Ace of Spades HQ

June 23, 2012

Belleau Wood, June 1-26, 1918
— Dave in Texas

Inscribed upon the Marine Corps War Memorial outside Arlington National Cemetery are the names of famous battles. One of them is "Belleau Wood", fought in World War I, this month, 94 years ago. They are carved into the base of the monument, along the top and etched with gold. You can walk right up and touch them. A few years ago I pressed my fingers into "Belleau Wood" in the WWI section of the memorial.

With the collapse of the Eastern front as Russia descended further into civil war, additional German forces were brought to the west to crush the Allies before the American forces could fully engage. The British 5th Army had been badly weakened in the north from two costly offensive operations. The German army pressed their advantage southward, against French and American forces, into the Marne. The US Army Second Division, with a brigade of US Marines, were brought up to halt the German advance.

Belleau Wood is where they were stopped in a desperate 26 day fight. US forces suffered over 9000 casualties, including almost 2,000 killed in action. The number of enemy casualties is not known. That single Marine brigade dug in with bayonets in shallow positions, and over the course of this battle repelled multiple German assaults, until the assaults ended, and Marine Major Maurice Shearer, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, reported "Woods now U.S. Marine Corps entirely."

After this victory, General John J. "Blackjack" Pershing is remembered as saying "The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle."

Still is. 94 years later.

Semper Fidelis.

"Iron Mike" at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial at Belleau Wood battlefield

*I know I've been doing this a bit lately on weekends "this day in American Armed Forces" battles. I want to honor the memory of those who have gone before who accomplished these things. I hope our moron readers enjoy it. I guess the deal is, on any given day throughout the history of our great nation, there were those who sacrificed everything for it, and I think it's worth remembering.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 01:14 PM | Comments (139)
Post contains 358 words, total size 2 kb.

1 God bless them one and all.

Posted by: Andy at June 23, 2012 01:20 PM (9yau1)

2 If peopl like you, Dave, didn't do it, we would forget. We must Never Forget.

Posted by: soothsayer at June 23, 2012 01:23 PM (b8TXQ)

3 Thanks Dave, keep up the good work.

Posted by: Mark formerly in Spokane,now in Sandy Ut at June 23, 2012 01:24 PM (SRUCV)

4 Thank you Dave in Texas, I appreciate these posts.

Posted by: museisluse at June 23, 2012 01:26 PM (TLoND)

5 Only once or twice a year can I say this: It is raining sheets here. I like phrases like that.

Posted by: soothsayer at June 23, 2012 01:26 PM (EaivH)

6 on any given day throughout the history of our great nation, there were those who sacrificed everything for it, and I think it's worth remembering.

Indeed, it is.

Posted by: fluffy at June 23, 2012 01:28 PM (z9HTb)

7 I love these posts Dave.

Posted by: mpfs at June 23, 2012 01:29 PM (Fy6L7)

8 IMHO, the Marine Corps statue the greatest monument in the D.C. area. It is huge, impressive and really touches your heart.

My Dad was a former Marine. I believe he, among many other former Marines, helped pay for the monument.

Semper Fi!

Posted by: shibumi at June 23, 2012 01:30 PM (z63Tr)

9 And for the morons we Brits had in our chain of command, who dragged out this most evil and stupid war in European history until the Americans had to step in to bail our arses out - I hope you're enjoying Hell.

Posted by: Boulder Toilet Hobo at June 23, 2012 01:30 PM (QTHTd)

10 "I want to honor the memory of those who have gone before who accomplished these things... I guess the deal is, on any given day throughout the history of our great nation, there were those who sacrificed everything for it, and I think it's worth remembering." I couldn't have written it any better.

Posted by: McLovin' at June 23, 2012 01:32 PM (IO6Fu)

11 Anyway it's looking like we've forgotten enough about 1914-18 that we're set to enjoy it again: http://minx.cc/?blog=86&post=330384#c18911958

Posted by: Boulder Toilet Hobo at June 23, 2012 01:35 PM (QTHTd)

12 I love these posts Dave.

Ditto.

Posted by: NC Ref at June 23, 2012 01:35 PM (/izg2)

13 It's good to point out these battles. For too many people, WWI tends to blur together under the phrase "trench warfare". 1918 was the time when things started to get resolved.

Posted by: rickl at June 23, 2012 01:35 PM (sdi6R)

14 Ugh, ampersands. http://tinyurl.com/6rly9eg, MikeD's post

Posted by: Boulder Toilet Hobo at June 23, 2012 01:36 PM (QTHTd)

15 I thought the deadliest weapon was tony romo with the ball on the 10 yard line..... Oh wait...that's only deadly to cowboy fans' hopes and dreams

Posted by: navycopjoe at June 23, 2012 01:38 PM (dZJqB)

It's a sad day when you have to justify content.

Keep up the good work, DiT.

Posted by: garrett at June 23, 2012 01:38 PM (JtErG)

17 " and I think it's worth remembering." Yes. It is.

