Marines Around the World Remember
the Battle of Iwo Jima: D-Day 19 Feb 1945

02/19/2005

Iwo Jima veterans honored at Quantico (<--- Click to read the Stars and Stripes article)

Official Return to Iwo Jima Tour, 7-14 March (<--- Click to read the Military Historic Tours website article)

Statement by President of KWVA:


(Click picture for a larger view)


(Click picture for a larger view)

The Korean War Veterans Association has special reason to join in saluting the USMC veterans of Iwo Jima- the 54th Amphibious Corps, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Divisions, USMC.

About five years after D-Day at Iwo Jima, many of our KWVA members were glad to be associated with many of these same USMC veterans as our Nation rushed to the defense of the Republic of Korea. Hastily collected USMC units, many of them Reserves made up of USMC veterans of WWII’s divisions.  These units were fed into the Pusan Perimeter Defensive battles as a “fire brigade,” becoming the 1st Marine Division. The Marines were withdrawn and landed in an amphibious assault at Inchon and with Army X CORPS forces liberated Seoul the first time after the Communist invasion.

They were again withdrawn and moved to the opposite coast of the Korean Peninsula, as a part of X CORPS (along with ARMY 7th Inf Div and 3rd Inf Div), again landed and advanced to the Chosin Reservoir region where the 1st Marine Division — the Chosin Few — wrote a new epic in USMC heroism. The Marines were redeployed as part of the 8th ARMY/UN Command, in all of the following battles and campaigns which successfully forced the Communist aggressors to agree to a ceasefire which has continued through the years to now.

We remember the gallant 54th Amphibious Corps and the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Divisions, USMC, just as we remember and honor our own fellow warriors from the 1st Division, USMC which fought along side in Korea. Again and again USMC warriors have lived the motto “Semper Fi,” from the “Halls of Montezuma” to Guadalcanal, Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War, and Afghanistan/Iraq, today!


President, KWVA