| History of Marine Corps 1 January 1804: The tradition of the Marine Band serenading the Commandant was established. 1 January 1944: Lieutenant General (later General) Alexander Vandegrift made Commandant of Marine Corps. 2 January 1777: Marines participated in the 2nd Battle of Trenton. 2 January 1944: U.S. Army made surprise landing at Saidor, began drive up New Guinea coast. 2 January 1960: Marine Corps Air Facility, Futenma, Okinawa was commissioned under Colonel L. S. Reeve. 3 January 1777: Battle of Princeton. 3 January 1945: VMF-124 and VMF-213 from the USS Essex struck Formosa and the Ryukyu Islands in the first Marine land strike off a carrier. 4 January 1861: 40 Marines left Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. to garrison Ft. Washington. 4 January 1928: Marines participated in the Battle of Quilali during the occupation of Nicaragua. 4 January 1991: Marines evacuated 260 U.S. and foreign citizens from the American Embassy, Mogadishu, Somalia, during Operation Eastern Exit. 5 January 1904: A Marine detachment landed to protect Legation at Seoul, Korea. 5 January 1944: The 5th and 7th Marine Regiments overran the 53rd Japanese infantry, New Britain. 5 January 1944: 1st and 2nd Raider Regiments disbanded. 6 January 1859: BGen Archibald Henderson died in office after serving 39 years as the 5th Commandant of the Marine Corps. 6 January 1967: Operation Song Than/Deckhouse V began on MeKong Delta - RVN. 7 January 1961: MAG-12 moved from Iwa Kuni to Philippines. 7 January 1969: The Medal of Honor was posthumously awarded to 1stMarDiv Chaplain, Lt. V.R. Capodanno, U.S. Navy, who was killed in action in Quang Tin Province, Vietnam on 4 Sept. 1967. 8 January 1815: Marines, with Andrew Jackson's help, repulsed British forces at New Orleans. 9 January 1847: Marines participated in the Battle of La Mesa (California) during the Mexican War. 9 January 1945: Luzon in Northern Philippines invaded. 9 January 1958: 1st Bn 8th Marines left Camp Lejeune for Med Cruise. 10 January 1861: Captain Josiah Watson and 38 Marines surrendered with Navy Yard, Pensacola during the Civil War. 10 January 1927: 2nd Bn 5th Marines landed in Nicaragua. 11 January 1799: 2nd Lt. T. Wharton, 1st Quartermaster of the Marine Corps. 11 January 1945: MAG-24 landed int he Philippines to provide air support to the U.S. Army. 12 January 1967: General H. M. (Howling Mad) Smith, "Father of Amphibious Warfare," died. 12 January 1991: The 5th MEB embarked and arrived in the North Arabian Sea in support of Desert Shield. 13 January 1862: Marines landed and burned Confederate stores at Cedar Keys, Florida. 13 January 1943: The 2ndMarDiv launched a westward coastal attack at Guadalcanal. 14 January 1918: Artillery Regiment, 10th Marines organized at Quantico. 14 January 1920: Caco insurrectionists were defeated in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. 15 January 1942: Brigadier General H. R. Larsen 1st military Governor American Samoa. 15January 1943: Captain Joe Foss bagged three Japanese planes for a record total of 26 kills. 16 January 1958: 3rd Anti-Tank Bn activated Camp Hansen, Okinawa. 16 January 1991: Marines participated in the offensive air action against Iraq as Operation Desert Storm began. 17 January 1944: Company B, 1st Tank Battalion spearheaded the assault against Japanese positions on Arawe Peninsula, New Britain. 17 January 1945: Russians captured Warsaw. 17 January 1951: 1stMarDiv began mop-up at Pohang, Korea. 17 January 1993: Floods caused Camp Pendleton to close its gates to all but essential personnel. 18 January 1836: Marines reinforced Army to repulse Indians at Ft. Brook, Florida. 18 January 1902: The famous "March Across Samar" ended during the Philippine Insurrection. 19 January 1840: Detachment with the Wilkes Expedition reached Antarctica. 19 January 1929: BGen Smedley Butler's 3rd Marine Brigade was disbanded at Tientsin, China. 20 January 1942: Thomas Holcomb, 1st Lieutenant General in Corps history. 20 January 1968: The 26th Marine Regiment killed 100 enemy as the second Battle for Khe Sanh, Vietnam, began. 21 January 1918: The first Marine aviation unit overseas in WW I arrived in the Azores. 22 January 1925: 2nd Expeditionary Force organized at Cavite, Philippine Islands, for duty at Shanghai, China to protect American lives. 22 January 1969: Vietnam, Op-Dewey Canyon began, 1617 enemy KIA. 23 January 1780: Marines participated in the capture of a British brig by the USS Providence and USS Ranger off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. 23 January 1909: 1st Provisional Regiment returned from duty in Cuba. 23 January 1942: Japanese invaded New Britain, New Ireland, the Solomons. 23 January 1943: Australian-U.S. counterattack recaptured Buna-Sanananda from Japanese. 23 January 1943: Tripoli fell to Allies. 24 January 1874: Detachments formed for Battalion-size exercises off Key West, Florida. 24 January 1942: U.S. Naval force battered Japanese troop convoy in Battle of Makassar Strait. 24 January 1968: The 26th Marine Regiment held the Khe Sanh Combat Base. 25 January 1922: "U.S.S. Galvaston" Marines landed to reinforce Managua. 25 January 1928: Marines participated in the Battle of El Chipote during the occupation of Nicaragua. 26 January 1856: Marines and settlers drove off indians at Seattle, Washington. 26 January 1904: The emperor of Addis Ababa, Abyssinia, decorated Captain G. C. Thorpe for escorting diplomats 500 miles through the desert. 26 January 1942: First U.S. troops reached Northern Ireland. 27 January 1778: Marines landed at New Providence, Bahamas; the American flag flew over foreign soil for the first time. 27 January 1837: Marines fought in the Battle of Hatchee-Lustee in Florida. 27 January 1937: 1st and 2nd Brigades in Fleet Landing Exercise #3 off San Diego, California. 27 January 1944: Anzio beachhead seized in Italy. 27 January 1973: Signing of Vietnam Peace Accord. 28 January 1914: Marines with British, French and German units landed in Haiti. 28 January 1942: The 4th Marine Regiment was assigned to support Philippine Scouts on Bataan. 28 January 1966: Operation "Double Eagle." Largest amphibious landing since Korea. 28 January 1973: End of Vietnam Cease Fire Campaign. 29 January 1914: Marines joined British, French and German troops in Haiti to protect mutual interests. 29 January 1991: Marines participated in the first major ground action of Desert Storm, repulsing an Iraqi mechanized battalion. 30 January 1943: Marines participated in the Battle for Rennell Island. 30 January 1968: Beginning of Tet Counteroffensive. 31 January 1944: The American flag was first raised over Japanese soil by B/1/25 in the Marshall Islands. 31 January 1956: Camp "H. M. Smith" dedicated as FMFPAC Headquarters, Oahu, Hawaii. 1 February 1944: The 23rd and 24th Marine Regiments landed at Roi-Namur Islets, Kwajalein Atoll (Islets secured February 2, 1944). 1 February 1967: Operation Prairie II Cam Lo area Vietnam began. 2 February 1961: 1st day at sea - 3rdBn 1st Marines Transplacement Bn to Okinawa. 2 February 1968: Operation Hue City, Tet Offensive began in Vietnam. 3 February 1852: Marines landed at Buenos Aires, Argentina, to protect American lives. 3 February 1967: M16E1 introduced to III MAF - RVN. 4 February 1868: Marines landed at Osaka, Japan, to protect foreign nationals. 4 February 1955: 3rd Engineer Bn moved from Japan to Okinawa. 5 February 1918: The 1st Marine Replacement Battalion sailed for France in WW I. 6 February 1780: Continental Marines helped defend Charleston from the British. 6 February 1832: Battle of Quallah Batto, Sumatra. 6 February 1968: 1/1 and 2/5 recaptured Thua Thien Province Headquarters, Hue City, Vietnam. 