Posted by: James at June 23, 2012 01:40 PM (IbRel)

18 Back on topic... These posts really make me want to visit more memorials Ty for keeping them coming

Posted by: navycopjoe at June 23, 2012 01:40 PM (dZJqB)

Dave,

Keep it up. These posts give me chills and are among my favorites. I always feel humbled and thnakful when I read them.

Posted by: AnabolicState at June 23, 2012 01:42 PM (e1pl5)

20 Obama is the worlds deadliest weapon. He laid waste to a whole nation.

Posted by: Purp (@PurpAv) at June 23, 2012 01:42 PM (bvsSB)

21 June 1-26. That's a long time.

Posted by: Kinder, Gentler HeatherRadish™ at June 23, 2012 01:44 PM (/kI1Q)

22 WWI is significant in that there were a number of major new weapon developments that happened during that time. The pace of development on both sides was furious.

Posted by: Purp (@PurpAv) at June 23, 2012 01:44 PM (bvsSB)

23 >> It's a sad day when you have to justify content Nah, I just meant I hope I'm not overdoing it and abusing the attention of all our readers and commenters. That's all.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at June 23, 2012 01:44 PM (pUqSw)

24
DiT,
I'll just be one more to say thanks and please continue.

Posted by: Time Travelling Flaneur at June 23, 2012 01:44 PM (E108D)

25 Omaha Beach--after you go stand at the edge of the cliffs and look down.

Posted by: the nose knows at June 23, 2012 01:45 PM (Dll6b)

26 The USMC: No better friend, no worse enemy. God bless 'em all.

Posted by: GuyfromNH at June 23, 2012 01:46 PM (YOe1f)

27 Driving through small towns in south central Pennsylvania, I'm always struck by the monuments in the town squares for the WW1 soldiers; memorable because of them being sent to Europe for war for the first time. That always reminds me of how otherwise they're forgotten compared to the WW2 troops, in part because history is no longer really taught in our public extended day care centers. That doesn't mean that some of us haven't educated ourselves on it. Nor does it mean that posts like this aren't greatly appreciated.

Posted by: Captain Hate (dagny solidarity) at June 23, 2012 01:46 PM (Yl6PH)

28 speaking of WWI, besides all the goofball jokes and wacky stuff on the series, BLACKADDER ended with what I, and maybe you, perceived as a moment of solemn respect to those who fought in the War That Would End All Wars.

Posted by: soothsayer at June 23, 2012 01:49 PM (DMwFZ)

Brave men gave the last full measure of devotion to hold that bloody patch of land and deny the enemy victory.

We remember because it is worth remembering, and not because war is glorious. But because free men fought there, and to remind us of our solemn yet joyful duty to preserve, protect and defend the freedoms, the Constitution and this Great Republic they paid for.

"... that this nation of the people, by the people and for the people, shall not perish from the Earth."

Posted by: Reader C.J. Burch writes.... at June 23, 2012 01:50 PM (sJTmU)

30 27 Captain Hate I live in one of those little Western PA towns. The money for the WWI memorial we have was raised by a group led by Alex Stewart, who owned a hardware store. His son went to Princeton and fought in WWII. He also took up acting. He even won an Oscar, which is dad proudly displayed in his hardware store. His son's name was James.

Posted by: goddessoftheclassroom at June 23, 2012 01:53 PM (Zc50J)

31 Semper Fidelis Devil Dogs! Teufelshunde!

Posted by: FWYDU at June 23, 2012 01:53 PM (8R9Z+)

32 Save these posts, folks. We're not that far from 100-year anniversaries of these battles. Let's see if the MSM can appropriately celebrate real heroes - or even remember them. It will be great to throw these posts at them.

As opposed to, say, celebrating a couple of jerk-off reporters from 40 years ago (who probably got more ink/pixels than the whole WWI remembrances will.)

Posted by: My Grandfather was there at June 23, 2012 01:56 PM (rz0yi)

33 "Come on, you sons of bitches! Do you want to live forever?"

--Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph Daily, USMC, two-time winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor, at Belleau Wood

Posted by: Llarry at June 23, 2012 01:56 PM (v0ygW)

34 Thanks Dave. I always enjoy you military posts. We.will.not.forget!

Posted by: Infidel at home at June 23, 2012 01:58 PM (YiODH)

35 Dave I read every one of these posts. I learn, and I am humbled by such men as these. I am so grateful that you do it. Thank you.

Posted by: Thunderb at June 23, 2012 01:58 PM (Dnbau)

My middle son, Matt the Marine, is due back from Okinawa about the middle of next month after being away for a year. We're trying to get one of the warrior escorts for him, and he's thinking about a way to surprise his 4 y/o daughter.

As a sergeant he worked on two exercises, one in Thailand and one in Korea, and after both the senior NCOs in charge both, independently, put him in for a Naval Achievement Medal.

