100th Anniversary-Belleau Wood

BELLEAU WOOD 100TH ANNIVERSARY
Date Signed: 5/23/2018
ALMARS Number: 019/18

R 231637Z MAY 18
ALMAR 019/18

MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC DMCS//

SUBJ/BELLEAU WOOD 100TH ANNIVERSARY//

GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  This November marks 100 years since the end of “The Great War.”  When Germany signed the armistice agreement in France on 11 November 1918, nations throughout the world celebrated as four years of brutal fighting and unimaginable loss and destruction came to an end.  A major turning point in World War I occurred on a 200-acre wooded stretch of French countryside called Belleau Wood.  For 20 days in June 1918, American and Allied forces fought valiantly there.  Thousands made the ultimate sacrifice taking a final stand for freedom on that hallowed ground.

2.  For our Corps, Belleau Wood has become a symbol of Marine courage and tenacity.  Many consider this battle the birth of the modern day Marine Corps.  Today, we pause to honor the Marines who fought at Belleau Wood a century ago.  We pay highest tribute to the sacrifices they made and the remarkable warrior spirit they embodied.  Few battles bond Marines so tightly to our Corps' history.  It is a great privilege to carry on the legacy Marines forged at Belleau Wood.  May we never forget the price of freedom and the warriors who have paid that price in full.

3.  Semper Fidelis, Robert B. Neller, General, U.S. Marine Corps, Commandant of the Marine Corps.//