7 February 1832: 250 Marines defeated Malay pirates in Sumatra, Indonesia. 7 February 1862: Roanoke Isle, N.C. seized by Marines and Soldiers in battle with Confederates. 8 February 1910: Boy Scouts of America founded. 8 February 1944: Kwajalein was secured; the 14th and 23rd Marine Regiments with 2/24 departed. 8 February 1955: Marines aided 300,000 refugees to escape Viet-Minh forces, North Vietnam. 9 February 1904: Captain A. W. Catlin's 49 Marines established the first permanent Marine garrison in Honolulu. 9 February 1948: The first Marine helicopters (HO3S-1s) were delivered to the Corps. 10 February 1862: Battle of Fort Cobb. 10 February 1945: Task Force 58, with Marine Fighter Squadrons 123, 216, 217, 212, and 451 on board carriers, attacked Tokyo and provided air cover support for Iwo Jima landing forces. They also bombed and strafed Okinawa. 11 February 1904: Marines landed at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. 12 February 1809: Abraham Lincoln's Birthday. 12 February 1918: WW I Marines landed at Scapa Flow, Great Britain. 13 February 1943: The U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve was formed. 14 February 1885: Marines were authorized to retire after 30 years of service. 15 February 1898: 28 Marine lives were lost when USS Maine sank in Havana Harbor, Cuba. 15 February 1955: Green Islands Landing. 16 February 1953: Marine Captain Ted Williams, Boston Red Sox baseball legend, crash landed his F9F Pantherjet after his aircraft was shot up during a bombing raid on North Korea. Williams walked away from the wheels-up landing. 17 February 1944: Marines landed on Engibi Islet in Marshall Islands (Islet secured February 18, 1944). 17 February 1988: Marine LtCol William Higgins, assigned to the U.N. Truce Supervision Organization, was abducted by pro-Iranian terrorists. 18 February 1814: The British schooner Phoenix fell to Marines of the USS Constitution. 19 February 1944: Marines joined US Army assault on Eniwetok in Marshall Islands (Island secured February 20, 1944). 19 February 1945: The 4th and 5th Marine Divisions stormed ashore at Iwo Jima (Island secured March 26, 1945). 20 February 1962: Marine LtCol John Glenn made three orbits in a manned space capsule. First American to orbit the earth. 21 February 1991: VMA-331 conducted the first combat missions for AV-8B, operating from the helicopter assault ship USS Nassau, LHA-4. 22 February 1732: George Washington's Birthday. 22 February 1943: The 3rd Raider Battalion consolidated positions on Pavuvu Island. 23 February 1945: Five Marines and a Navy corpsman raised the American flag on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima. 24 February 1945: The 3rdMarDiv joined the 4th and 5th Divisions in the capture of Iwo Jima. 24 February 1991: The 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions breached Iraqi minefields and spearheaded the Desert Storm gound offensive. 25 February 1861: The Confederate Marine Corps was organized in Richmond, Virginia. 26 February 1919: The 15th Marine Regiment landed to help quell bandits in the Dominican Republic. 26 February 1991: A Marine recon unit was the first U.S. force to enter Kuwait City and retake the American Embassy. 27 February 1991: Desert Storm offensive operations ceased. Marines captured or damaged 1,060 tanks, 608 APCs, 432 artillery pieces and two Scud launchers during 100 hours of combat. 28 February 1928: Marines participated in the Battle of Bromaderos, Nicaragua. 28 February 1968: Elements of the 1st Marine Brigade landed at DaNang. 28 February 1991: Operation Desert Storm ended. 23 Marines were killed in action or died of wounds. 1 March 1960: The Beaufort (South Carolina) Auxiliary Air Station was redesignated a Marine Corps Air Station. 2 March 1776: Raid on New Providence, Bahamas. 2 March 1867: Colonel Jacob Zeilin, 7th Commandant of the Marine Corps, became the first Commandant promoted to Brigadier General. 3 March 1809: Five-year enlistments in the Corps replaced the previous three-year terms. 3 March 1871: Navy Medical Corps established. 3 March 1931: Star Spangled Banner made U. S. National Anthem. 4 March 1801: The Marine Band performed at a Presidential Inauguration for the first time. 5 March 1942: U. S. Navy Construction Battalions (Seabees) formed. 5 March 1947: The 7th Marine Regiment disbanded at Camp Pendleton following their return from China. Personnel and equipment were transferred to the 3rd Marine Brigade. 6 March 1932: Marine Band leader John Philip Sousa died at age 79 in Reading, Pennsylvania. 6 March 1944: Marines assault Talasea on New Britain (secured 8 March 1944). 6 March 1965: Beginning of Vietnam Defense Campaign. 7 March 1945: U.S. troops took Remagen Bridge and crossed the Rhine. 7 March 1951: The 1st, 7th, and 11th Marine Regiments commenced operations against enemy forces at Hongchon, Korea. 8 March 1942: Japan invaded New Guinea (Lae, Salamaua, Finschhafen). 8 March 1944: Japanese launched counteroffensive on Bougainville, smashed by Marines 24 March. 8 March 1965: First ground forces (3/9) landed at Red Beach, Da Nang, Vietnam. 9 March 1782: Marines served with General Clark. 9 March 1847: Expeditionary Marines landed and seized Vera Cruz, Mexico, during the Mexican War. 9 March 1942: Java fell to Japan concluding Netherlands Indies Campaign. 10 March 1783: Marines in fighting tops of the USS Alliance helped defeat HMS Sibyll. 10 March 1945: Mindanao in Southern Philippines invaded. 11 March 1853: Marines from the USS Cyane landed at San Juan del Norte, Nicaragua. 12 March 1824: Marines of the Boston Barracks quelled a Massachusettes State Prison riot. 13 March 1911: Atlantic Landing Force of 688 Marines landed at Guantanamo Bay. 13 March 1945: The 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 9th Marine Regiment attacked through "Cushman's Pocket," Iwo Jima. This was the last strongpoint of enemy resistance on the island. 14 March 1905: The first Marine military attaché was appointed to Legation at Peking, China. 15 March 1944: Marine medium bombers struck Japanese positions at Rabaul. 16 March 1922: Marines guarded the U.S. mail during a national crime wave. 16 March 1945: Iwo Jima secured. 17 March 1918: The 5th Marine Regiment was the first Marine unit to move into WW I front-line trenches. 18 March 1945: MAG-14 flew air support for U.S. Army landings at Panay, Philippines. 19 March 1928: Marine planes bombed a bandit group at Nueve Segovia, Nicaragua. This was the first use of close air support. 20 March 1943: Marine "Avengers" conducted the first aerial mine-laying mission. 20 March 1944: Marines seized Emirau Island in Bismarck Archipelago. 21 March 1945: General A. A. Vandergrift, 18th Commandant of the Marine Corps, became the first Marine four-star general on active duty. 22 March 1952: Six new Marine battalions and Marine air groups were activated on the West Coast, giving the Corps the full authorized limit of three divisions and three wings. 23 March 1815: Marines assisted the USS Hornet's capture of the HMS Penguin off Tristan de Cunha. 24 March 1944: The 22nd Marine Regiment captured Ebon and Namu Atolls in the Marshall Islands. 25 March 1804: The Secretary of the Navy approved the first formal uniform of the Marine Corps. 25 March 1863: Marines with Farragut's squadron engaged Confederates at the Battle of Vicksburg in Mississippi. 26 March 1943: Battle of Komandorski Island, Aleutians. 26 March 1944: WW II, Marines of 1stProMarBrig landed on Kili island and Namorik Atoll, Marshall Islands. 27 March 1953: The 1stMarDiv defeated communist Chinese in the Battle for "Vegas" Hill in Korea. 28 March 1870: 129 Marines seized and destroyed illicit distilleries in "Irishtown" (Brooklyn), New York. 28 March 1918: Marines were placed under the command of French Marshall Foch in WW I. 29 March 1917: Marines garrisoned St. Croix to deny harbor to German submarines. 