Ave Maria University

Ava Marie rugby was recently elevated to varsity status and competes in the Florida Collegiate Conference.

What is a Gyrene?

First applied to Marines as a jocular reference by other branches of the service, the Marines quickly adopted “gyrene” as an affectionate, self-descriptive phrase - one that made them stand out from other services. During World Wars I and II the phrase “GI” was applied to all service members as being a “Government Issue.” Then and now, Gyrene was understood to be a special kind of “government issue” - a “government issue Marine,” or “Gyrene.”

While not a commonly used term today, it is remembered with great nostalgia by older Americans who identify the name with that special breed of young men who fought the desperate battles of Belleau Wood and the island campaigns of the Pacific. These men formed the battle history of the United States Marine Corps and fashioned an ethos that inspires the men and women who serve in today’s Marine Corps.