Presley Neville O'Bannon is associated with which ceremonial weapon still carried by Marine officers today?

• A. Mameluke sword
• B. Cutlass
• C. Saber
• D. Katana

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is the ceremonial weapon tradition of Marine officers and how it traces back to Presley O’Bannon. After the Battle of Derna in the First Barbary War, O’Bannon, a Marine lieutenant, received a Mameluke sword as a gift from the ruler of Tripoli in gratitude for the Marines’ actions. That sword, derived from the Mamluk weapons of the eastern Mediterranean, was adopted by the Marine Corps as the official officer’s dress sword. It remains in use today as a symbol of leadership and tradition carried by Marine officers on formal occasions. The other options don’t fit this Marine-specific ceremonial lineage: a cutlass is more associated with naval sailors, a generic saber isn’t tied to this history, and a katana is a Japanese blade.