30 March 1966: The 7th Marine Regiment terminated Operation Indiana in Vietnam. 31 March 1801: LtCol W. W. Burrows, 2nd Commandand of the Marine Corps, and President Thomas Jefferson selected the site of Marine Barracks, 8th& I, Washington, DC. 1 April 1945: Easter Sunday and April Fool's Day. U. S. Marines and Army troops landed on Okinawa (island secured 22 June). 1 April 1968: End of Tet Counteroffensive, Vietnam. 2 April 1944: The 22nd Marine Regiment secured Majit Island in the Marshall Islands. 2 April 1944: 1st day of operation for newly formed 9thMAW, Cherry Point. 3 April 1817: "Peace Establishment Act" reduced Corps to 50 officers and 942 enlisted. 3 April 1847: Marines and Sailors from the USS Portsmouth landed and captured San Lycas, Mexico. 4 April 1854: Battle of Shanghai, China. Marines and Sailors from the USS Plymouth landed at Shanghai to protect the American Consulate. 4 April 1967: "CHINOOK II" ended in Vietnam (17 Feb - 4 Apr). 5 April 1947: Five Marines were killed at Hsin Ho by Communist Chinese. 5 April 1967: "Big-Horn" RVN (5-22 Apr). 6 April 1776: Continental Marines on the USS Alfred participated in the first naval engagement. 6 April 1967: "Canyon" search and destroy, RVN (6-10 Apr). 7 April 1917: Marines participated in the Battle of Las Canitas in the Dominican Republic. 7 April 1966: "JACK-STAY" ended, RVN. 7 April 1991: The 24th MEU participated in Operation Provide Comfort, a multinational relief effort to aid Kurdish refugees on the Iraqi-Turkish border. 8 April 1782: Marines participated in the sea battle between the USS Hyder Ally and HMS General Monk. 8 April 1823: Marines chased pirates east of Havana, Cuba. 8 April 1966: Operation "IOWA," RVN (8-9 Apr). 9 April 1942: Bataan, Philippines, fell to Japan. Battery C, 4th Marine Regiment surrendered with American forces. 9 April 1953: Marines regained "Carson" Hill during fighting in Korea. 10 April 1945: VMB-612 launched night attacks from Iwo Jima against the Japanese coast. 10 April 1959: LtCol John H. Glenn, Jr. one of the 1st space pilots selected. 11 April 1904: One officer and 20 enlisted men became the first Marines to garrison Midway Island. 11 April 1966: Operation "Orange" southwest of DaNang, Vietnam, ended. 11 April 1992: The 24th MEU (SOC) CH-53H "Super Stallions" helped stem lava flow from Mount Etna, Italy. 12 April 1966: Multi-Bn operation NEVADA started south of Chu Lai, RVN. 12 April 1975: Marines evacuated nearly 300 Americans and foreign nationals from Cambodia during Operation Eagle Pull. 13 April 1847: Marines captured LaPaz, California, during the Mexican War. 13 April 1885: Marines guarded the rail line to Panama City. 14 April 1865: Marines guarded the body of John Wilkes Booth after Abraham Lincoln's assassination. 14 April 1961: 1/5 Transplacement Battalion left Pendleton for Okie. 15 April 1971: III MAF Redeployed to Okinawa after six years of service in Vietnam. 16 April 1898: The Secretary of the Navy ordered MGen Charles Heywood, 9th Commandand of the Marine Corps, to organize a battalion for duty in Cuba. 17 April 1849: Marines were aboard the USS Preble when she became the first American warship to visit Okinawa. 17 April 1966: Operation "Virginia" RVN (17 Apr - 1 May). 18 April 1864: Marines joined sea battle as four Union ships attacked Confederate ram Albermarle near New Bern, North Carolina. 18 April 1942: Shangri-La raid (B-25's flying off U.S. carrier Hornet) struck Tokyo and other Japanese cities. 18 April 1961: Marines in goodwill tour to North African Ports "SOLANT AMITY II". 19 April 1778: Marines participated in the USS Ranger's capturing and sinking of a British schooner off the coast of Ireland. 19 April 1966: Helicopter Training Unit HTG-30 formed at Santa Ana, California. 20 April 1861: Marines helped burn Norfolk Navy Yard to prevent Confederate seizure. 20 April 1945: 4th and 29th Marines secured Motobu, Okinawa. 21 April 1951: Carrier-based Marine planes downed three Yaks in the first air-to-air contact of Marine air with the North Korean Air Force. 21 April 1966: "GEORGIA" operation southwest of DaNang started (21 Apr - 10 May). 22 April 1778: Marines from the USS Ranger landed with John Paul Jones at Whitehaven, England. 22 April 1944: U.S. Army landed at Hollandia and Aitape in New Guinea. 23 April 1914: The 3rd Marine Regiment joined in a show of force at Vera Cruz, Mexico, after an insult to the American flag. 24 April 1814: Battle of Bladensburg, Maryland. 24 April 1862: Marines helped capture New Orleans, Lousiana. 24 April 1962: Marine helicopters (Shufly) supported the 21st Army of the Republic of Vietnam Division during Operation Nightingale near Can Tho. 25 April 1913: The formal charter of the Marine Corps Association was established. 27 April 1805: Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon raised the American flag over the Fortress at Derne, Tripoli. 28 April 1965: 3/6 was helo-lifted from the USS Boxer to secure the American Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. 29 April 1862: Marines raised the flag, symbolizing the Union's capture of New Orleans during the Civil War. 29 April 1946: 1st Special Marine Brigade formed at Camp Lejeune. 29 April 1975: Marines helos HMH-462, HMH-463 and HMM-165 with BLT 2/4 evacuated 6,968 people from Vietnam during Operation Frequent Wind. 30 April 1947: 11th Marines returned to the States after 5 years in the Far East. 30 April 1969: U.S. military personnel in Vietnam reached 543,300. 1 May 1992: BGen Marvin Hopgood Jr. led 1,500 Marines from Camp Pendleton to help quell the Los Angeles riots. 2 May 1946: Marines helped quell a prison riot at Alcatraz Island, California. 3 May 1898: Lt Dion Williams and Marines from the USS Baltimore raised the American flag over Cavite, Philippines. 4 May 1942: Marines participated in the Battle of the Coral Sea during WW II. 5 May 1919: HQMC moved into the new Navy Building on Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC. 5 May 1961: Marine pilots retrieved America's first astronaut, Navy Commander Alan Shepard. 6 May 1937: Marines at NAS, Lakehurst, New Jersey, helped rescue survivors of the Hindenburg disaster. 6 May 1942: The colors of the 4th Marines Regiment were burned to avoid capture on Corregidor. 7 May 1942: The 8th Defense Battalion (reinforced) landed on Wallis Island from Tutuila Island. 8 May 1808: Marine Barracks, Charleston was established under Lt Pinckney and 22 Marines. 9 May 1846: Lt Archibald Gillespie delivered a presidential message to Capt John C. J. Fremont in Oregon. 10 May 1845: Marines and Sailors of the USS Constitution landed at Tourane, Cochin China (later known as Da Nang, Vietnam). 10 May 1934: The first amphibious landing exercise by embryo FMF at Culebra. 11 May 1920: The 16th Marine Regiment organized at Philadelphia for duty in Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. 12 May 1975: Marines were alerted for rescue of the Mayaguez crew and assault on Koh Tang Island, Cambodia. 13 May 1846: Was was declared against Mexico. 13 May 1928: Marines participated in the Battle of Cua River in Nicaragua. 14 May 1917: The first Marine detachment transferred from Annapolis to a new Marine post at Quantico. 14 May 1919: Marines from the USS Arizona landed at Constantinople to secure the American Consulate. 15 May 1862: Corporal John Mackie became the first Marine awarded the Medal of Honor. 15 May 1991: After flooding killed 130,000 in Bangladesh, the 5th MEB provided aid in Operation Sea Angel. 16 May 1927: Marines participated in the Battle of La Paz Centro in Nicaragua. 