The Military Order of the Devil Dogs (M.O.D.D.) is the Fun and Honor Society of the Marine Corps League. Organized in 1939 in Boston, MA and chartered on March 19, 1940, the Order has grown to a membership of over 6,000 across nearly every state where the Marine Corps League has a presence.
The Order is comprised exclusively of regular members of the Marine Corps League in good standing — people who have been recommended and sponsored by two existing members of the Order. While the M.O.D.D. is known for promoting good fellowship and camaraderie, its deeper mission is charitable service, with a strong emphasis on donations to children's hospitals.
The name traces back to the Battle of Belleau Wood on June 6, 1918, where Marines of the 5th and 6th Regiments fought the German Army with such ferocity that their adversaries reportedly called them "Teufel Hunden" — German for "Dogs of the Devil." The legend holds that these Marines, undersupplied and outnumbered, engaged the enemy in brutal hand-to-hand combat.
These veterans returned home as the founding core of what would become the Marine Corps League in 1923. Years later, their spirit gave name to the Order. The term Devil Dog remains one of the most storied and revered nicknames in Marine Corps culture to this day.
The national M.O.D.D. organization maintains its own website with resources, publications, conference information, and contact details for all state Packs.