Posted by: TANSTAAFL at June 23, 2012 01:58 PM (KVi4X)

37 Thanks for that detail, goddess, and nice reading you again. I don't know if you remember me from when LGF was sane but once you told me about how you have an Episcopal church in your town which is free of the noxious influence of Rowan Williams, so you can enjoy the beautiful liturgy without cringing at the inevitable stretch for dimwit politics.

Posted by: Captain Hate (dagny solidarity) at June 23, 2012 01:58 PM (Yl6PH)

38 FWYDU, the Marines got that nickname in the battles in France.

Posted by: TANSTAAFL at June 23, 2012 01:59 PM (KVi4X)

39 LGF sane? Wow it seems like an eternity ago...

Posted by: Purp (@PurpAv) at June 23, 2012 02:00 PM (bvsSB)

40 Semper Fi. I know a couple Marines. They are in a class by themselves, no doubt about it.

Posted by: cheetah at June 23, 2012 02:01 PM (zXhtZ)

41 Marine Corps Rules:
1. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.
2. Decide to be aggressive enough, quickly enough.
3. Have a plan.
4. Have a back-up plan, because the first one probably won't work.
5. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet even your friendsÂ…
6. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun whose caliber does not start with a "4."
7. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive.
8. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral & diagonal preferred.)
9. Use cover or concealment as much as possible.
10. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.
11. Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.
12. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.
13. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating your intention to shoot.

Posted by: TANSTAAFL at June 23, 2012 02:02 PM (KVi4X)

42 Black jack had a little trouble in the Philippines with some bad guys, he dip one in pigs blood sent him back to enemy stronghold killed the other, end of troubles.

Posted by: Clemenza at June 23, 2012 02:03 PM (qA9lG)

"You cannot exaggerate about the Marines. They are convinced to the point of arrogance that they are the most ferocious fighters on Earth. And the amusing thing about it is that they are."

--Kevin Keaney, US Navy chaplain, Korea 1951

Posted by: TANSTAAFL at June 23, 2012 02:03 PM (KVi4X)

"Some people work an entire lifetime and wonder if they ever made a difference to the world. But the Marines don't have that problem"

-Ronald Reagan

Posted by: TANSTAAFL at June 23, 2012 02:03 PM (KVi4X)

Dave in Texas: ..."I guess the deal is, on any given day throughout the history of our great nation, there were those who sacrificed everything for it, and I think it's worth remembering."

Absolutely.

I love reading these posts....and learn a lot from them.

Heroism and Valor are things worthy of remembrance.

Posted by: wheatie at June 23, 2012 02:04 PM (0T8H7)

46 Nice job, DiT. [gives Benny Hill salute]

Posted by: Count de Monet at June 23, 2012 02:04 PM (BAS5M)

"When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend."
-U.S. Marine Corps

Posted by: TANSTAAFL at June 23, 2012 02:04 PM (KVi4X)

48 <<*I know I've been doing this a bit lately on weekends "this day in American Armed Forces" battles. I want to honor the memory of those who have gone before who accomplished these things. I hope our moron readers enjoy it.>>

I do. Please don't stop these updates.

Posted by: Sgt. York at June 23, 2012 02:08 PM (pqW4Y)

49 Thanks, DiT.

Posted by: Chi-Town Jerry at June 23, 2012 02:10 PM (UTq/I)

50 FWYDU ?

Translation please?

Posted by: DaveA at June 23, 2012 02:12 PM (EyTMo)

51
I've seen lots of film footage from WW I and it seems everybody walked like super fast in those days.

What's up with that?

Posted by: Conky at June 23, 2012 02:14 PM (7+pP9)

52 I was fortunate to have a great-uncle who was a veteran of WWI (and Pershing's Mexican campaign) live long enough to tell me stories. He was *supposed* to be in Belleau Wood, but someone in his machine gun unit narced him out as a telegrapher and German speaker and Signals decided he was more valuable with them than as cannon fodder. But he told me of one of his buddies, Big Jim, who died in Belleau Woods -- saying, "Tell the girls on Broadway Big Jim died game." Big Jim sounded like a proto-Moron, in all the good ways.

From what my great-uncle told me of his subsequent adventures as a courier escort and translator he would have preferred Belleau Wood. (Two words. No. Weapons. So they couldn't start any incidents, see.)

Posted by: Sabrina Chase at June 23, 2012 02:18 PM (wfSF5)

53 Please keep the postings coming. I look forward to them.

Posted by: Gromulin at June 23, 2012 02:19 PM (7Zrx4)

54 Thank You Dave in Texas. I was in a navy battle group with the Belleau Wood (LHA-3 Amphibious Assualt Ship). I never knew the History behind her name. Thank you.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet, Team Dagny at June 23, 2012 02:20 PM (9TTOe)

55 Great post.

Posted by: Fresh at June 23, 2012 02:23 PM (O7ksG)

56 These posts are excellent. Do continue.

Semper Fi, you Devildogs. Semper Fi.....

Posted by: IdowhatIwant at June 23, 2012 02:25 PM (a4CUi)

57

Dave, these are great. Just what a Smart Military Blog needs to have.