17 May 1962: The 3rd MEU landed in Thailand, easing communist pressure. 18 May 1902: Marines from the USS Ranger landed in Panama City to protect Americans. 19 May 1927: The 11th Marine Regiment arrived at Esteli, Nicaragua, for garrison duty. 20 May 1803: Marines participated in the raid on Tripoli. 20 May 1906: Major John A. Lejeune embarked his battalion for duty in Panama. 21 May 1846: A Marine regiment formed for duty with General Winfield Scott's Army in Mexico. 22 May 1912: Lieutenant Alfred A. Cunningham became the first Marine officer assigned to aviation duty. 23 May 1899: Marines arrived to secure Cavite Naval Base, Philippines. 24 May 1900: Marines landed at Taku, China, to establish Legation Guard at Peking. 26 May 1853: Major Jacob Zeilin (in charge of Marines) arrived with Commodore Matthew C. Perry's squadron at Okinawa. 27 May 1803: Marines aboard the USS John Adams engaged Tripolitan gunboats off Tripoli. 28 May 1945: The 5th Marine Regiment began the final assault against Shuri Castle, Okinawa. 29 May 1944: The 4thMarDiv sailed from Pearl Harbor for Saipan Operation. 30 May 1873: 68 Marines from USS Ohio and USS Powhatan restored order after a fire in Boston. 31 May 1900: Marines guarded the Peking Diplomatic Quarters during the Boxer Rebellion. 1 June 1918: "Retreat Hell! We just got here," said the 5th Marine Regiment in France. 2 June 1918: French Croix de Guerre awarded those serving at Belleau Wood, France 2-13 June. 3 June 1918: The 4th Marine Brigade fought at Les Mares Farm, Belleau Wood, Chateau-Thierry, France. 3 June 1942: Japan bombed Dutch Harbor in Alaska and occupied Kiska and Attu in the Aleutians. 4 June 1942: Battle of Midway (June 4-6). 4 June 1942: VMSB-241, VMF-221 and the 6th Defense Battalion began the Battle of Midway. 4 June 1944: Allies entered Rome. 5 June 1944: LtGen H. M. (Howling Mad) Smith was designated the first FMFPac commander. 6 June 1853: Marines escorted Commodore Matthew C. Perry ashore at Naha, Okinawa. 6 June 1918: Battle of Bouresches. 6 June 1944: D-Day. Allies invaded France in Normandy landings. 7 June 1912: Company A, 1st Marines landed at Santiago, Cuba. 7 June 1918: Marines participated in the Battle of Bouresches in France. 8 June 1880: Captain W. B. Remey was the first Marine appointed Judge Advocate of the Navy. 8 June 1995: Marine TRAP Team, 24th MEU rescues Air Force Captain Scott O'Grady from Bosnia. 9 June 1864: Colonel Jacob Zeilin succeeded Colonel J. Harris to become the 7th Commandand of the Marine Corps. 10 June 1871: A Marine battalion madethe first landing against Korean forts. 10 June 1945: Australians and Dutch landed on Borneo. 11 June 1927: Marines held back crowds welcoming Charles Lindbergh home from Paris. 12 June 1948: President Harry Truman authorized the first women Marines in the regular Corps. 12 June 1961: Iwo Jima Memorial Flag to fly 24 hours a day. 12 June 1991: Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted; III MEF and Marines Barracks, Subic Bay, rendered assistance. 13 June 1991: Marines from Okinawa and Marine Barracks, Subic Bay, Philippines, evacuated 20,000 Americans after Mount Pinatubo erupted. HMH-772, MAGTF 4-91, MAG-36, 15th MEU and other Marine units assisted. 14 June: Flag Day. 14 June 1898: Two companies of Marines defeated the Spanish near Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. 14 June 1917: 5th Marine Regiment sailed for France. 15 June 1944: The 2d and 4th Marine Divisions made an assualt landing on Saipan (island secured 9 July). 15 June 1946: 10th Marines help police in Black Market Riot - Nagasaki. 16 June 1941: The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade was activated for duty in Iceland. 17 June 1898: Navy Hospital Corps established. 17 June 1979: Colonel Valeria Hilgart became the first woman Marine to assume duty as chief of staff of a major command (Albany, Georgia). 18 June 1912: War of 1812 began. 18 June 1945: Army LtGen Simon Buckner was killed and Marine MajGen Roy S. Geiger assumed command of the 10th U. S. Army on Okinawa. 19 June 1888: Marines landed in Korea and marched 25 miles to protect the Seoul Legation. 19 June 1944: Battle of the Philippine Sea. 20 June 1866: 50 Marines and Sailors landed at new Chwang, China, to assure punishment for those who attacked an American official. 20 June 1946: 2nd Marine Division left Japan. 21 June 1898: Marines landed on Guam. 21 June 1943: U. S. Marines landed at Segi Point, New Georgia, opening Central Solomons Campaign (campaign concluded on 25 September). 21 June 1945: The Battle of Okinawa ended as LtGen Roy S. Geiger raised the American flag. 22 June 1813: Battle of Craney Island. 22 June 1945: Okinawa capture marked the end of ground fighting in Pacific. 22 June 1954: President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized the first use of the first official Marine Corps Seal. 23 June 1812: Marine Lt. John Heath became the first casualty of the War of 1812. 24 June 1847: Garrison at Tabasco, Mexico defended by Marines. 24 June 1900: Battle of Tientsin. 24 June 1900: The Legation Guard joined the Allies to repulse a heavy Chinese Boxer attack. 25 June 1918: The 4th Marine Brigade secured Belleau Wood, Chateau Thierry,France. 25 June 1950: Korean War began. 25 June 1981: HMH-464 at MCAS New River, North Carolina, received its first CH-53E "Super Stallion." 26 June 1891: The Corps established its first post at Port Royal, South Carolina, later known as Parris Island. 27 June 1916: The 4th Marine Regiment defeated Dominican rebels in a stand-up bayonet attack. 28 June 1814: War of 1812, Marines aboard USS Wasp help defeat HMS Reindeer. 28 June 1862: Civil War, Admiral Farragut's fleet vs. Confederate batteries near Vicksburg, Mississippi. 29 June 1918: Marines landed at Vladivostok, Russia, to protect the American Consulate. 29 June 1963: VMF(AW)-314 received the first F4B "Phantom" jets. 30 June 1834: Congress placed the Marine Corps under Navy jurisdiction. 30 June 1966: End of Vietnamese Counteroffensive Campaign. 1 July 1920: Major General John A. Lejeune became the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps. 2 July 1891: Marines began protecting seal herds against poachers in the Bering Sea. 3 July 1864: Marines participated in a skirmish near White Point, South Carolina, during the Civil War. 3 July 1899: Battle of Santiago. 3 July 1918: 13th Regiment organized under LtCol Smedley D. Butler at Marine Base Quantico for duty in France. 4 July: Independence Day. 4 July 1800: The Marine Band played at Tun Tavern, Philadelphia, in their first public appearance. 4 July 1834: President Andrew Jackson ordered green and buff as the Corps' uniform colors. 5 July 1943: The 1st Raider Regiment landed against the Japanese on New Georgia Island. 5 July 1966: 1st full day of operation "MACON", Vietnam (4 July - 28 October). 6 July 1905: Marines escorted the body of John Paul Jones from France to Annapolis. 7 July 1941: The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing was commissioned at Quantico. (In 1961 I was assigned to MAG-16 1stMAW AirFMFPAC and was based at MCAF Futema, Okinawa. Futema was later renamed Futenma.) 7 July 1966: Largest multi-Battalion operation of Vietnamese war to date - "Hastings". 8 July 1930: Major General Wendell C. Neville, 14th Commandant of the Marine Corps died in office. 8 July 1953: 7th Marines, 1st MarDiv "retook" outpost EAST BERLIN, Korea. 9 July 1846: Marines and Sailors occupied Sonoma, California, after proclaiming California part of the United States during the Mexican War. 9 July 1900: Marines helped in the capture of Tientsin Arsenal. 9 July 1943: Allies Landed in Sicily. 10 July 1919: A submarine chaser was turned over to the Corps with the first all-Marine crew. 10 July 1941: The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing as commissioned in San Diego. 