Partnerships

"Among those who served on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue."

- Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.

U.S. Marines hit the black sand beaches of Iwo Jima, beginning one of the most famous battles in the history of the Marine Corps. From Feb. 19 to March 26, 1945, U.S. Marines from the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions battled to wrest control of the island from the Imperial Army of Japan. In thirty-six days of fighting on the island, nearly 7,000 U.S. Marines were killed. Another 20,000 were wounded. Marines captured 216 Japanese soldiers; the rest were killed in action. The island was finally declared secured on March 26, 1945.

"Come on, you sons-o'-bitches, do you want to live forever?"

- Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph "Dan" Daly

The Battle of Belleau Wood was no normal battle. It was a visceral fight that legends were born and forged. The very fight that gave us our beloved name Teufel Hunden or Devil Dog! This name was not “given” to us. We “earned” it through blood and sweat! The Devil Dogs continued to dominate the battlefield and earn the respect of their European counterparts. At 1700 hours on June 6, 1918, the 4th Marine Brigade — comprising the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments and the 6th Machine Gun Battalion — attacked into the densely wooded former hunting preserve near the French village of Belleau to push back elements of the German 237th Division.

"If there's anything close to Hell, it had to be Hue"

- Sgt. Bob Thoms

The Battle of Hue, also called the siege of Hue. On Jan. 30, 1968, Hue became the site of one of the longest, bloodiest battles the Americans would fight against the North Vietnamese Army, or NVA, and its Viet Cong guerrillas living in South Vietnam. As part of a much larger and costly offensive, it became a turning point as public opinion in the United States began to turn against the war. For an entire month, U.S. Marines and soldiers, along with ARVN troops, waged battles throughout the city, often going house to house to remove Hue from North Vietnamese control. It was the first time Marines had engaged in urban combat since the Korean War. They knew the temperature was at least -25 degrees because that is where the thermomotors broke.

"Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet."

- Gen "Mad Dog" James Mattis

Few names conjure up as many images of blood, sacrifice, and valor as does this ancient city in Al Anbar province forty miles west of Baghdad. This sprawling concrete jungle was the scene of two major U.S. combat operations in 2004. The first was Operation Vigilant Resolve, an aborted effort that April by U.S. Marines intent on punishing the city's insurgents. The second, Operation Phantom Fury, was launched seven months later.

“We're surrounded. That simplifies our problem of getting to these people and killing them."

- Colonel Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller

The Battle of Chosin Reservoir, Korea: November 26 to December 13, 1950, would lead to 13 Medals of Honor being awarded to US servicemen - 10 Marines, 2 Army, and 1 Navy*. The battle is still commemorated today as one of the signature battles for the United States Marine Corps, and those who fought in the battle became known as the “Chosin Few”. The Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, a defining moment for the Corps, was a miserable 17-day fight for the Marines, who were surrounded when the Chinese entered the Korean War on in late November 1950. They knew the temperature was at least -25 degrees because that is where the thermometers broke.