I was watching the documentary Chosin just before you posted it a couple weeks back. Spot on.

Keep it up.

Posted by: imp at June 23, 2012 02:27 PM (LrHKJ)

58 "I want to honor the memory of those who have gone before who accomplished these things. I hope our moron readers enjoy it. I guess the deal is, on any given day throughout the history of our great nation, there were those who sacrificed everything for it, and I think it's worth remembering." Thank you Dave in Texas. Definitely worth remembering.

Posted by: macintx at June 23, 2012 02:31 PM (ucs8Y)

59 As an ex-Army Reservist, I say Semper-Fi, but I kinda think that this is the deadliest weapon in the world: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Boy

Posted by: SFGoth at June 23, 2012 02:32 PM (dZ756)

The famous phrase, "Come on you sons of bitches! Do you want to live forever?" came from Belleau Woods. It was uttered by US Marine Gunnery Sergeant Dan Daly, already a recipient of two Medals of Honor, who was trying to motivate his men to advance through a wheat field and into German machine gun nests. The marines were slaughtered, but they did gain the first foothold in Belleau Woods. The key US action that wound up being decisive for the battle occured when one Marine group accidentally advanced in the wrong direction, but they wound up dividing and bewildering the Germans.

Posted by: Cowboy at June 23, 2012 02:32 PM (CqxTO)

It's good stuff, DiT. It's important to remember what happened.

I'm just a civvy but at least I can teach my young nieces history more accurately with the info you guys and gals provide.

Posted by: ErikW at June 23, 2012 02:33 PM (NLXgW)

62 DIT - It's good to actually touch something like that I think. At the age of 14 I touched the Liberty Bell. I mean the actual freakin' Liberty Bell. To this day I feel like that incident is one of the top moments I'll remember in my life. Yeah I know, you guys will have fun with that one. And that's okay. I'll be laughing at the good ones myself.

Posted by: johnny fever at June 23, 2012 02:34 PM (AiZkN)

63 I can't read enough military history. I am lucky to see many veterans every day and they each have amazing stories. Sharing time in any military service creates an instant bond. I am grateful for the warriors.

Posted by: Red in Maine at June 23, 2012 02:35 PM (22dUg)

64 the germans were shaken up after this battle, ive read multiple accounts of it through the years. they pretty much had their way up to this point in the conflict. the marines ended that, afterwards it was all downhill for germany.

Posted by: george lucas's neck-pouch at June 23, 2012 02:35 PM (LzwaA)

65 Oops - sock off

Posted by: teej at June 23, 2012 02:38 PM (ETWo2)

66 Now how do you get two different hashes 3 posts apart. That was me touched the bell. And keep these posts coming. I served but never saw combat. I am in awe of these men and the others like them.

Posted by: teej at June 23, 2012 02:43 PM (ETWo2)

67 For those who have never seen it, the entirety of a 1964 BBC documentary on WWI titled "The Great War," is available on YouTube. Episode 22 is subtitled, "Damn Them, Are They Never Coming In?" a quotation from a British diplomat about the length of time between the United States' declaration of War on Germany and the actual arrival of troops in the field.

I'm posting a link to the third part of Episode 22-- about 9 minutes long. It begins with Pershing's recommendation to send more American troops to France, continues with shots of the troops boarding ships (to the tune of "Over There"; and, surprising from a period before PC, there is a brief shot of African American troops dancing on board ship); and a sequence on Belleau Wood that begins at 3:50 into the clip.

http://tinyurl.com/77lmngu

Enjoy-- the entire documentary takes hours to watch but is well worth it for military history morons and 'ettes.

Posted by: Basement Cat at June 23, 2012 02:46 PM (IPhme)

68 51 I've seen lots of film footage from WW I and it seems everybody walked like super fast in those days. What's up with that? Here's a site with original color photos from WWI. http://www.worldwaronecolorphotos.com/

Posted by: rickl at June 23, 2012 02:48 PM (sdi6R)

69
I don't mean to take anything away from the Marines, after all they pay the checks their mouths write. But here are some interesting facts:

Belleau Wood also showed the Marine Corps flare for publicity. While the fighting was still going on, the Marines routinely circumvented the American Expeditionary Force's publicity offices to have their story told, while those of Army units engaged were ignored. Following the Battle of Belleau Wood, Marines began being referred to as "Devil Dogs." While many believed that this term was coined by the Germans, its actual origins are unclear. It is known that the Germans highly respected the Marines fighting ability and classified them as elite "storm troopers."[i/]

The Marines have the best PR department in the world. But as the saying goes, "if you can do it it's not bragging."

Posted by: Army Brat at June 23, 2012 02:50 PM (7+pP9)

70 Obama is a stuttering clusterf*ck of a miserable failure.

Posted by: steevy at June 23, 2012 02:51 PM (Ts9tU)

Posted by: Army Brat at June 23, 2012 02:57 PM (7+pP9)

72
The last part shouldn't have been italicized:

The Marines have the best PR department in the world. But as the saying goes, "if you can do it it's not bragging."

