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One of the informational signs around the memorial. It reads

History of the U.S. Marine Corps

Marines have been fighting and dying in defense of freedom since the United States Marine Corps' inception in November 1775. The names of principal campaigns engraved on the memorial are a testament to the sacrifices Marines have made in their service to America.

Marines have been part of our nation's history from the first amphibious landing in the Revolutionary War. They fought in defense of the Capital during the War of 1812 and went to the "Halls of Montezuma" in the Mexican-American War. Marines captured John Brown at Harpers Ferry before the Civil War and helped rescue American citizens during the boxer Rebellion in China in 1900.

The Marines fought for this nation in all the major wars of the 20th Century. During World War I, Marines helped to stop the German Army in France in the epic battle of Belleau Wood. In World War II, the Marines were experts in the ship-to-shore battles of the Pacific Theater. The bitter war in Korea saw Marines at Pusan, Inchon, and Chosin Reservoir. The Marines served in the Vietnam War, best remembered in heroic battles at Hue City and Khe Sahn and in thousands of deadly firefights. In the Persian Gulf War and later in the War on Terrorism, Marines were called again to fight in the defense of freedom.