Marine Corps History
During the Month of
August

August 1
1778 – During August, the brigantine 'General Cates' and her Marines defeated the British letter-of-marque brig 'Montague' in the Atlantic.
1801 – Marines participated in the action between the U.S. schooner 'Enterprise' and the Tripolitan Polacra 'Tripoli' in the Mediterranean Sea. 'Enterprise' forced the 'Tripoli' to surrender.
1812 – Marines participated in the action between the U.S. privateer 'Yankee' and the British ship 'Royal Bounty' off Newfoundland.
1814 – Marines participated in the capture of the British sloop 'Leith Pasket' by the U.S. sloop 'Peacock' off the Shannon.
1836 – During August, during the Seminole War, the Creek Indians ended their resistance and joined with the Marines. Henderson shifted his force to Fort Brooke, Florida.
1918 – On the Western Front "during the afternoon and night of 1 August, the brigade elements (4th Marine, 2nd Div.) arrived at one of the stations in Nancy and proceeded to various billet areas located in the vicinity. The Fifth Regiment settled near Nancy in Villers les Nancy; the Sixth Regiment marched several miles away to and around Chaligny, high in the Vosges mountains, and the Sixth Machine Gun Battalion, detrained at Jarville, marched to billets at Haudimont. This move brought the Second Division into the rear of the military area controlled by the Twenty-Third Corps of the French Eighth Army. Preparation was started at once to relieve the French Sixty-Fourth Division, then holding front line positions in the Marbache sector. During the few days spent in the Nancy area, before movement TO the front, replacements, clothing, and equipment were received in sufficient amount to reconstruct the brigade. Regular rest, bathing, and hot meals restored the men. A daily training program and a brief leave to the city of Nancy (the first liberty given the men since they entered the lines in March) put the brigade in good fighting mettle. The medical personnel of the brigade units were employed in routine sanitary and medical duties, such as sick calls; billet, camp and food inspections; physical examinations of replacements and returning casualties; medical equipment replacement; organization improvement; instruction of personnel in first aid and application of splints; and resumption of the task of catching up on Navy medical department paper-work.  (adopted from Lt George Strott's 'Medical Dept of the US Navy with the Army & Marine Corps in France in WWI').
1922 – The 3rd and 15th Regiments disbanded and their personnel transferred to the 4th Regiment and the newly established 1st Regiment.
1925 – The Legation Guard at Managua, Nicaragua, was withdrawn and sailed three days later from Corinto, Nicaragua.
1930 – During August, VF-5M, first activated in 1925 as VF-2M, was redesignated VF-9M at Quantico.
1941 – Naval Air Station, Midway, under Commander Cyril T. Simard, USN, was commissioned.
The 1st Marine Aircraft Group was redesignated Marine Aircraft Group II (MAG-II).
1942 – The 12th Defense Battalion was organized at San Diego.
1943 – On New Georgia, Marine planes of AirSols participated in a major strike against Japanese positions holding up the advance on Munda Airfield.
VMF-323 and VMSB-333, 334, and 343 were organized at Cherry Point.
1944 – After nine days of fighting in a battle termed "the perfect amphibious operation of World War II," MajGen Harry Schmidt, commander of V Amphibious Corps, declared the island of Tinian secured. The combination of surprise, heavy preassault bombardment, and effective logistical support was responsible for Tinian's recapture with a much lower casualty rate (344 killed and 1550 wounded) than had been experienced in previous landings.
In the Pacific, U.S. Army Forces, POA, commanded by Lt Gen Robert C. Richardson, USA, superseded U.S. Army Forces, CenPac. Army Air Forces, POA, was activated under Lt Gen Millard F. Harmon.
On Tinian, the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions reached the southern coast and all organized resistance ceased, although some Japanese held forth in caves on the southern coast. Lt Gen Harry Schmidt, commanding Northern Troops and Landing Force, declared the island secured and all organized Japanese resistance ended.  Marine casualties on Tinian totaled 368 killed and 1,921 wounded.
Losses among Navy personnel attached to VAC were 26 killed and 40 wounded.