10 July 1942: MCAS El Centro, California activated. 11 July 1798: The U. S. Marine Corps was re-established by an Act of Congress, succeeding the Continental Marines. 12 July 1798: Major William W. Burrows was appointed the 2nd Commandant of the Marine Corps by President John Adams. 13 July 1954: The 3dMarDiv was placed on 48-hour alert in preparation to move in support of the French in Indochina. The alert was later cancelled. 14 July 1853: Commodore Matthew C. Perry, escorted by Marines and Sailors, landed at Uraga, Japan. Marine Major Jacob Zeilin was the second man to go ashore. 14 July 1945: U. S. began the first surface fleet bombardment of Japan. 15 July 1958: BLT 2/2 landed at Khalde Beach, Beirut, Lebanon, in operation "Blue Bat". 16 July 1861: Major J. G. Reynolds commanded 350 Marines in the first Battle of Bull Run in Virginia. 16 July 1942: Marine Barracks, Auckland, N.Z., established. 17 July 1990: 200 members of the Marine Barracks, Subic Bay, Philippines, helped rescue survivors in Cabanatuan after the island was hit by an earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale. More than 300 civilians were killed. 18 July 1779: Continental Marines attacked British forces in Maine. 18 July 1918: The 4th Marine Brigade sustained 1,972 casualties in an attack at Soissons, France. 19 July 1779: 300 Continental Marines attacked the British at Fort George, Penobscot Bay. 20 July 1942: 23rd Marines activated at New River. 20 July 1950: An organized Marine Corps Reserve mobilized for duty in Korea. 21 July 1861: First Battle of Bull Run. 21 July 1944: The 3dMarDiv, 1st Provisional Marine Brigade and Marine Aircraft Group 21 landed to recapture Guam (secured 10 August). 22 July 1823: Marines attack Pirates near Cape Cruz, Cuba. 22 July 1919: Two companies of Quantico Marines helped civil authorities restore order after race riots in Washington, DC. 23 July 1944: Elements of the 3dMarDiv completed the occupation of Cabras Island, Tinian, Marianas. 24 July 1944: Artillery, air and naval bombardments softened Tinian for the 4thMarDiv landing (secured 10 August). 25 July 1777: Congress authorized a $4 weekly subsistence for Marine officers. 26 July 1779: Battle of Banks Island. 26 July 1861: An Act of Congress increased the Marine Corps' authorized strength to 93 officers and 3,074 enlisted men. 27 July 1898: Marines from the USS Dixie were the first to raise the American flag over Puerto Rico. 27 July 1953: Korean War ended. 28 July 1918: BGen John A. Lejeune assumed command of the 2d U.S. Army Division in France. 28 July 1942: Japanese began overland drive on Port Moresby from base at Buna-Sanananda. 29 July 1919: A detachment of Marines from the USS New Orleans prepared to land at Tyutuke Bay (near Vladivostok), Russia, to protect American interests during a period of political disturbances. 29 July 1946: Elements of 11 Marines clash with Chinese communists at Anping, China. 30 July 1918: The 1st Marine Aviation Force arrived in Brest, France. 30 July 1944: U. S. Army's New Guinea drive ended on Sansapor Point. 30 July 1945: Japan refused Potsdam ultimatum. 31 July 1813: Marines landed at York, Lake Ontario, with soldiers to burn stores and barracks of the British. 31 July 1944: Allies broke out of Normandy. 1 August 1960: The Corps' Enlisted Rank and Pay Structure Board revised the rank structure, incorporating lance corporals, E8s and E9s. The prefix "acting" was abolished by General David M. Shoup, 22d Commandant of the Marine Corps. 1 August 1965: Operation "CAM NHE," Vietnam. 2 August 1950: The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade landed at Pusan, Korea, one month after being alerted. 3 August 1950: Eight VMF-214 Corsairs led by squadron executive officer, Major Robert P. Keller, catapulted from the deck of the USS Sicily to launch the first blow of the Korean War for the Marine Corps. 3 August 1966: Operation "Prairie" began in Quang Tri Province, RVN. 4 August 1855: Battle of Ty-Ho Bay, China. 4 August 1855: Marines from the USS Powhatan captured 17 pirate junks near Hong Kong. 4 August 1937: Marine Corps League incorporated by Congress. 5 August 1864: Marines participated in the Battle of Mobile Bay in Alabama. 5 August 1990: Marines of the 22d MEU (SOC) were flown to the American Embassy, Monrovia, Liberia, to help evacuate personnel. 6 August 1847: LtCol S. E. Watson's Marines commenced their march on the "Halls of Montezuma" in Mexico. 6 August 1945: Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. (The inevitable and terrible consequence of the bombing of Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941.) 6 August 1966: Operation by 5th Marines in Vietnam, "COLORADO." (Concluded 22 August) 7 August 1942: U.S. Marines made first offensive landings of the Pacific War at Tulagi and Guadalcanal. (Guadalcanal secured 9 February 1943) 7 August 1953: SSgt Barbara Barnwell was the first woman Marine awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism. 8 August 1899: Marines of "U.S.S. Yosemite" start to form garrison at Agana, Cuba. 8 August 1942: The 5th Marine Regiment and Company A, 1st Tanks, crossed the Ilu and Lunga rivers, meeting the first Japanese resistance on Guadalcanal. 8 August 1945: Russia attacked Japan. 9 August 1935: Fleet Marine Force Headquarters moved from Quantico to San Diego. 9 August 1945: Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki. 9 August 1948: "CAMIO" All service exercise held at Onslow Beach, North Carolina. 10 August 1944: The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade ended Japanese resistance on Guam and was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation. 10 August 1959: HMR-261 helicopters assist during the Taiwan typhoon cleanup. 11 August 1923: MCRD transferred from Mare Island to its present location at San Diego. 11 August 1952: The 1stMarDiv participated in the Battle of Bunker Hill during the Korean War. 12 August 1918: The Secretary of the Navy authorized the enlistment of women into the Marine Corps Reserve. 13 August 1918: Opha M. Johnson enlisted at HQMC, becoming the first woman Marine. 13 August 1942: MCAS Santa Barbara, California activated. 14 August 1812: Marines help to capture British sloop "Alert" during the War of 1812. 14 August 1945: V-J Day! President Harry Truman announced the unconditional surrender of the Japanese. 14 August 1990: Advance elements of the 1st MEF and 7th MEB arrived in Saudi Arabia, joining other U.N. forces against possible Iraqi aggression. 15 August 1934: 19 years of occupation ended as the 1st Marine Brigade departed Haiti. 15 August 1943: U.S. and New Zealand forces landed on Vella Lavella in the Northern Solomon Islands. 15 August 1944: Allied forces invaded southern France. 15 August 1965: Da Nang and Chu Lai Marines reinforced by 6,400 arrivals. 16 August 1937: The American Adviser on Political Relations asked the Secretary of State for reinforcements for the 4th Marine Regiment in Shanghai, China; two officers and 102 enlisted from Cavite, Philippines, responded. 16 August 1943: 4th Marine Division activated at Pendleton. 17 August 1942: 200 Marines of Companies A and B of the 2d Raider Battalion landed on Makin Atoll. 17 August 1950: The 1st Marine Brigade battled North Koreans at Obong-ni Ridge. 18 August 1965: Operation Starlite (Vietnam) began. 964 Viet Cong were killed in action. 19 August 1919: "The Marines' Hymn" was registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. 19 August 1942: Canadian and British troops raided Dieppe in France. 