Which Marine General developed the Marine Corps birthday celebration?

• A. General Berger
• B. General John A. Lejeune
• C. The Honorable Donald Trump
• D. John Phillip Sousa

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is who established the formal Marine Corps birthday celebration. John A. Lejeune, when he was the Commandant of the Marine Corps, formalized and institutionalized the birthday observance in the early 1920s, turning November 10 into the annual Marine Corps birthday with ceremonies that continue today. This makes him the figure most closely associated with creating and organizing the tradition.

The other options don’t fit because they did not establish the birthday observance: a later Commandant who followed Lejeune, a non-Marine General-President, and John Phillip Sousa—while famous as the composer of the Marine Corps Hymn—was not responsible for creating the birthday celebration.