On Guam, the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade assumed the responsibility for clearing the southern sector of the island while the 3rd Marine Division and the 77th Infantry Division advanced abreast to the north. The 307th Infantry, USA, captured the Agana-Pago Bay Road, making it available for the movement of equipment and supplies to the northeast.
In France, Major Peter Ortiz and Marine Sergeants John P. Bodnar, Jack R. Risler, and Frederick J. Brunner parachuted into German-occupied southeastern France. They were part of a seven-man team from the Office of Strategic Services (a forerunner of the CIA) inserted to assist French guerrilla units. All but Brunner would be captured by German forces on 16 August.
VMSB-236 and 241 were decommissioned.
1945 – On Okinawa, Marine Carrier Group 4, on board the Marine escort carrier 'Cape Gloucester' (attached  to Task Group 31.2), departed Okinawa to cover minesweeping operations in the East China Sea and to launch strikes against shipping in the Saddle and Parker Island groups near Shanghai. Most of 2nd MAW passed under the control of the Far East Air Forces.
In the Philippines, the four SBD squadrons of Marines Aircraft Group 32 closed tactical operations in the Philippines preparatory to returning to the U.S. on 15 August.
VMTB-473 was organized at El Centro. VMG-481 was reactivated at Santa Barbara.
1946 – Corps aviation strength was established by a confidential letter from the Commandant at a Marine aircraft wing and a Marine aircraft group, the units of which were to be variously deployed on the West Coast and in the Central and Western Pacific. The proposed combined strength in peacetime of the Fleet Marine Force, both Atlantic and Pacific, was set at 2,149 ground and 1,498 aviation officers and 36,493 ground and 11,848 aviation enlisted men.  In China, the 1st Marine Division directed that Marine forces in Tsingtao be reduced to a reinforced infantry battalion and that the 4th Marines (rein) return to the U.S., less the operational control of the Commander, Naval Port Facilities, Tsingtao.
1950 – The first organized reserve units reported to Camp Lejeune.
More than 9,000 officers and enlisted men of the 2nd Marine Division and the newly activated organized reserve units arrived at Camp Pendleton, California, to reinforce units of the 1st Marine Division which were assigned to duty in Korea.
1960 – The Marine Corps Enlisted Rank and Pay Structure Board revised the rank structure, incorporating Lance Corporal, and E-8’s & E-9’s.  The prefix “acting” was abolished by General David Shoup, 22nd Commandant of the Marine Corps.
1961 – In response to rising tensions with the Soviet Union over Cuba and Bewrlin, Congress authorized the President to activate reserve forces totaling up to 250,000 for up to one year.
Helicopter units, beginning with HMR (L)-362, began the transplacement rotation to Okinawa.
1962 – In Vietnam, HMM-163 replaced HMM-362 as the Shufly squadron.
1963 – Marine All-Weather Fighter Squadrons, assigned the F4B Phantom aircraft, were redesignated as Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons (VMFA). Squadrons affected were VMF (AW) 314, 513, & 531.
1964 – HMM-164 was activated at Santa Ana, California. It would receive the new Boeing CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter.
1965 – Operation “Cam Nhe” Vietnam was launched.
At Phu Bai, 3/4 began the Combined Action Program, which would eventually be adopted throughout III MAF. It used a Marine infantry squad to reinforce a local Vietnamese militia unit. These Combined Action Platoons were each permanently assigned to protect a village.
1966 – VMO-3 was reactivated at Cam Pendleton. It would be redesignated in 1968 as HML-367.
1967 – In Vietnam, American troop strength in the Republic of Vietnam included 78,000 Marines.
1969 – Regimental Headquarters and the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, left Da Nang for Okinawa. Both units had been in Vietnam since 4 July 1965.
Sergeant Major Joseph W. Dailey succeeded Sergeant Major Herbert J. Sweet as Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps. Sergeant Major Dailey held the Navy Cross, Silver and Bronze Stars, and was a veteran of two Vietnam tours.
Brig Gen Duane L. Faw and Col Ralph K. Culver joined seven Navy officers and three civilians as members of the new Navy Court of Military Review which met at the Washington Navy Yard. This was the first major step in streamlining the military court system under the Military Justice Act of 1968.
1976 – VMO-8 was deactivated at El Toro.
1989 – The Marine Corps University was established to oversee a number of educational programs.
