Semper Gumby

Semper Gumby is an unofficial

Semper Paratus ("Always Ready"). Semper Gumby refers to the animated clay character Gumby.^[1]

The real Latin phrase meaning "Always Flexible" would be Semper Flexibilis.^[3]

The first use of Semper Gumby is often assigned to Captain Jay Farmer of HMM-264 in 1984. He actually flew with a Gumby character toy mounted on the standby compass on the instrument panel of his

CH-46E

nicknamed "Airwolf". However, the term was in use in 1977/78 in 1st Battalion, 5th Marines at Camp Pendleton.

Another popular belief is that the term was first referenced by the

MCAGCC 29 Palms, Ca. on August 15, 1990. "'Marines,' my platoon commander in Nam used to tell us, 'Semper Gumby, Always Flexible.'" The 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines

has "always flexible" as part of their official motto. Semper Gumby is also a common phrase used in the field of emergency management.

References

^ ^a ^b "'Embrace the Suck' and More Military Speak". NPR. 2007-03-08. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
^ "FEMA is Semper Gumby". GovTech. 2011-03-18. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
^ Pike, Travis (2021-10-09). "Semper Fi and Beyond - Decoding Our Favorite Latin Mottos". SOFREP. Retrieved 2023-01-03.

External links

Semper Gumby at archive.today (archived 2012-12-13)
"FEMA is Semper Gumby". 2020-06-11. Archived from the original on 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2020-06-12.

[:0-1] "'Embrace the Suck' and More Military Speak". NPR. 2007-03-08. Retrieved 2015-08-12.

[2] "FEMA is Semper Gumby". GovTech. 2011-03-18. Retrieved 2023-01-03.

[3] Pike, Travis (2021-10-09). "Semper Fi and Beyond - Decoding Our Favorite Latin Mottos". SOFREP. Retrieved 2023-01-03.

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