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The cemetery Trump refused to visit is "where modern history for the Marine Corps really started"
https://www.marforeur.marines.mil/News/News-Article-Display/Article/520993/the-battle-of-belleau-wood-not-forgotten-by-us-marines-and-french-soldiers-on-m/The Battle of Belleau Wood not forgotten by U.S. Marines and French soldiers on Memorial Day
By Sgt. Tatum Vayavananda | | May 27, 2013
BELLEAU, France --
To commemorate Memorial Day, and to mark the 95th anniversary of the historic Battle of Belleau Wood, U.S. Marines with their French brothers and sisters in arms, locals of the town of Belleau, and visitors from around the world, gathered at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery May 26, to remember and honor the fallen heroes of World War I, as well as celebrate the long-standing partnership between U.S. and French militaries that is still alive today.
“Near this very site, just behind me and over the hill, Marines and their French counterparts together demonstrated their unfailing valor during a fight that would forever change our Corps,” said Col. Roger Turner, commanding officer of the 5th Marine Regiment.
The event was held in the memorial cemetery that lies outside of the historic grounds of Belleau Wood, the battlefield where the modern Marine Corps first made its name in one of the fiercest battles during the First World War. The ceremony was held on the parade grounds overlooked by the Romanesque chapel and flanked by 2,289 epitaphs of the fallen.
“We are privileged to return here each year to join you in honoring the memory of the many brave warriors who died fighting in the pursuit of liberty," said Turner.
In the June of 1918, during the First World War, the Battle for Belleau Wood was fought during the German Spring Offensive. The battle, a “baptism by fire” as known in Marine Corps legacy, was fought in the 200-acre forest located by the Marne River named “Belleau Wood.” This piece of French territory was contended for by the opposing German forces due to its strategic location; it was approximately 90 kilometers north from the capital city of Paris. The opposing forces launched a surprise offensive and reached the bank of the Marne River at Chateau-Thierry, which fell on the evening of June 1. In response, U.S. troops, consisting of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment marched more than 10 kilometers to plug the gap in the line by dawn. On June 26, the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines attacked Belleau Wood and cleared the forest of the German opposition, ending one of the fiercest battles the U.S. would fight during the war.
“This is where modern history for the Marine Corps really started,” said David M. Atkinson, the superintendent of Aisne-Marne American Cemetery. “Prior to June of 1918, very few people had heard of the Marine Corps; after, the Marine Corps was absolutely known throughout the world.”
“For the Marines, it represents something exceptional to be here; it is a tie between the Marine Corps and the French Marines that is tremendous and they find it here with each other every year,” said Atkinson, an Anderson, Nev., native.
Though seldom mentioned in historic texts, The Battle for Belleau Wood has an endearing place in Marine Corps legacy and is known to all Marines as sacred ground where Marines and French troops fought together, an endearing partnership that has lasted to the present day. ...
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. . .the Continental Marines. . .Tub Tavern, Philadelphia November 10, 1775.