1991 – During August, as part of the post-Cold War drawdown, the Marine Corps began deleting the fourth rifle companies from its infantry battalions.

August 2
1798 – An Adjutant was added to the Headquarters staff of the Marine Corps.
1812 – Marines participated in the capture of the British brig Hero and the British ship Nancy by the U.S. frigate Essex, off Newfoundland.
1813 – Marines participated in the capture of the British bark Lion by the U.S. frigate President in the Irish Channel.
1814 – Marines participated in the capture of the British sloop William and Ann by the U.S. sloop Peacock, off Ennis.
1914 – German ultimatum to Belgium; first violations of French frontier by German patrols; first French soldier killed in action.
1942 – In the New Hebrides, aircraft of Marine Observation Squadron 251 began to arrive at Espiritu Santo airfield.
1944 – On Guam, the 4th Marines (less Companies A & F), 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, moved toward Toto in the north of the island.
1950 - Marine Corsairs launched from the USS Sicily struck the first blow of the Korean War for the Marine Corps.  Eight Corsairs of VMF-214, the famed "Black Sheep" squadron of World War II, launched from the USS SICILY and executed the first Marine aviation mission in the Korean War against enemy installations near Inchon.  After the F4Us delivered their incendiary bombs and rockets on their targets, the Marines concluded with a series of strafing runs.
In Korea, ground elements of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade (Rein) arrived at the port of Pusan in the southeast and began unloading one month after being alerted.
1955 – In Vietnam, LtCol Victor J. Croiszat, the first U.S. Marine assigned to the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG), arrived.
1961 – President Kennedy declared that the United States would do all it could to save South Vietnam from Communism.
1964 – At 3:40 a.m. EDT (3:40 p.m. Saigon time), August 2, the destroyer 'Maddox', on patrol in the Gulf of Tonkin, reported that it was "being approached by high speed craft with apparent intention of torpedo attack. Intend open fire in necessary self defense." (Message 020740Z to Commander Seventh Fleet; Department of State, Vietnam Working Group Files: Lot 72 D 219, DeSoto Patrols, August) Twenty-seven minutes later, the 'Maddox' reported that it was being attacked by three North Vietnamese patrol craft and had opened fire.  (Message 020807Z to Commander Seventh Fleet; ibid.)  In the ensuing engagement, the 'Maddox' and aircraft from the U.S.S. 'Ticonderoga' damaged two of the patrol craft which retreated to the North, and left one dead in the water. Reports on the incident reached Washington shortly after 4 a.m., August 3.
1966 – Operation “Prairie” began in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam.

August 3
1776 – Marines participated in the action between three row-galleys (Conn. Navy) and the British ships 'Phoenix' and 'Rose' in the Hudson River.
1800 – Marines participated in the capture of the French privateer schooner 'Vengeance' by the U.S. sloop 'Trumbull', off Jeremie, Haiti.
1804 – Marines participated in the bombardment of Tripoli and a naval action with Tripolitan vessels by Preble's squadron, consisting of the USS 'Constitution', 'Siren', 'Argus', 'Scourge', 'Nautilus', 'Enterprise', and several gunboats. As the U.S. squadron bombarded the forts at Tripoli Harbor, four gunboats under command of Capt Stephen Decatur attacked eleven Tripolitan boats. In close quarters fighting with muskets and cutlasses, the American's captured three of the boats and inflicted nearly 100 casualties among the enemy as a cost of one dead (Decatur's brother) and three wounded.
1812 – Marines participated in the action between the American privateer 'Atlas' and the British ships ‘Pursuit’ and 'Planter'. Marines participated in the capture of the British brig Brothers by the U.S. frigate Essex in the North Atlantic.
1814 – Marines participated in the capture of the British sloop Peggy and Jane by the U.S. sloop Peacock off Tory Island.
1900 – In China, an international relief force, an 18,600-man column ~ including 482 men of the Marine 1st Regiment set out from Tientsin for Peking. Although there were two Boxer stands en route, the main enemy was the heat. As Lieutenant Smedley Butler related, "There was no shade not a drop of rain, nor a breath of air. The cavalry and the artillery kicked up clouds of dust which beat back in our faces. The blistering heat burned our lungs. Nearly 50% of our men fell behind during the day, overcome by the sun. In the cool night they would catch up with us and start on again the next morning. Our throats were parched, our tongues thick. We were cautioned not to drink the water, but no orders could keep us from anything that was liquid."
