General John A. Lejeune established it as an official publication of the Marine Corps Institute, based in Washington, D.C.. It became a magazine in 1925, and achieved a circulation of around 15,000.

It expanded greatly during World War II, when many journalists joined its staff as war correspondents, and circulation reached around 225,000. An independent Leatherneck Association took charge of the magazine from 1943, answerable to the Commandant. Its circulation decreased after the war, but it continued to be produced by active-duty Marines until 1972, when it moved back to Quantico. The Leatherneck Association merged with the Marine Corps Association in 1976, which continues to publish it alongside the Marine Corps Gazette.