Medal of Honor Day has been celebrated on this day since 1991 to commemorate the awarding of the first six Medals of Honor for the Great Locomotive Chase. Those medals were awarded on March 25, 1863, for their daring actions of April 12, 1862.
Chester William Nimitz was born on February 24, 1885, in Fredericksburg, Texas. He was a leading naval commander during World War II and an authority on submarines.
On January 21, 1968, one of the most controversial and highly publicized battles of the Vietnam War began at Khe Sanh Combat Base (KSCB) in South Vietnam.
On November 10, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower presided over the dedication and official opening of the United States Marine Corps War Memorial, also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial.
Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone was born on November 4, 1916, in Buffalo, New York. Basilone earned the Medal of Honor for his heroics at Guadalcanal and a Navy Cross for actions at Iwo Jima.
On April 1, 1945, the Battle of Okinawa began. Lasting nearly three months, it was the last major battle of the war and the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific.
Marine Corps Commandant John Archer Lejeune was born on January 10, 1867, in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana. Serving his country for nearly 40 years, he’s been called the “Greatest of all Leathernecks” and the “Marine’s Marine.”
On November 11, 1954, America first observed Veterans Day, previously known as Armistice Day. Initially a day set aside to honor the veterans of World War I, it was expanded in 1954 to pay tribute to all veterans.
On August 29, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Naval Appropriations Act of 1916, establishing the Marine Corps Reserve.