1912 – By this date, a permanent garrison of 250 Marines was manning the base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
1922 – The air elements at Quantico were designated the 1st Aviation Group, East Coast Expeditionary Force. This was part of an aviation reorganization that would see the designation of squadrons based on dedicated missions (such as scouting or bombing).
1942 – MajGen Clayton B. Vogel, senior Fleet Marine Force commander at San Diego, was designated Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, San Diego Area, to head all Fleet Marine Force units in the 11th Naval District.
1944 – PFC Robert L Wilson received the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously for actions with the 2/6 on Tinian Island.
PFC Frank P Witek received the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously for actions with 1/9, during the Battle of Finegayan at Guam, Marianas.
On Tinian, the American flag was officially raised over the island. On Guam, the 4th Marines (less Companies A and F), 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, moved toward Toto in the north of the island.
On Guam, the 77th Infantry Division, USA, captured the town of Barrigada (3 Aug), with its important water supply and secured the mountain north of the town the next day.
On Guam, the 3rd Marine Division captured the Finegayan positions, thus breaking the outer ring of the Mt. Santa Rosa defense.
MBDAG-48 was organized at Santa Barbara.
1945 – In the Pacific, the commander of the FEAF directed that the Headquarters, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and Marine Aircraft Group 61, be moved to the Philippines.
1950 – Eight Corsairs of VMF-214, the famed "Black Sheep" squadron of World War II, launched from the USS SICILY and executed the first Marine aviation mission in the Korean War against enemy installations at Chinju and Sadon-ni.  After the F4Us delivered their incendiary bombs and rockets on their targets, the Marines concluded with a series of strafing runs.
The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade (Rein) moved from Pusan to Changwon where it took up defensive positions astride the Changwon-Masan road, near the southwest corner of what was dubbed the Pusan Perimeter (the 60-mile-wide by 90-mile-long toehold of U.N. forces in the southeast corner of the country, its western flank mainly by the Naktong River.
Infantry units began arriving at Camp Pendleton by train from Camp Lejeune. The next day, they were redesignated to form the reactivated 1st Marines, under command of Col 'Chesty' Puller. The regiment would be filled out to war strength by regulars reporting in from other duties and by reservists. The 1st Marines also formed and took under its wing the third rifle companies for the 5th Marines.
1952 – In Korea, due to complaints from the Eighth Army that the 1st Marine Division was getting more close air support than other outfits, Fifth Air Force ended the three-month-old program of allowing Marine aircraft to "train' for close air support with the division.
1966 – Operation “Prairie” began in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam.
1991 – Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, effectively starting the 1st Gulf War.

August 4
1776 – Marines participated in the capture of the British brigantine 'Perkins' by the 'Hancock' and the 'Franklin' (Washington's fleet), about 600 miles east off the Virginia capes.
1782 – Marines participated in the recapture of the brigantine 'Adventure' by the 'Alliance' off New London.
1800 – Marines participated in the capture of the French ship 'Cullie' by the U.S. sloop 'Trumbull', off Haiti.
1801 – The Marine Band played at the first inaugural parade in Washington.
1814 – On Lake Huron, Marines assisted LtCol George Croghan's Army force in a landing against the British and Indians holding Fort Mackinac. The Americans withdrew after significant losses.
1846 – Marines and seamen from the US frigate Congress landed and took possession of the town of Santa Barbara.
1855 – Marines and seamen from the U.S. steamer 'Powhatan' joined with British in attacking pirates in Ty-ho Bay near Hong Kong, China, in a punitive expedition. Seventeen pirate junks were captured.
1912 – A detachment of Marines and seamen from the USS 'Annapolis' landed at Corinto, Nicaragua, at the request of local authorities, and proceeded to Managua to protect American interests during a period of local disturbances.
1915 – Five companies of the 2nd Marine Regiment arrived at Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to assist in protecting American interests during a period of revolution.
