To the Shores of Tripoli

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When I attended United States (U.S.) Marine Corps Recruit Training in San Diego, California (1996), recruits were required to learn The Marines’ Hymn. For context, the first stanza states:

From the Halls of Montezuma

To the shores of Tripoli;

We fight our country’s battles

In the air, on land, and sea;

First to fight for right and freedom

And to keep our honor clean;

We are proud to claim the title

Of United States Marine.

To proceed with this blogpost in a coherent manner, definitional distinctions are necessary. In the stanza, “right” is defined as being in accordance with what is just, good, or proper. Also, “freedom” is defined as the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action.

As well, “honor” is defined as good name or public esteem. Additionally, “clean” is defined as free from moral corruption or sinister connections of any kind. These distinct descriptions are the characteristics upon which U.S. Marine Corps pride is founded.

Regarding the reference “to the shores of Tripoli,” some historical context is needed. According to one source:

The Barbary States were a collection of North African states, many of which practiced state-supported piracy in order to exact tribute from weaker Atlantic powers. Morocco was an independent kingdom, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli owed a loose allegiance to the Ottoman Empire.

The United States fought two separate wars with Tripoli (1801–1805) and Algiers (1815–1816), although at other times it preferred to pay tribute to obtain the release of captives held in the Barbary States.

Colloquially, “piracy” is defined as an act of robbery on the high seas. It’s federally addressed as, “Whoever, on the high seas, commits the crime of piracy as defined by the law of nations, and is afterwards brought into or found in the United States, shall be imprisoned for life.”

From boot camp, I recall learning about the U.S. Marine Corps history combating pirates in the relatively early stages of the military service branch’s founding (1775). Regarding this matter, one source specifically states:

In 1805 Marines stormed the Barbary pirates’ harbor fortress stronghold of Derna (Tripoli), commemorated in the Marine Corp Hymn invocation “To the Shores of Tripoli.” The US Navy troops were recalled before they could secure their gains, but returned after the War of 1812.

Their success then won worldwide admiration for the Americans and their Navy. They marked the way for the European nations to finally quash the Barbary States and end the piracy. This event marks the true birth of the US Navy and Marines and is ever remembered in the Marines’ battle hymn.

Admittedly, I was indoctrinated in boot camp to accept that it was “right” and in the interest of “freedom” to keep “clean” the “honor” of the Marines by the military branch having fought “piracy” all the way “to the shores of Tripoli.” Thus, if piracy was bad, then fighting it was good.

This lesson became my belief (a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing; something that is accepted, considered to be true, or held as an opinion). Moreover, I considered the belief to be rational (in accordance with both logic and reason).

Here, “logic” is the interrelation or sequence of facts or events when seen as inevitable or predictable, and “reason” is a statement offered in explanation or justification. For instance, a modus ponens syllogism uses the following logical form: If p, then q; p; therefore, q.

As an example, if piracy is bad (p), then fighting piracy is good (q). Piracy is bad (p). Therefore, fighting piracy is good (q). This proposition adheres to logical form. As well, depending on one’s values, the logic follows to a reasonable conclusion. Subjectively, it’s a rational belief.

One who may argue with the rationality of this belief is an individual who advocates piracy. It isn’t difficult to imagine such an entity, as a recent example became readily available. According to one source:

U.S. forces on Wednesday [12/10/2025] seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said.

“We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela — a large tanker, very large, the largest one ever seized actually,” Trump said during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room at the White House.

The president declined to provide information on who owned the tanker or its destination, but said it was “seized for a very good reason.”

One wonders what “very good reason [i.e., justification]” the Trump administration has for ostensibly engaging in piracy. Has the act of robbery on the high seas somehow become a moral good within the world? According to a separate source:

Venezuela on Wednesday [12/10/2025] condemned the U.S. seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker off its coast, calling it an “act of international piracy.”

“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela strongly denounces and repudiates what constitutes blatant theft and an act of international piracy, publicly announced by the president of the United States, who confessed to the assault of an oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea,” the government said in an official communiqué.

Regarding the apparent act of piracy, one source states that it “involved two helicopters, 10 Coast Guard members and 10 Marines, as well as special forces.” My, how the tables have turned! In 250 since its inception, the Marine Corps has likely managed to become pirates.

With all this talk of military personnel reportedly obeying unlawful orders, one wonders what will become of my brothers- and sisters-in-arms who had anything to do with purported piracy of an oil tanker. From “the shores of Tripoli” to the coast of Venezuela? Is piracy now our legacy?

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

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