Posted by: Army Brat at June 23, 2012 02:59 PM (7+pP9)

73 I prefer the Army. Marines are too into the ole' "hey diddle diddle, right up the middle" type tactics and it's cost a lot of Marine lives because they don't/won't prep the battlefield with arty or air before they commit boots.

Posted by: Soona at June 23, 2012 03:00 PM (GFo8N)

FWIW, many moons ago, I visited D.C. with a couple buddies, one of whom had an uncle that lived in a tall apartment building near a metro station and across the river from Arlington.

It was a four day weekend and we had a great time. We were fucking around and enjoying the experience.

One day we were just walking around the Mall and all of a sudden we were looking down into the Wall. We went around to check it out and that experience changed me.

I'll never forget the flowers and teddy bears and letters that lay along the foot of that wall.

Posted by: ErikW at June 23, 2012 03:03 PM (NLXgW)

75 Soona at June 23, 2012 07:00 PM (GFo8N) Wha?

Posted by: IdowhatIwant at June 23, 2012 03:04 PM (a4CUi)

76 I love these, Dave. They bring tears to my eyes and make my heart hurt with pride. Keep 'em coming.

Posted by: Gem at June 23, 2012 03:05 PM (zw+pb)

77 Wha?

Posted by: IdowhatIwant at June 23, 2012 07:04 PM (a4CUi)

----------------------------------------------

Marine commanders have a habit of commiting troops without air or artillary support, anyway that was the way it was in Vietnam many times. The Army, with a few exceptions, of course, always have, at least, some indirect firepower to prepare the battlefield before the troops go in.

The only exceptions to battlefield prep is recon by fire. But even then, after contact is made, the Army would rather have artillary or air do a big chunk of the work.

Posted by: Soona at June 23, 2012 03:13 PM (GFo8N)

Haven't read the comments, but I suspect the theme will be similar.

For what it's worth, my mostly lurking self truly appreciates these posts. I've been making an effort lately to expand my Canadian, American, and general Western military knowledge from the people who know and care. You're definitely one of them.

So thanks. Much appreciated.

Posted by: Lurking Canuck at June 23, 2012 03:27 PM (V4JUZ)

79 Yes. It's worth remembering.

Posted by: koblog at June 23, 2012 03:31 PM (YBvQO)

80 Don't stop doing it DiT. It is very much appreciated.

Posted by: Bosk at June 23, 2012 03:33 PM (RRoh3)

81 These are the best posts! Great history, and a great chance to learn of it.

Posted by: MTF at June 23, 2012 03:36 PM (JOnLy)

82 That's bullshit Soona. No offense.

Posted by: Lopan at June 23, 2012 03:36 PM (qLbdy)

83 Keep them coming Dave. Not only are your words enlightening, but the comments can be even more so. Hat Tip to the Goddess for the small town history lesson on Jimmy Stewart and his father. That was a very nice little read.

Posted by: Budahmon at June 23, 2012 03:36 PM (vDh+T)

84
By these remembrances they are made immortal. They deserve no less.

Posted by: irongrampa at June 23, 2012 03:40 PM (SAMxH)

85 There are way too many unknown and forgotten men, and women, who have given their lives in the name of freedom.

For me, every day is Veteran's day, and yet there aren't enough to do them honor. Whether the battle lasted 5 minutes or 5 days, they all deserve our thanks.

Posted by: Feynmangroupie at June 23, 2012 03:42 PM (oI744)

86 Thank Dave and thanks to all who are or have served.

Posted by: PaleRider at June 23, 2012 03:44 PM (FYUWS)

87 Soona at June 23, 2012 07:13 PM (GFo8N) Uh, no. It's not a good habit to be talking about things that are painfully obviously not your area of expertise, training, or experience. The phrase "battlefield preparation" is about 50 years out of date and applied to set-piece order of battle, which hasn't been applied doctrine in any of our ground force tactics since Grenada. Secondly, ever heard of Naval gunfire, or Marine Corps close air support? AH-1W? And lastly, contested, forced entry at company scale or larger hasn't happened since 1974 by any American forces. Prior to that, the Marine Corps essentially invented modern close air support tactics and Naval gunfire has been de rigueur Marine Corps forced entry technique since Tripoli. I have no agenda here beyond pointing out bullshit. As a retired paratrooper, I find your comments deeply offensive.

Posted by: IdowhatIwant at June 23, 2012 03:48 PM (a4CUi)

88 lighten up Francis. We're sharing stories and info, not bitch slapping people who don't have the same experiences.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at June 23, 2012 03:57 PM (pUqSw)

Posted by: IdowhatIwant at June 23, 2012 07:48 PM (a4CUi)

The battlefield philosophies that I'm familier with are the ones I was taught 40 years ago. If they've changed, then I'm glad.

