United States Marine Corps

#OTD in 1943, #Marines with 2d Marine Division landed on Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands. The Marines' objective was to secure the Gilbert Islands and their strategic airfields. The initial landings were harrowing as low tides caused the landing craft to beach on an offshore reef. The beached landing craft forced the Marines to wade in chest-deep water hundreds of meters under intense enemy fire from crew-served weapons and fixed enemy positions. Despite fierce resistance and heavy casualties, by the end of the first day 5,000 Marines had made it ashore and established a 300-meter-deep beachhead. Over the next two days, armor and reinforcements landed on Tarawa and together they swept the enemy from their pillboxes, bunkers, and other fortifications, clearing the island. More than 1,000 U.S. Marines were killed in action and nearly 2,000 were wounded during the three-day capture of Tarawa Atoll. U.S. commanders learned important lessons from the Battle of Tarawa that would shape the planning, doctrine, and execution of amphibious landings for the remainder of WWII. #USMC #SemperFi #USMCHistory #Military

QUART 25.1 ?? Off the coast of Southern California (Oct. 21-Nov. 1) #Marines and @USNavy #Sailors conduct Quarterly Underway Amphibious Readiness Training (QUART) 25.1 on the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Somerset. QUART is a joint training exercise designed to develop and sustain essential amphibious skills for effective operations in maritime environments while reinforcing the Navy-Marine Corps partnership. ?? Marine Sgt. Brian A. Stippey

KAMANDAG 8 ?? Palawan Province, Philippines (Oct. 12-22, 2024) #Marines assigned to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit train alongside Philippine Marines assigned to 3rd Marine Brigade during exercise KAMANDAG 8. #KAMANDAG is an annual Philippine Marine Corps and U.S. Marine Corps-led exercise aimed at enhancing the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ defense and humanitarian capabilities by providing valuable training in combined operations with foreign militaries to advance a Free and Open Indo-Pacific. This year marks the eighth iteration of this exercise and includes participants from the French Armed Forces, Royal Thai Marine Corps, and Indonesian Marine Corps; including continued participation from the Australian Defense Force, British Armed Forces, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, and Republic of Korea Marine Corps. ?? Marine Cpl. Luis Agoostini #MarineCorps #USMC

#MarineCorps Gunnery Sgt. Tyrece Moore, the communications chief for Marine Rotational Force-Southeast Asia (MRF-SEA), explains what MRF-SEA is and its roles in the Indo-Pacific Region, Nov. 2, 2024. MRF-SEA is a rotational unit derived from elements of I Marine Expeditionary Force executing a U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific operational model that involves training events and exchanges with partner military subject matter experts, promotes security goals with Allied and partner nations, and ensures a persistent 1st Marine Expeditionary Force presence west of the International Date Line. ?? Marine Sgt. Shaina Jupiter

Honoring all Veterans Today and Every Day #OTD, we reflect on the sacrifices of all veterans who have dedicated themselves to preserving our freedoms during times of war and peace. #VeteransDay is a time to pay tribute to the men and women who have sworn to defend our country throughout the history of our nation. We give thanks to those who have served and created a legacy of unwavering commitment to our nation. We salute you today and every day. Semper Fidelis

Happy Birthday, Marines! Today, we celebrate 249 years of unmatched courage, unwavering dedication, and a legacy of service that has shaped our nation’s history. To every #Marine who has served, and to those who continue to serve, we thank you for your sacrifice, your strength, and your commitment to make this Corps the toughest, most respected force on the planet. To every Marine - Past, Present, and Future – Happy Birthday! #USMC249 #SemperFidelis #USMC

Today at 10:00 EST, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Basilone (DDG 122) will commission at New York City, New York. This will be the second Naval warship to bear the name of Medal of Honor recipient GySgt. John Basilone. John Basilone stands as a hero and as an example for all Marines to follow. On Oct. 24th and 25th, 1942, Basilone led his Marines to victory on Henderson Field in the Soloman Islands against an entrenched, disciplined, and overwhelming Imperial Japanese force. Throughout the course of the fighting, Basilone continuously rallied his Marines, provided critical aid to the wounded, manned and repaired machine guns, and sustained effective command and control over his element, all while being subject to incredible danger. GySgt. Basilone was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle. Basilone's quick thinking, incredible tenacity, and expertise in the employment of machine guns were instrumental in repelling the enemy assault. On Feb. 19, 1945, GySgt. Basilone was killed in action leading an assault on the beaches of Iwo Jima. GySgt. Basilone was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. Basilone remains the only enlisted Marine to be honored with both the Navy Cross and the Medal of Honor.

Freedom Flag #Marines with 1st Marine Aircraft Wing participate in exercise Freedom Flag 24-1 with services members from the Republic of Korea Air Force and United States Air Force. Freedom Flag 24-1 is a large-scale, military exercise between Republic of Korea and U.S. forces on the Korean Peninsula with a focus on realistic training and high-end tactics, techniques, and procedures with combined forces against an advanced adversary. ??Pohang, South Korea, Oct. 28 - 31, 2024. ?? Marine Sgt. Ryan Ulibarri

20 years ago today, Operation Phantom Fury launched more than 10,000 #Marines, #Sailors, and #Soldiers into the insurgent-controlled city of Fallujah, Iraq. For six weeks, the Marines fought from street-to-street and house-to-house in what would be remembered as the most intense combat of the Iraq War. Nine Marines were awarded the Navy Cross for their heroism.

UNIQUE LEADERSHIP: MARINE LEADS NAVY PROGRAM OFFICE The US Navy’s Program Executive Office Ships hosted an establishment ceremony for the Medium Landing Ship (LSM) Program Office at the Humphrey’s Building on Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., Oct. 24, 2024. The LSM Program Office, now led by U.S. #Marine Col. Raymond Feltham, is responsible for leading the design, development, acquisition, and test of the LSM. LSMs are instrumental in supporting the Force Design concept of Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations. LSMs will embark, transport, land, and subsequently re-embark small #MarineCorps units and have the capability to sustain those units with direct logistical support. “Filling the gap in capability between the Navy’s large, multipurpose warships and smaller complementary landing vessels, the LSM enables the ability to perform distributed maneuver and logistics to facilitate distributed maritime operations and support the newly established Marine Littoral Regiments," said Feltham. Feltham’s position as program director is unique in that a Marine will lead a Navy program office. “I cannot think of a finer individual to take the lead”, said Brig. Gen. Robert Brodie, Director of Expeditionary Warfare, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. “I’m proud that it happens to be a United States Marine, and I’ll tell you he is the right man to deliver this critical capability, and I have no doubt your future is going to be successful.” The LSM Program will require the integration of capabilities provided by multiple organizations to include partner Program Executive Offices and stakeholders across the Navy and Marine Corps. “The combination of the [Marine Littoral Regiment] and the LSM will provide an essential capability for rapid mobilization and take action in the littorals to critically influence or potentially seize maritime terrain,” Brig. Gen. Brodie said. Feltham understands the importance of the LSM program, highlighting the necessity for medium landing ships in past campaigns. “We couldn’t have handled the Indo-Pacific in World War II without a Medium Landing Ship,” said Feltham. “It’s intuitive that we are going to need a shore-to-shore connector to support our Marines and Sailors should there be a fight.” The LSM Program continues work already started by the Light Amphibious Warship program to relentlessly pursue the development of a world-class ship that meets Marine Corps needs well into the future.