Fourth Marine Division Of World War II - World War II Memorials / Monuments on Waymarking.com

Semper Fidelis Memorial Park overlooks the National Museum of the Marine Corps at the Marine Corps Heritage Center in Triangle, Virginia, near Quantico MCB. The 23-acre park has a series of walkways with memorial bricks, commemorative benches, rally points, and monuments erected in honor of various Marine Corps units and organizations.

Among the memorials is a brass plaque to the Fighting Fourth. The Fourth Marine Division was activated for fighting in the Pacific Theatre during World War II and was only active for two years, but they participated in the most combat missions in the shortest amount of time of any military unit. The plaque, which is mounted on a stone wall, reads:

FOURTH MARINE DIVISION OF WORLD WAR II
[Emblems]
"THE FIGHTING FOURTH"
ACTIVATED 16 AUGUST, 1943		DEACTIVATED 28 NOVEMBER, 1945
COMBAT OPERATIONS	DATES	CASUALTIES
ROI-NAMUR, KWAJALEIN ATOLL, MARSHALL ISLANDS SAIPAN, MARIANAS ISLANDS TINIAN, MARIANAS ISLANDS IWO JIMA, VOLCANO ISLANDS AVERAGE COMBAT STRENGTH 18,500	31 JAN. - 8 FEB. 1944 15 JUNE - 9 JULY 1944 24 JULY - 1 AUG. 1944 19 FEB. - 16 MAR. 1945	737 5,981 1,906 9,098 TOTAL CASUALTIES 17,722
HONORS
	MEDAL OF HONOR     12 NAVY CROSS     111 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL     4 SILVER STAR     646 LEGION OF MERIT     53 DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS     36 NAVY-MARINE CORPS MEDAL     56 BRONZE STAR     2,517 AIR MEDAL     103 PURPLE HEART     14,736 PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION     2 NAVY UNIT CITATION     1
THE FOURTH MARINE DIVISION EFFECTED THE MOST COMBAT MISSIONS IN THE SHORTEST TIME OF ANY MILITARY UNIT DURING WORLD WAR II. 31 JANUARY 1944 -16 MARCH 1945 THE FOURTH MARINE DIVISION WAS THE FIRST COMBAT UNIT TO SAIL DIRECT INTO ACTION FROM THE UNITED STATES. BY ATTACKING ROI-NAMUR IN THE MARSHALL ISLANDS, IT WAS THE FIRST TO CAPTURE A JAPANESE MANDATED ISLAND WHILE DEFEATING THE ENEMY IN THE SHORTEST COMBAT TIME IN THE PACIFIC CAMPAIGN. BY THE TAKING OF SAIPAN, THE "FIGHTING FOURTH" OBTAINED AIR FIELDS AND ESTABLISHED A PORT OF CALL FOR FUTURE STAGING AREAS OF COMBAT TROOPS. THE "PERFECT AMPHIBIOUS OPERATION" WAS IN THE LANDING ON TINIAN ISLAND WHERE TWO BEACHES OF 65 AND 130 YARDS WERE USED TO LAND THE ENTIRE DIVISION OF COMBAT TROOPS. THE LANDING ON IWO JIMA, VOLCANO ISLAND WAS NOT ONLY THE STRONGEST EFFORT BY THE JAPANESE IN DEFENSE, WITH ONLY 660 MILES FROM TOKYO, JAPAN. THE LOSS GAVE US LANDING FIELDS THAT WERE TO SAVE MANY B-29 BOMBER CREWS RETURNING FROMBOMBING RUNS ON THE JAPANESE MAINLAND.
ADMIRAL CHESTER W. NIMITZ OF CINCPAC SAID IN 1945 AFTER THE TAKING OF IWO JIMA "UNCOMMON VALOR WAS A COMMON VIRTUE"
* SEMPER FIDELIS *

Property Permission: Public Access instructions: The Marine Corps Heritage Center in Triangle, VA near Quantico MCB Access times: From: 9:00 AM To: 5:00 PM Website for Waymark: [Web Link] Location of waymark: Semper Fidelis Memorial Park at the Marine Corps Heritage Center 18900 Jefferson Davis Highway Triangle, VA USA 22172 Commemoration: 4th Marine Division Date of Dedication: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   09/27/2021 petendot visited it