In Haiti, five companies of the 2nd Regiment arrived in Port-au-Prince from Philadelphia.
1917 – Secretary Daniels ordered creation of the 6th Regiment for eventual service with the A.E.F.
1937 – The Marine Corps League was chartered by Congress although it had been officially formed in 1923.
1943 –On New Georgia, the light tanks of the 9th, 10th, and 11th Defense Battalions helped Army forces defeat the final Japanese positions around Munda Airfield.
1944 – VMF (N)-543 was the first squadron of Marine Aircraft Group 21 to land on Guam in 13 years. They would be followed soon after by VMF-216, 217, and 225.
1945 – On Okinawa, the 27th Infantry Division, USA, reached Hedo Misake, ending a three and a half month mopping-up action in northern Okinawa, begun on 17 May.
1950 – In Korea, Marine Corps HO3S-I observation helicopters and light OY planes of VMO-6, commanded by Major Vincent J. Gottschalk, made the first air evacuation of Marine casualties in Korea.
In the extreme south of Korea, United States and South Korean troops continued their planned retreat to the Naktong River line while Communist units probed the new defenses.
1964 – In the Gulf of Tonkin, a second attack was made by PT boats against the Maddox and another U.S. destroyer, the Turner Joy. The U.S. ships were not damaged, while their return fire sank or damaged several of the attacking PT boats. The destroyers were 65 miles off shore.

August 5
1813 – Marines participated in the capture of the British schooner Dominica by the U.S. privateer Decatur in the West Indies.
1864 – In Alabama, Marines served heavy guns and provided musket in support of Farragut's battle with Forts Morgan, Gaines, and Powell on the shores of Mobile Bay, Alabama and the Confederate ironclad 'Tennessee' in Mobile Bay. Eight Marine NCOs were awarded the Medal of Honor.
Cpl Miles M. Oviatt received the MEDAL OF HONOR for actions aboard the US Brooklyn, Battle of Mobile Bay.
Sergeant Henry Denig received the MEDAL OF HONOR for actions aboard the US Brooklyn, Battle of Mobile Bay.
Sergeant James Martin received the MEDAL OF HONOR for actions aboard the US Brooklyn, Battle of Mobile Bay.
Sgt Willard M Smith received the MEDAL OF HONOR for actions aboard the US Brooklyn, Battle of Mobile Bay.
Sergeant Andrew Miller received the MEDAL OF HONOR for actions on the US Richmond, Battle of Mobile Bay.
Sergeant David Sprowle received the MEDAL OF HONOR for actions on the US Richmond, Battle of Mobile Bay.
Sergeant James S Roantree received the MEDAL OF HONOR for actions on the US Oneida, Battle of Mobile Bay.

1898 – In Guantanamo Bay, Huntington's battalion embarked on transport 'Resolute' for future landing operations.
1918 – On the Western Front, the 4th Brigade of Marines, as part of the 2nd Division, AEF, broke its temporary encampment in the rear-Nancy area during the afternoon of August 5, and commenced marching toward its new position in the Marbache sector. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, visited the brigade and reviewed the Third Battalion, Fifth Regiment, USMC, in the outskirts of Nancy.
1943 – In the Pacific, Admiral Spruance, formerly chief of staff, CinCPOA, became ComCen Pac and Commander, Fifth Fleet.
1944 – On Guam, the Commanding Officer, 77th Infantry Division, USA, received orders from the III Amphibious Corps to capture Mt. Santa Rosa and the remainder of the island ~ a Corps effort with the 77th Division making the main assault. The 3rd Marine Division smashed through the Japanese defensive line around the town of Finegayan.
1950 – In Korea, 'Sicily' moved into the Yellow Sea and VMF-214 made the first Marine attacks on the Inchon-Seoul region. VMF-323 flew from Itami airfield on to escort carrier 'Badoeng Strait'. It would launch its first air strikes the next day.
1953 – In Korea, the exchange of Korean POWs began in Panmunjom, known as Operation Big Switch. The Communists returned 157 Marines, 129 from the division and the rest from 1st MAW plus six corpsmen. Of the 221 Marines believed to have been captured during the war, 20 had escaped, 174 had been released, and 27 had died in captivity. Nearly a quarter of these men had fallen into enemy hands on 29-30 November during the attempt of Task Force Drysdale to reach Hagaru-ri.