20 August 1942: 31 planes of MAG-23 were the first to land at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal. 20 August 1966: Operation "Allegheny" in Quang Nam, RVN. (Concluded 29 August) 21 August 1814: Marines defended Washington, DC, at Bladensburg, Maryland, against the British. 22 August 1942: The 4th Marine Air Wing was commissioned at Ewa, Hawaii, as the 4th Marine Base Defense Air Wing. 23 August 1798: The first Headquarters of the Marine Corps was established at Philadelphia. 23 August 1958: Marines from Okinawa prepare to reinforce Chinese Nationalists at Taiwan. 24 August 1814: Marine artillery participated in the Battle of Bladensburg, Maryland. 24 August 1814: Almost encircled by the British, Marines withdrew from Bladensburg. 25 August 1943: V Amphibious Corps joined fleet at Pearl Harbor. 26 August 1943: 2nd Airdrome Bn prepared to land at Ellice Islands. 27 August 1780: Marines guarding workmen cutting masts for the Navy pursued Indians near Reading, Pennsylvania. 27 August 1893: A giant tidal wave swept across Parris Island, Port Royal, South Carolina. 27 August 1966: Operation "Jackson" RVN. (Concluded 29 August) 28 August 1891: Marines defended American interests in Valparaiso, Chile. 28 August 1942: 1st and 2nd Bn 7th Marines leave Pago Pago for combat. 29 August 1916: The Marine Corps Reserve was founded. 30 August 1813: Marines aboard the USS President helped capture the HMS brig Shannon. 30 August 1945: 4th Marines land at Kurihama Naval Base - Yokosuka. (First Leathernecks in Japan in WW II.) 31 August 1942: 3rd Marines leave San Diego bound for American Samoa. 31 August 1950: North Koreans swarmed across Naktong River against the 1st Marine Brigade. 1 September 1969: The 1st Marine Regiment was presented the Presidential Unit Citation for Operation Hue City (Vietnam). 2 September 1945: V-J Day; Japan formally surrendered aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending WW II fighting. 3 September 1926: Marines served at Shanghai, China, and aboard ship during the Yangtze Service Campaign, 3 September 1926 - 21 October 1927. 3 September 1943: Italy surrendered. 4 September 1910: A Marine Battalion under Major Smedley D. Butler sailed from Nicaragua for Panama. 4 September 1912: Provisional Regiment landed in Nicaragua during uprisings. 5 September 1918: U.S. Marines paraded with the Royal Marines in Rosyth, Scotland. 5 September 1942: Australians halted Japanese attempt to invade Milne Bay in New Guinea. 5 September 1966: Operation "NAPA," Vietnam. (concluded 15 September) 6 September 1776: Continental Congress prescribed first Marine uniform. 6 September 1961: Marines of Task Force Solant Amity II completed their visit to 17b African ports.. 7 September 1903: Marines from the USS Brooklyn landed at Beirut to protect American lives. 7 September 1965: Operation "Piranha" south of Chu Lai, Vietnam. 7 September 1990: The 13th MEU embarked and arrived in the Gulf of Oman, joining U.N. forces. 8 September 1863: Marines joined in an unsuccessful attack on Fort Sumter, South Carolina. 8 September 1966: Operation "FRESNO," Vietnam. (concluded 17 September) 9 September 1943: Allies invaded Italy. 9 September 1950: Captain L. E. Brown flew the first Marine combat jet mission flown against the enemy in Korea. 10 September 1813: Marines served with Commodore Matthew C. Perry during the Battle of Lake Erie. 11 September 1814: Battle of Lake Champlain. 11 September 1990: The 4th MEB embarked and arrived in the Gulf of Oman in support of Desert Shield. 12 September 1917: General John J. Pershing selected the 7th Marine Company to guard his headquarters in France. 12 September 1960: Marine Corps Museum opened at Quantico. 13 September 1863: Attach on Fort Sumter. 13 September 1950: 1st Korean Marine Corps regiment part of 1stMarDiv. 13 September 1990: The 1st Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment embarked and arrived in Suadi Arabia in support of Desert Shield. 14 September 1942: Japanese on Guadalcanal's "Bloody Ridge" were shredded by Edson's Raiders. 15 September 1944: The 1stMarDiv (Reinforced) landed against heavy opposition on Peleliu (secured 12 October). 15 September 1950: 1stMarDiv landed at Inchon, Korea, and moved on to capture Seoul. 16 September 1942: 3rdMarDiv activated at Camp Elliott in California. 17 September 1944: U. S. Army assaulted Anguar (secured 20 September). 17 September 1966: Elements of 5thMarDiv in Operation "Deckhouse IV," south of DMZ. 18 September 1924: After seven years of occupation, the last Marines departed the Dominican Republic. 19 September 1912: Marines participated in the Battle of Masaya during the Nicaraguan Campaign. 19 September 1927: Battle of Telpaneca, Nicaragua. 20 September 1814: With the U.S. Capitol destroyed by the British, Marines protected Congress in a hotel. 20 September 1856: American interests in Panama protected by Marines. 21 September 1951: Corporal Jack Davenport, G/3/5, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for throwing himself on a grenade to protect others in Korea. 22 September 1855: Marines and Seamen landed in Fiji Islands. 22 September 1945: The 5thMarDiv landed at Sasebo, Japan, for occupation duty. 23 September 1776: Continental Marines were ordered to reinforce General George Washington in New York. 23 September 1779: Marines aboard the "Bonhomme Richard" fought against the "Serapis." 23 September 1944: Ulithi seized as advanced Naval base. 24 September 1854: The USS Susquehanna departed Japan with Marine Jonathan Goble on board. He later returned as a missionary and invented the rickshaw. 24 September 1942 MCAS Mojave, California organized. 25 September 1915: Battle of Petit Rivers, Haiti. 25 September 1942: Camp Pendleton was dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. 26 September 1777: Marines join the Pennsylvania Navy for action on the Delaware River. 26 September 1915: "Horse Marines" engaged Haitian bandits near Petite Riviere. 27 September 1813: Marines served aboard ships in battle against the British on Lake Ontario. 27 September 1942: 1st Class Signalman Douglas A. Munro, U.S. Coast Guard, rescued Marines of 1/7 during Operation Pestilence on Guadalcanal. He is the only Medal of Honor recipient for the U.S. Coast Guard. 28 September 1900: Marines withdrew from Peking after the Boxer Rebelion. 29 September 1812: Seminole Indians ambushed Marines at Twelve Mile Swamp, Florida. 29 September 1899: VFW established. 29 September 1966: Operation "Monterey," Vietnam. 30 September 1932: "Chesty" Puller won second Navy Cross. 30 September 1945: III Amphibious Corps arrived at Tangku, China, for repatriation duty; 3/7 went to Tientsen. 30 September 1992: Marine Barracks, Subic Bay, Philippines, was disestablished. The Naval Base had been used by Americans for many years. 1 October 1880: John Philip Sousa was named leader of the Marine Band. 1 October 1945: The 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment landed and occupied Chinwangtao, China. 1 October 1949: 5th Marines became part of 1stMarDiv under Col. Victor H. Krulak. 2 October 1918: Marines participated in the Battle of Blanc Mont in France. 2 October 1942: Major J. L. Smith shot down 18th Zero. Highest scoring ace to date. 2 October 1943: Australians retake Finschhafen in New Guinea. 3 October 1899: Marines had skirmish with Filipino "Insurrectos" at Luzon. 3 October 1912: Marines participated in the Battles of Coyo Tepe and Barranca Hills during the Nicaraguan Campaign. 3 October 1942: U. S. Marines occupy Funafuti in Ellice Islands. 4 October 1776: Marines participated in the USS Wasp's capture of a British ship off the coast of New England. 4 October 1906: Marines protected Americans during revolution in Cuba. 5 October 1775: Continental Marines first mentioned. 