Sixth Marine Division - Presidential Unit Citation
N 38° 32.513 W 077° 21.652
18S E 294243 N 4268583
A plaque honoring the 6th Marine Division who received the Presidential Unit Citation for its action in Okinawa during WWII was placed at Quantico National Cemetery.
Waymark Code: WMB30X
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 03/28/2011
Views: 2
At
Quantico National Cemetery in Triangle, VA, there is a pathway that leads to nine memorials. The second one on the path honors the Sixth Marine Division and the Presidential Unit Citation award they received for their action on Okinawa during World War II.
The 6th Marines was formed on Guadalcanal in September 1944. They distinguished themselves during the Battle of Okinawa in the spring of 1945. (For a detailed history, see Laura Lacey's Battle of Okinawa.)
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Okinawa, the 6th decided to place plaques at several national cemeteries including the one at Quantico. The dedication ceremony was held on October 5, 1995. The plaque which bears the insignia of the 6th and the Marine Corps emblem is mounted on the top of an oval rough-hewn block of granite and reads:
SIXTH
MARINE DIVISION
PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION
OKINAWA 1945
DEDICATED 1995
While dedicating the plaque, the 6th Marines decided to expand its memorial at Quantico National Cemetery. Five years later, the Striking Sixth Memorial was unveiled.
A sign near the road marks the location of the Memorial Pathway which is a trail that winds up through the trees.
Quantico National Cemetery is open daily, sunrise to sunset.
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