History of the Marine Corps

The Philippines became the centerpiece of General Douglas MacArthur’s promise to return. The Army was to lead, but when setbacks on Leyte bogged down operations, Marine aviation and artillery were rushed in. Within hours after their arrival, they were flying convoy cover, striking Japanese shipping, and dueling enemy aircraft. Despite crude airfields and poor coordination under Fifth Air Force control, Marines flew over 260 missions in their first few weeks.

The Philippines became the centerpiece of General Douglas MacArthur’s promise to return. The Army was to lead, but when setbacks on Leyte bogged down operations, Marine aviation and artillery were rushed in. Within hours after their arrival, they were flying convoy cover, striking Japanese shipping, and dueling enemy aircraft. Despite crude airfields and poor coordination under Fifth Air Force control, Marines flew over 260 missions in their first few weeks.

The 7th Marines landed on Peleliu under the command of Colonel Herman H. Hanneken. Veterans of Guadalcanal and Cape Gloucester, they now faced a new kind of hell. Their mission was to seize the island’s eastern shore, then pivot south to clear Japanese positions threatening the airfield.

Over weeks of unrelenting combat, they fought through blockhouses, mangrove swamps, and the notorious Bloody Nose Ridge, in brutal, close-quarters action. Acts of valor, like PFC Arthur J. Jackson’s Medal of Honor assault, stood against staggering casualties, disease, and…