U.S.A. MARINES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 August 1942, Page 4

U.S.A. MARINES

HISTORY OF FAMOUS CORPS SOLOMONS BATTLE. STERN TASKS ALLOTTED. The stern tasks which have been allotted to the United States marines' in the Solomons are of the kind for which their renowned corps is particularly well qualified by training and tradition. It came into being in 1775—it might be called one of the arguments behind the Declaration of Independence —and has rendered distinguished service in every war in which the United States has been engaged. Many and varied have been its peacetime duties, scores of which have demanded tactful, but resolute, command, and the highest military qualities. The 4th Brigade of Marines was part of the 2nd Division of the American Expeditionary Force of the last war, serving in France with conspicuous efficiency and gallantry. The peacetime operations of the corps in this century include expeditions to China and other countries of the Far East, Cuba, Nicaragua, Mexico, Panama, Columbia, Santo Domingo and Haiti, where it was in occupation for 20 years. THE BATTLESONG. Its battlesong begins “From the hills of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli,” the refence to Montezuma harking back to the days when the marines fought in the hills around Mexico City near the ancient palace of the Aztec Kings, and that to Tripoli further still, to the time when the United States Navy defeated the pirates of the Barbary Coast. Established on a permanent basis in 1798, the corps has remained a military and administrative organisation, complete in itself, forming an integral element of the naval service. Its function is “to. support the fleet in the accomplishment of its mission.” It guards navy yards, bases and utilities at home and abroad, and legations in foreign countries, and provides landing forces to protect American lives and property, forces of occupation to restore order and maintain peace in disturbed countries, and detachments to serve on capital warships and some of the cruisers. In war, it supplies com-prehensively-equipped expeditionary forces. BROAD-BASED ORGANISATION. These have been described as high-ly-trained land auxiliaries of the Navy, which are organised as triangular divisions, including infantry, light and heavy artillery, and machine-gun, signal, engineer, tank, chemical, amphibious and parachute troops, with, aviators equipped with land planes and all other units necessary to enable the Navy to carry out its mission. Normally, the establishment is limited to 20 per cent, of the strength of the Navy. The strength authorised for 1942 has been set at 5,000 officers and 75,000 men. It always has maintained a reserve of officers and men, who come up for a period of annual training, and may be called into service for war or ip a time of national emergency. DEFIANCE OF WAKE GARRISON. At Wake Island in this year the marines made history. The day after Pearl Harbour, a Japanese cruiser and two destroyers appeared off the island flying the signal “Surrender.” “Come and get us” was the reply of Major James Devereaux, and his force of 378 marines fought for. 15 days until they were overwhelmed. The eldest son of the President, Major James Roosevelt, is an officer in the Marine Corps. He was in action at Midway. As far as is known, the marine corps of no other country are as self-con-tained as that of the United States, nor are they so comprehensively equipped for landing and land operations. These marine units are sea commandos and more, for behind all the specialised training there is the soul born of the long traditions of a great history. Tough men for tough places are these marines, who from armour-bow-ed craft, the newest action craft, have rushed the beaches of four islands, makiag the first American landings of this war in enemy-occupied territory. And. strangely enough, this blow for civilisation was delivered in a country where civilisation has not made much mark.