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were withdrawn and landed in an amphibious assault at Inchon and with Army X CORPS forces liberated Seoul the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They were again withdrawn and moved to the opposite coast of the Korean Peninsula, as a part of X CORPS (along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