1964 – Department of Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara announced that U.S. planes had bombed North Vietnamese bases, naval craft, and an oil storage depot, destroying or damaging 25 North Vietnamese patrol boats and had virtually destroyed the oil depot.
The United Nations Security Council, called into session at the request of the United States, heard the chief U.S. delegate, Adlai E. Stevenson; defend U.S. bombing of North Vietnamese torpedo boats and their facilities as an act of self defense. Platon D. Morozov, the Soviet representative, denounced the attack as an "act of aggression."
1968 – A Marine detachment was activated on board the newly commissioned aircraft carrier, USS John F. Kennedy.
1990 – In Liberia, elements of 22nd MEU (SOC) flew into the U.S. Embassy compound in Monrovia and began evacuating Americans and other foreign nationals as a civil war waged in the country.  OPERATION SHARP EDGE continued until 30 November and pulled out over 2400 civilians.
2004 – A cease-fire signed in June between members of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s Muqtada Militia and Iraqi officials in Iraq ended when the militia launched attacks against Marines with the 11th MEU and Iraqi security forces in Najaf, Iraq. The gunmen violated international laws of war by using the Imam Ali-Shrine and neighboring cemetery to strike against the Marines and Iraqi National Guardsmen. Within a week, Marines had surrounded the captured mosques and continued to increase pressure on the entrenched militia. Fighting in the city finally ended on 28 August.

August 6
1776 – Marines participated in the capture of the British ship Nelly Frigate by the Hancock and the Franklin (Washington’s fleet), about 600 miles east of the Virginia capes.
1846 – Marines from the U.S. frigate Congress landed and took possession of San Pedro, California.
1847 – Marines under LtCol Watson arrived at Prebla, Mexico, and joined General Scott’s army. Due to lack of men, the regiment was reorganized into a battalion. From Prebla, on this date, the Marines commenced their march on the "Halls of Montezuma".
1864 – In Alabama, Capt Charles Heywood and 25 Marines from ‘Hartford’ and ‘Richmond’ occupied Fort Powell at the entrance to Mobile Bay.
1865 – Twenty-five Marines, commanded by Captain Charles Heywood, from the USS Hartford and the USS Richmond, occupied Fort Powell, Mobile, Alabama.
1900 – Marines supporting the 5th Artillery drove off a Chinese cavalry attack at Yangtsun, China, during the advance of the international relief force towards Peking.
In China, the 1st Regiment assisted an army artillery battery in driving off a Chinese cavalry attack at Yangtsun.
1924 – The 4th Regiment departed Santo Domingo for San Diego.
1928 – Marines took part in the Battle of Cua River, Nicaragua.
1930 – MajGen Ben H. Fuller became the 15th Commandant of the Marine Corps.
1943 –In the Solomons, the Battle of Vella Gulf took place. U.S. naval forces defeated a Japanese attempt to reinforce the central Solomons area.
On New Georgia, the major elements of 9th Defense Battalion began moving from Rendova Island to the Munda Airfield area to protect the newly captured landing strip.
1944 –On Tinian, the 8th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, assumed responsibility for the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions’ sectors and continued mop-up activities.
The 2nd and 4th Divisions commenced embarkation for Saipan and Maui, Hawaii, respectively.
1945 – Three American B-29s, one of which carried an atomic bomb, while the other two carried cameras and scientific equipment, left Tinian in the Marianas, bound for Japan. At 0811 hours the aircraft circled above Hiroshima and the Enola Gay, piloted by Col Paul Tibbets, dropped the world’s first atomic bomb to be used in combat. Within moments, 80% of the buildings in the city were reduced to rubble. The Japanese government would later release figures which suggested that 71,000 people were killed, with an equal number injured. After the war, American medical teams raised that latter figure to 200,000 who suffered from the lingering effects of radiation.
1950 – The first Marine aviation missions to be flown from the Badoeng Strait against the North Koreans occurred when Majors Arnold A. Lund and Robert F. Steinkraus led two divisions of F4Us in strikes against areas west of Chinju, along the Namgang River.