5 October 1912: Leon, Nicaragua, was captured by Marines after a short battle. 6 October 1858: Battle of Waya. 6 October 1924: Marines landed in Shanghai. 6 October 1945: Japanese forces in North China surrendered to III Amphibious Corps. 7 October 1846: Marines of the USS Savannah recaptured San Pedro, California, during the Mexican War. 8 October 1899: A force of 376 Marines captured the insurgent town of Novaleta, Philippines. 8 October 1950: 5th Air Force controlled the 1st Marine Air Wing in Korea. 9 October 1917: The 8th Marine Regiment was activated at Quantico. 10 October 1966: Operation "Kent," Vietnam. (concluded 15 October) 10 October 1968: The 1stMarDiv and 1st MAW were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, Da Nang, Vietnam. 11 October 1951: HMR-161 in Korea transported 3/7 in the first battalion size combat helolift. 11 October 1951: Operation "Bumblebee" Northeast of Yanggu, Korea. 12 October 1917: The 1st Marine Aviation Squadron and 1st Marine Aeronautic Company formed at Philadelphia. 12 October 1966: Operation "Teton," RVN. 12 October: The "Real" Columbus Day 13 October 1942: Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, shelled by Japanese - 918 rounds. 13 October 1965: Marine Attack Squadron 211 was awarded the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Gallantry Cross for Vietnam service, 13 October 1965 - 13 July 1966. 14 October 1917: 1st Aeronautic Co. prepared for Azore duty at Cape May, New Jersey. 14 October 1950: MAG-12 began operations out of Wonsan Airfield in North Korea. 15 October 1940: Major General Commandant Thomas Holcomb issued orders to mobilize the Marine Reserve for WW II. 16 October 1820: LtCol Anthony Gale, 4th Commandant of the Marine Corps, was found guilty during a general court martial and was dismissed from the Marine Corps. 16 October 1957: Marine "Choppers" evacuated flood victims in Valencia, Spain. 17 October 1814: Marines and Sailors landed on Grand Terre Island, Louisiana, to punish pirates. 17 October 1820: LtCol Archibald Henderson became 5th Commandant of the Marine Corps. 18 October 1859: President James Buchanan ordered Marines to capture John Brown at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. 19 October 1800: Marines participated in a tribut to Dey of Algiers. 19 October 1966: Operation "Dover," Vietnam. (concluded 30 October) 20 October 1926: President Calvin Coolidge ordered Marines to guard the U. S. Mail. 21 October 1944: Marines of V Amphibious Corps landed at Leyte, Philippines, in support of the U.S. Army during WW II. 21 October 1944: Aachen, first city inside Germany, falls to U. S. troops. 21 October 1966: Operation "Madison," RVN. 22 October 1777: Continental Marines helped foil General William Howe's plans to capture Philadelphia. 22 October 1917: 5th & 6th Marines and 6th Machine Gun Battalion become part of the AEF. 23 October 1942: 4th Raider Battalion under Major James Roosevelt organized. 23 October 1944: U. S. Navy destroys remnants of Japanese Navy in Battle of Leyte Gulf. (concluded 26 October) 23 October 1983: 218 Marines were killed during the terrorist bombing in Beirut, Lebanon. 24 October 1915: The Marine Corps Recruit Depot was moved from Norfolk and established at Parris Island, South Carolina. 24 October 1947: 1st Jet Squadron in Corps was organized (VMF-122). 25 October 1966: Operation "Kern," Quang Nam, RVN. 25 October 1983: BLT 2/8 of the 22d MAU landed at Grenada at 0500 to rescue 800 college students on the eastern Caribbean island. 26 October 1898: Marine Barracks was established at Naval Station, San Juan, Puerto Rico. 26 October 1940: ParaMarines organize at Lakehurst, New Jersey. 27 October 1943: New Zealanders land in Treasury Islands. 27 October 1962: The 2ndMarDiv and 2d Marine Aircraft Wing deployed during the Cuban missile crisis. 27 October 1966: Women Marines serve in WestPac - first time west of Hawaii. 28 October: Royal Marines 334th Anniversary! 28 October 1943: The 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Parachute Regiment assualted Choiseul, Solomon Islands, in a diversionary landing. 29 October 1847: Marines help take a Mexican schooner in the Gulf of Mexico. 29 October 1942: During October and November, Major Joe Foss shot down 23 enemy aircraft. He was later credited with three more and received the Medal of Honor. 30 October 1944: 5th Marines sailed for home from Peleliu. 30 October 1952: Korean Presidential Unit Citation awarded the Marine Advisory Group with the Korean Marine Combat Team. 31 October 1876: 7th Commandant of the Marine Corps, BGen Jacob Zeilin, left office. 31 October 1955: Lewis B. "Chesy" Puller, who earned five Navy Crosses (and 1 Army Distinguished Service Cross), retired as a Lieutenant General. 1 November 1918: 4th Marine Brigade participated in action at Meuse-Argonne. 1 November 1943: I Marine Amphibious Corps landed at Cape Torokina on Bougainville; the 3rdMarDiv landed on Bougainville. 1 November 1956: The 3d Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment helped evacuate Americans from Alexandria, Egypt. 2 November 1931: VS-14M on the USS Saratoga and VS-15M on the USS Lexington were the first Marine carrier-based squadrons. 2 November 1962: LtCol John H. Glenn (first American to orbit the earth and the world's only septuagenarian astronaut) became first Marine pilot awarded the Cunningham Trophy. 3 November 1943: A detachment of the 3d Raider Battalion occupied Torokina Island, Solomon Islands, in support operations at Bougainville. 3 November 1950: Chinese Communists attacked the 1st Marine Division northwest of Hungnam, Korea. 4 November 1948: Col Katherine Towle became the first director of women Marines as regulars and not reservists. 4 November 1976: The first Marine Corps Marathon kicked off in Washington, DC. (I was privileged to run - and complete - the Marine Corps Marathon in 1982.) 5 November 1901: Marines participated in the Battle of Sohotan River, Samar, during the Philippine Insurrection. 5 November 1915: Marines under Major Smedley D. Butler captured the stronghold at Fort Capois, Haiti. 5 November 1949: First enlisted pilots to fly "Shooting Star" begin training at El Toro. 6 November 1827: Marines prepared to fight pirates at Andros, Greece. 6 November 1854: The morning report showed the Marine Corps totaled 63 officers and 1,389 enlisted men. 7 November 1941: The Marine Corps Reserve of 23 battalions completed its mobilization. 7 November 1942: Women's Reserve Reestablished. 8 November 1861: Battle of Port Royal, South Carolina. 8 November 1942: The 2nd Raider Battalion began its 150-mile perimeter patrol on Guadalcanal. 8 November 1942: British and American troops land in North Africa. Marines took over enemy ships in Algeria harbor. 9 November 1943: David. M. Shoup promoted to Colonel and assigned as C.O. of 2nd Marines. 9 November 1968: Marine Major Walter Cunningham received Apollo 7 astronaut wings. 9 November 1989: The Berlin Wall began to crumble. 10 November 1775: The Continental Congress authorized the creation of the Marine Corps. 224 years and still counting. 10 November 1992: Flags were lowered at Marine Barracks, Guam for the last time. It was established on 1 August 1899. 11 November 1918: Armistice Day. WW I ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year. 11 November: Veteran's Day 12 November 1824: Marines landed at Fajardo, Puerto Rico to protect Americans. 12 November 1946: Gerald C. Thomas, the first Marine to rise from private to general, rank by rank, received his second Legion of Merit. 13 November 1962: 400 Marines (3/4) flew to Guam to assist with typhoon damage. 13 November 1968: Operation Daring Endeavor was commenced by the 7th Marine Regiment in Vietnam. 14 November 1966: First 4 year Jr. ROTC unit is commissioned. 