Posted by: Soona at June 23, 2012 03:59 PM (6EV7w)

90 Plus, I'm just Army through and through.

Posted by: Soona at June 23, 2012 04:00 PM (6EV7w)

Thanks DiT, and keep em' coming. Always a good read.

Posted by: pitchforksandpowder at June 23, 2012 04:01 PM (XKRVz)

92 I have a flask of water from a spring in the Bois de Belleau. Along with a vial of volcanic sand from the landing beach on Iwo Jima, it's one of my most prized possessions.

Posted by: That SOB Van Owen at June 23, 2012 04:03 PM (uRNRf)

93 Army, Marines, Air Force, Navy, I don't give a shit. They are all hero's in my eye.

Posted by: Bosk at June 23, 2012 04:04 PM (RRoh3)

Hey! Just noticed my awesome new Luap Nor approved hash!

Victory 4 Joooooooos!!!!!!

Hopefully next time I get AgDMZ!!!!!!

Posted by: Lurking Canuck at June 23, 2012 04:04 PM (V4JUZ)

95 Heh..My hash at home is rut roh :-)

Posted by: Bosk at June 23, 2012 04:05 PM (RRoh3)

96 Thanks, DiT. I love your military posts.

Posted by: osoloco at June 23, 2012 04:05 PM (4DKt+)

97 Heh..My hash at home is rut roh :-)

Hey that's MY line!

Posted by: Scooby Doo at June 23, 2012 04:12 PM (/izg2)

98 Here's another TY for these posts, DiT.

Tomorrow I have the pleasure of going to a cook-out to celebrate the 93rd birthday of a man who arrived in Europe on D+4. He still lives on his own (since his wife passed away a few years ago), drives himself where ever he wants to go, and like so many of those guys, won't say much about how he spent 1944 - 45 except things like, "Oh, I was in Belgium."

Posted by: Retread at June 23, 2012 04:13 PM (I2fq9)

99 Remember...Every Marine is a Rifleman. I served two tours with them as a Hospital Corpsman... lived, worked and trained like one of them...earned their respect... and would do it again.

DiT - Keep it coming... we should never forget the sacrifices of those that acame before us....

Posted by: Mjölnir the banhammer at June 23, 2012 04:15 PM (Jls4P)

100 This seems appropriate for this post. Just saw this on Twitter: Oh, just so you folks know. Getting an an email from your son who's deployed is alot like Christmas, only way fucking better.

Posted by: Retread at June 23, 2012 04:17 PM (I2fq9)

101 Thanks Dave.....this old AIRMAN and ARMY dad has nothing but respect for the MARINES!

Posted by: Rick554 at June 23, 2012 04:18 PM (jhZ7a)

102 62 ...At the age of 14 I touched the Liberty Bell. I mean the actual freakin' Liberty Bell...Posted by: johnny fever at June 23, 2012 06:34 PM (AiZkN) Touched it? I pissed on it!!11!!

Posted by: Choom Gang Barky at June 23, 2012 04:36 PM (2bVrr)

103 I appreciate very much the weekend memorials. When we forget how much was sacrificed, when we cease to remember those who gave all, when we take our freedom for granted, we are no better than an Occutard crappung on a police car.

Posted by: Oil Field Trash at June 23, 2012 04:42 PM (oZ6Js)

104 Dave, I'll put it very simply: Don't stop.

Posted by: Miller at June 23, 2012 04:43 PM (XFrJQ)

105 That was my Liberty Bell post in case you didn't catch the sock off. And wouldn't I love to catch him literally tryin' to. I can't wait till that lying, racist, elitest, corrupt, freedom hating, dictator wannabe is Out. Of. Office!

Posted by: teej at June 23, 2012 04:43 PM (AiZkN)

106 98 Good on you. My Grandpa who earned a Bronze Star (although I can't find out why) never talked about those days either. I wish I knew. I miss him so.

Posted by: Infidel at home at June 23, 2012 04:43 PM (YiODH)

107
99 Remember...Every Marine is a Rifleman. I served two tours with them as a Hospital Corpsman... lived, worked and trained like one of them...earned their respect... and would do it again.[i/]

Didn't you mean to say corpseman?

Posted by: Barak the Magnificence at June 23, 2012 04:54 PM (7+pP9)

108
Oops!

Too little sleep, too much Woodfords.

Posted by: Ed the Angry at June 23, 2012 04:56 PM (7+pP9)

109 "You ever notice how every once in a while you run into someone you just shouldn't fuck wit? I'm that guy."
-Gran Torino

In the realm of armed forces, the Marines are "that guy".

Re- The Pershing quote;
One could spend an interesting time looking up the laudatory quotes from army generals regarding Marines.

Posted by: typo dynamo at June 23, 2012 05:02 PM (FU9ql)

110 Hey Dave in TX: Please keep it up. I truly appreciate it. Those who fought in the Great War are all gone. Those who fought and survived Pearl Harbor, Bataan, Anzio, Normandy, Hurtgen Forest, Peleliu, Saipan, Kiska, Schweinfurt & Ploesti, the Black Gap and Ironbottom Sound are dwindling day by day. And the legacy of those who suffered and won in Korea, Vietnam and in the Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan must be honored and appreciated. G-d bless everyone who serves and served.