1952 – In Korea, Marine aviators of MAG-33 flew 141 sorties, which was a new record for the group.
1953 – Marine Rifle Team #3, composed of Master Sergeant Robert A. Newton, Staff Sergeant Howard Nicks, Staff Sergeant Robert A. Blackett, and Sergeant Robert L. Arnaud, broke the former record of the National Rifle Association Regional High Power Championship Match with the high team score of 978 out of 1000.
The Marine Corps extended the standard tour of duty with units in Korea to 14 months from 11.
1966 – OPERATION COLORADO - The 5th Marines and South Vietnamese forces conducted a search and destroy operation in the Que Son Valley. It lasted until 22 August and temporarily drove the 2nd NVA Division from the area.

August 7
1778 – Marines participated in the action between the sloop 'Providence' and an armed British transport off Nova Scotia.
1782 – George Washington created the “Badge of Military Merit”, which in 1932 was renamed as the Order of the Purple Heart.
1800 – Marines participated in the capture of the French privateer schooner 'Dorade' by the U.S. sloop 'Patapsco' in the West Indies.
1804 – Marines participated in another bombardment of Tripoli by Preble's squadron.
1812 – Marines participated in the capture of the American ship 'Elize Ann', loaded with British goods, by the U.S. privateer Yankee in the North Atlantic.
1814 – Marines participated in the capture of the British ship Paris by the U.S. sloop 'Adams' off the coast of Ireland.
1846 – A landing force of Marines and sailors in boats failed in an assault by Commodore Connor's Squadron against Alvarado, Mexico, due to strong river currents and heavy enemy fire.
1899 – Five officers and 121 enlisted Marines, commanded by Major Allen C. Kelton, landed at Agana, Guam, form the USS 'Yosemite' as a garrison for the naval station to be established.
A force of five officers and 121 enlisted Marines landed at Agana, Guam, to garrison the Navy's new base.
1918 – On the Western Front, the 4th Brigade of Marines, 2nd Division, AEF, completed the relief of the French 64th Division in the Marbache sector, on the right of the Toul front, in the vicinity of Pont-a- Mousson, on the morning of 7 August.
Under authorization from Congress, the Marine Corps took control of all of Paris Island, a total of roughly 3,000 acres of land and 3,000 acres of marsh. Until this time the government had owned just 78 acres.
1928 – In Nicaragua, Edson and his Coco River patrol defeated Sandino and his men at Ililiquas, killing ten at a cost of one Marine dead and three wounded. Ten days later the patrol would occupy Sandino's former lair at Potecda and would retain control of this site until March 1929.
1942 – Marine Aircraft Wing, Pacific, was organized in accordance with a dispatch directive from the Commandant.
In the Solomons, after preliminary bombardment, in the first Allied offensive amphibious operation in the Pacific, Operation Watchtower, Task Groups Yoke and X-Ray of the 1st Marine Division
landed in the Tulagi area and on Guadalcanal with naval and air support; this was the first American land offensive undertaken in the war against Japan.
The 5th Marines (less the 2nd Battalion) landed on Red Beach, Guadalcanal, followed by the 1st Marines in reserve. The 1st and 5th Marines crossed the Tenaru River and moved unopposed toward the Ilu. MajGen Alexander A. Vandergrift, commanding the Guadalcanal-Tulagi forces, ordered the occupation of the airfield and the establishment of a defensive line along the Lunga River.
The 1st Raider Battalion landed unopposed at Blue Beach on the western shore of Tulugi Island, followed by the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines. Colonel Merritt Edson, commanding the 1st Raider Battalion, launched a coordinated attack to the southeast but stopped at a heavily fortified ravine in the forward slope of Hill 281. The 1st Parachute Battalion landed on the northeast coast of Gavutu and advanced toward Gavutu's high ground. The 2nd Marines, sent to reinforce the Gavutu-Tanambogo operation, met heavy resistance on the east shore of Tanambogo and withdrew.
1944 – On Guam, the III Amphibious Corps launched its final attack to capture the northern end of the island. The 77th Division, USA, seized Yigo and advanced toward Mt. Santa Rosa. The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade re-entered the corps front on the left flank (western coast of Guam), with the 3rd Marine Division in the center and the 77th Infantry Division on the right. The first Marine aircraft (of VMF-255) based on Orote airfield began flying combat missions over the island.