14 November 1967: Major General Bruno Hochmuth, CG, 3rdMarDiv, died in a helicopter accident in Vietnam. (In 1964 I was meritoriously promoted to Sergeant by General Hochmuth while he was CG of MCRD San Diego.) 15 November 1923: 50 missionaries protected by Marines at Tungshan, China. 15 November 1950: Elements of the 1stMarDiv reached the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. 16 November 1856: Marines participated in the Battle of Barrier Forts in China. 16 November 1899: Marines from the USS Castine and the USS Manila captured Zamboanga, Philippines. 16 November 1942: VMF(N)-531 commissioned at Cherry Point, North Carolina. First Night Fighter Squadron. 17 November 1859: Melody utilized in "The Marines' Hymn" premiered in Offenbach's operetta. 17 November 1915: Leatherneck Magazine established. 18 November 1915: Marines participated in the Battle of Fort Riviere during the occupation of Haiti. 18 November 1955: A memorial honoring the 4th Marine Brigade was dedicated at Belleau Wood, France by General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. 19 November 1847: Marines repulse an Indian attack - San Jose, Lower California. 19 November 1879: The Argentine Marine Corps was founded. 20 November 1943: The 2ndMarDiv landed at Betio ISland, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands. 20 November 1947: Major Bill Hendricks and Marine reservists started Toys For Tots in Los Angeles around this date. The Marine Corps Reserve adopted the program one year later. 21 November 1836: Marines and Soldiers took action against the Seminole Indians at Wahoo Swamp, Florida. 21 November 1933: Major C. L. Forndey and a Navy Commander set new balloon record - 61,237 feet. 22 November 1776: Marines raid Canso Harbor. 22 November 1943: Tarawa was secured after 72 hours of bitter fighting. 22 November 1991: Colonel Gary Blair, CO, Marine Barracks GDE, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and BGen George Walls Jr., CG/JTF, gave humanitarian needs for Haitian migrants during Operation "Gitmo." 23 November 1945: V Amphibious Corps relieved 5thMarDiv in Japan. 23 November 1950: Thanksgiving was celebrated in Korea with a temperature of 20 degrees below zero. 24 November 1775: Marines of Washington's fleet board British brig in Boston Bay. 24 November 1942: The 1stMAW established the South Pacific Combat Air Transport(SCAT). 25 November 1855: American interests in Uruguay protected by seagoing Marines. 25 November 1958: The Marine Corps grade structure was revised to make room for additional ranks (E8/E9). 26 November 1918: 14th and 15th Marines formed at Quantico, Virginia. 26 November 1944: Marines participated in the Marshall Island Operations, WW II. 27 November 1941: The 4th Marine Regiment departed Shanghai, China to strengthen forces at Olongapo, Philippines. 27 November 1950: Chinese Communists launched an attack, surrounding Marines at Chosin Reservoir, Korea. 28 November 1812: Marines participated in the "Battle of Red House" in Canada. 29 November 1804: Lt Presley O'Bannon and seven Marines landed in Alexandria, Egypt. 29 November 1948: 9th Marines went to Shanghai to evacuate U. S. nationals. 30 November 1936: 16th CMC Major General John H. Russell, Jr. retired. 30 November 1962: MSgt Catherine Murray was the first woman Marine to transfer to the FMCR. 1 December 1947: The Corps' first helicopter squadron, HMX-1, was commissioned at Quantico. 1 December 1950: The 1stMarDiv began its bitter withdrawal fro Yudamni, North Korea. 2 December 1942: Carlson's Raiders neared the end of an epic 26 day patrol on Guadalcanal. 3 December 1944: Marine air assets of the 1st and 2nd Marine Aircraft Wings arrived in the Philippines to support Army forces. 4 December 1895: Marines in Tientsin, China, were awarded the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal for the period 4 December 1894 - May 1895. 5 December 1929: Marine Captain A. N. Parker was the first person to fly over unexplored Antarctica. 6 December 1846: Battle of San Pasqual. 6 December 1928: Marines participated in the Battle of Cuje during the occupation of Nicaragua. 7 December 1941: The Japanese Bomb Pearl Harbor, precipitating United States entry into World War II. More than 3,000 Marines and Sailors were killed in action. 7 December 1941: Midway Island shelled. 8 December 1941: The Japanese attacked American garrisons at Wake Island, Guam and the Philippines. 8 December 1941: The United States declared war upon the Empire of Japan. 9 December 1968: The 1st, 5th, 7th, and 26th Marine Regiments participated in Operation Meade River in Vietnam. 9 December 1992: Marines of E/2/9 landed at Mogadishu, Somalia, to begin Operation Restore Hope. The 15th MEU, RCT-7 and Provisional MAG-16 served. 10 December 1941: With no weapon larger than the .30 caliber MG, 153 Marines defended Guam until overwhelmed. 11 December 1941: VMF-211 Wildcats sank the Japanese destroyer Kisaragi during the defense of Wake Island. 12 December 1941: United States declares war upon Nazi Germany. 12 December 1944: Marines participated in the Luzon Operation in the Philippines during WW II. 13 December 1967: BLT 3/26 was ordered to reinforce Khe Sanh, Vietnam. 14 December 1941: Wake Island defenders were left with one aircraft surviving Japanese attacks. 15 December 1968: The 3d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment commenced search and destroy Operation Citrus in Vietnam. 16 December 1946: Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic was activated under CinCLant.. 16 December 1991: Nearly 300 members of the 8th Marines arrived at Guantanamo Bay to participate in Haitian humanitarian efforts for 6,000 refugees. 17 December 1941: 17 SB 2U-3s of Marine Scout Bomber Squadron 281 flew 1,137 miles, the longest massed flight over water. 18 December 1903: Marines escorted American diplomats to Addis Ababa, Abyssinia. 19 December 1944: MAG-12 Corsairs blew up Japanese supply dumps at Palompon, Leyte. 20 December 1965: Operation Harvest Moon ended for Task Force Delta (2/7, 3/3, and 2/1). More than 400 Viet Cong were killed in action. 20 December 1989: The 2ndMarDiv began combat operations as part of Task Force Semper Fidelis in Panama against General Manuel Noriega's forces. 21 December 1967: Special Landing Force B was awarded the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross for action 21-24 December. 22 December 1942: VMF-121 and VMO-251 pilots downed seven Zeroes over Munda. 23 December 1817: Marines in a joint Army-Navy operation forced the surrender of Amelia Island. 23 December 1941: The Japanese landed at and captured Wake Island. 24 December 1950: The last elements of the 1stMarDiv departed Hungnam, North Korea. 25 December: Christmas Day. Each year on Christmas, Marines guard our national security all over the world. 26 December 1776: Marines participated in the second Battle of Trenton (NJ) as part of General George Washington's force. 26 December 1943: The 1stMarDiv landed in the assault of Cape Gloucester, New Britain. 27 December 1903: Major General George F. Elliot, 10th Commandant of the Marine Corps, departed Washington, DC, to command Marines in Panama. 28 December 1901: Major L. W. T. Waller's ill-fated "March Across Samar" began. 29 December 1966: The 11th Motor Transport Battalion was awarded the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry for service 29 December 1966 - 20 September 1969. 30 December 1927: Marines participated in the Battle of Camino Real (Nicaragua). 31 December 1930: Eight Marines were killed and two escaped when surrounded at Ocotal, Nicaragua. 31 December 1946: Official end of World War II. |
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