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at June 23, 2012 05:02 PM (MCDCp)

111 Well said J.J.

Posted by: Ed the Angry at June 23, 2012 05:09 PM (7+pP9)

112 111 Well said J.J. Posted by: Ed the Angry at June 23, 2012 09:09 PM (7+pP9) I had an uncle, or would have had an uncle had he not been killed on Saipan 7/1/44. Never met him and yet somehow think about him almost every day of my life. All those guys mean the world to me.

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at June 23, 2012 05:16 PM (MCDCp)

113 The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps

Posted by: Eleanor Roosevelt at June 23, 2012 05:19 PM (1GlXg)

114 And if you're looking for a good account (fiction, but grounded firmly in fact) about the Marines in France during WWI, pick up "To The Last Man" by Jeff Shaara.

Posted by: That SOB Van Owen at June 23, 2012 05:44 PM (uRNRf)

115 My Uncle Jack is one of them. He won't talk about Tarawa or Okinawa, but he was there. We (the next generation) wouldn't know anything about it, if my Uncle Jerry hadn't spilled the beans. They might not have been the greatest generation ever- for me, the American Civil War generation probably rates higher (look at the casualties versus the population at the time), but the WWII generation were pretty impressive. In my family, Jack's the last of the WWII vets, and not going to be with us for long. I'm glad the transplanted Boston Irish kid got to see his beloved Sox win it all.

Semper Fi, Uncle Jack. It's men like you who make me proud that I was a Marine. Somehow, they get ordinary men to do extraordinary things.

Posted by: MarkD at June 23, 2012 05:54 PM (iYBP2)

116 I love these posts. Keep them coming!

Posted by: Tim Down South at June 23, 2012 06:20 PM (sUzgs)

117 Hoo-fuckin'-rah

Posted by: Professor Blather at June 23, 2012 08:41 PM (uFLrJ)

118 WW1, the hell on earth that shaped the worst parts of the modern age. I've always detested "jokes" about French soldiers' so-called cowardice, a bit of reading about WW1 should disabuse anyone of that notion. There are the skeletons of 130,000 unknown in the ossuary on the Verdun battlefield. On on of the WW1 photo sites is a photo of a heavily bearded, beat-up poilu, French G.I, with a thousand yard stare, in a trench with a death grip on his rifle. Alongside him is one of his buddies, at least the top half of him, with a rifle on the ground beside him. These guys fought for the same ideals we did, and jokes about dropped rifles ain't too funny considering the almost superhuman valor shown in places like Verdun. The mass slaughter France was subjected to in that war deeply affected their nation.

Posted by: JHW at June 23, 2012 08:46 PM (Em/DQ)

119 I hate the East coast like the Romans hated Jesus. But stories like this make me want to sack up and go for a visit. Reading about these memorials is touching, touching one must be tearful.

Posted by: BallofHate at June 23, 2012 09:16 PM (kEOQs)

120 I love the Marines as much as any man alive.

But an Aegis cruiser is pretty damned deadly. And if it wasn't, I never would have had anything to do with it.

Posted by: MattP at June 23, 2012 09:20 PM (zriP8)

121 I served on the Belleau Wood, by the way. Back when she had guns on the pointy end.

Posted by: MattP at June 23, 2012 09:25 PM (zriP8)

122 I wasn't ship's company. I was TAD.

I still think it counts. I have a coffee cup to prove it.

Posted by: MattP at June 23, 2012 09:53 PM (zriP8)

123 I am proud to have served as soldier in the US Army, but now and then, deep down, I regret not becoming a Marine. Sonsabitches are a cut above, that's for gawdam sure. My dad was a Marine, as was my brother. Semper Gumby.

Posted by: Pug Mahon at June 24, 2012 12:17 AM (cujSl)

124 My dad was a Coastie. I grew up listening how they worked every day.

Yadda yadda yadda.

They've got a point. If you've ever experienced a storm at sea, you'll feel it. And they live for that.

My great uncle was a Marine, though. I've got his discharge certificate from WWI sitting above my TV.

Posted by: MattP at June 24, 2012 01:37 AM (zriP8)

125 Pug, you should be proud. As a professional Sailor I'm happy to admit no country I've visited has a finer Army.

Posted by: MattP at June 24, 2012 01:50 AM (zriP8)

126 Thank you for these posts! They are important as they keep these Marines, soldiers, and sailors sacrifices alive for all time

Posted by: Agnes B. Bullock at June 24, 2012 03:19 AM (vTiKz)

127 i get a bit tired of reading about how "oh from the german side this wasnt anything important." i see alot of this in current military histories concerning our involvement. its all horse shit as far as im concerned, and frankly, a bit disturbing.

the germans surely wanted to bloody us into near oblivion and advance to paris unhindered, yet this battle was supposedly "unimportant". the french renamed the friggin place in the marines honor, yet somehow its STILL not anything to worry about from the german point of view.

the german offensives of 1918 were onslaughts in every sense of the word, they were winning decisively anywhere they went, until we plugged up the line and took care of the business at hand....and kept doing so. the "oh shit" mentality of the german generals in their diaries and records attest to this also. but according to most brit/french 'historians'-- "nothing to see here, move along".

it cheapens history and the lessons that should be learned.

Posted by: george lucas's neck-pouch at June 24, 2012 04:28 AM (LzwaA)

128 General John J. "Blackjack" Pershing is remembered as saying "The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." ------- Fuckin' A, Bubba.

Posted by: 98ZJUSMC at June 24, 2012 06:33 AM (B2qCW)

129 123 I am proud to have served as soldier in the US Army, but now and then, deep down, I regret not becoming a Marine. Sonsabitches are a cut above, that's for gawdam sure. My dad was a Marine, as was my brother. Semper Gumby. Posted by: Pug Mahon at June 24, 2012 04:17 AM (cujSl) -------- Don't sweat it, Pug. Serving honorably is all that matters. It is true, however,......chicks dig the dress blues. ...and Navy G-2 Leather Flight Jackets, when you can get away with wearing them unauthorized. :-) BTW, you're screen nick is from "They Were Expendable"?

Posted by: 98ZJUSMC at June 24, 2012 06:39 AM (DYg8k)

130

One more thanks from the crowd, DiT. Keep 'em coming.

For the rest of you morons who haven't already done so, E.B. Sledge's autobiography, "With The Old Breed," about Peleliu and Okinawa, is mandatory if you want to have any understanding of what WWII in the Pacific was really like. To say those guys were incredibly tough is to be guilty of very serious understatement.

One of them, a Marine sergeant named Elmo Haney, was renowned among the division for scrubbing his pudding-dipping equipment with a standard issue GI brush while showering. Hard as nails, he was. However, after Peleliu even he said he had had enough and was ready to go back to the States. WWI was bad. WWII wasn't one damned bit easier and I wouldn't say Chosin Reservoir was either.

If there's a scrap in a tough neighborhood and U.S. interests are involved, you can bet the Marines will be there and that they'll be the most hard-nosed guys at the party. Semper fi, indeed!

Posted by: mac at June 24, 2012 07:12 AM (tCG92)

131

I enjoyed that piece as I have enjoyed the fruits of our military and law enforcement to keep us safe from those who would harm us.

I just don't quite know how to look at this though: "I hope our moron readers enjoy it." Now that I have enjoyed it, does that make me a moron?

Posted by: glenn b at June 24, 2012 07:27 AM (xUtM+)

132 "Moron" is a term of endearment around here, we call ourselves "Ace of Spades morons"

Posted by: Dave in Texas at June 24, 2012 08:34 AM (pUqSw)

133 I have on occasion been privileged to command a detachment of Marines.

That was right up there with learning how to use the AWG-9 radar. And the Phoenix missile that goes with it. Obviously very different applications and it would be sort of futile to try to argue what is the best weapon in general when some weapons are better for different jobs. For the right job, Blackjack knew his, uhh, excrement.

A suggestion: in October you Aces ought to make a mention of the Battle of Leyte Gulf (considering you're making mention of Belleau Wood). The Japanese showed up with a bunch of battleships and cruisers, and the USN watching the Army's back as it was invading with a few destroyers and destroyer escorts figured that was fair odds. So they made a fight of it and won.

How nobody ended up making a movie of that I'll never know. Maybe Hollywood only makes movies about fights we lose.

Posted by: MattP at June 24, 2012 09:15 AM (zriP8)

134 Those Marines were the "Dogs from Hell". They bit into the Germans, and did not let go.

Posted by: Mike Cleary at June 24, 2012 09:31 AM (21saz)

135 Keep up the good work--next month remember a bunch of morons from Maine on a rocky little hill in Pennsylvania who somehow got it in their thick skulls that they could fix bayonets and face down Lee's army. You're doing good work, and I really enjoy reading these threads.....

Posted by: ipw533 at June 24, 2012 12:25 PM (7Sy5j)

136 Good suggestions, ipw533 and MattP. I'm on it.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at June 24, 2012 12:52 PM (pUqSw)

137

Thank you for this, Dave. Please continue. It is so appreciated.

It's not only worth remembering, we have a duty to do so.

Posted by: slintx at June 24, 2012 07:43 PM (Kotb7)

138 129 "It is true, however,......chicks dig the dress blues. " My bride loves Marines (from afar). Funny thing is she served in the Army as well.

Posted by: Pug Mahon at June 24, 2012 09:21 PM (cujSl)

139 Navy/Marine Corps is the go-to remedy. And the reason there were no Marines in Europe in WW2? General Marshall hated the Marines.

Posted by: EROWMER at June 25, 2012 03:33 PM (sIm3i)

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