1946 – The Commandant authorized the retention of 100 Women Reservists on active duty until 30 June 1947 to perform administrative tasks at Headquarters Marine Corps in connection with new laws providing benefits to demobilizing personnel. Soon after, this number would be increased to 300.
1947 – The rank of Commandant, USMC, was permanently fixed at General.
1950 – All 80,000 voluntary reservists were alerted for active duty to bring Marine strength up to more than 200,000. The first 50,000 were to go into uniform between 15 August and 31 October.
(7-10 Aug): In Korea, on the eighth anniversary of the Guadalcanal landings, the Marine Brigade launched its first strong counterattack of the war, to relieve pressure on the southern flank of the Pusan Perimeter. The Marines moved southwest to clear a peninsula, while Army units drove due west on their right flank. The objective was the town of Chinju, 25 miles to the west. The offensive ran right into NKPA soldiers resuming their attack on the perimeter. The Americans drove the North Koreans back about 13 miles.
The Marine Corps alerted its 80,000 individual reservists for cal up to active duty. The first men and women would report on 15 August.
1953 – Staff Sergeant Barbara O. Barnwell, naval gunfire instructor of Fort Schuyler, N.Y., became the first woman Marine to win the Navy-Marine Corps Medal for Heroism. She saved a fellow Marine, PFC Frederick H. Roman, from drowning.
1962 – Brig Gen Ormond R. Simpson, Commander Naval Component in Thailand and Commanding General, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Unit, arrived with his staff at Kadena, Okinawa, completing the redeployment of the Marines from Thailand.
1964 – The House of Representatives (416 to 0) and the Senate (88 to 2) passed a resolution approving "all necessary measures" that the President may take "to repel any armed attack" against U.S. forces and "to prevent further aggression" in Southeast Asia.
The U.N. Security Council invited both North and South Vietnam to appear before it to discuss the Gulf of Tonkin incidents. North Vietnam, in effect, rejected the council's invitation on 9 August.
1969 – PFC Bruce W Carter received the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously for actions with H/2/3 in RVN.
1971 –Marine shooters won 12 of 13 individual matches, the Interservice Rifle Team match, and the 1000-yard team match at the 10th Annual Interservice Rifle Championships.
1990 – OPERATION DESERT SHIELD: Five days after Iraq invaded Kuwait, President George Bush ordered U.S. forces to the Persian Gulf to contain further Iraqi aggression against oil-producing states in the region. One week later the Marine Corps announced the commitment of 45,000 troops to the Persian Gulf area as part of Operation Desert Shield which would become the largest deployment of U.S. forces since the Vietnam War.
1998 – Truck bombs exploded at US embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dares Salaam, Tanzania. More than 250 are killed, including one Marine security guard. FAST platoons deployed to secure the sites.

August 8
1812 – Marines participated in the capture of the British brig 'King George' by the U.S. frigate 'Essex' in the North Atlantic.
1862 – Ninety-five Marines, commanded by 1st Lt H.B. Lowry, from the USS 'Wabash' and the USS 'New Ironsides', took part in setting up guns on Morris Island, South Carolina.
1918 – On the Western Front, at about 2 a.m., "a fair-sized party of the enemy attempted a raid near the center of the brigade line (4th Brigade of Marines). As a means of making gaps in our wire, they brought up long lead pipes filled with explosive. One of these exploded, apparently prematurely before they reached our side, killing and wounding several members of their raiding party. As a result the raiders became panic-stricken, and their leader, in confusion, signaled for a box barrage.  Responding to this signal the enemy fired upon this position for an hour, killing one man and wounding seven. A grenade-and-signal-material store house (at Vin Sans Eau), held by one of the companies, was blown up in a direct hit. After the barrage ceased a patrol was sent out and two of the enemy, one severely wounded by the explosion of the lead pipe, were brought back. Two German dead were found at the place where the explosion occurred." (adopted from Lt George Strott's 'Medical Dept, US Navy with the Army & Marine Corps in France in WWI).
By executive order, the President ended voluntary enlistments in the Marine Corps. However, the Corps was authorized to reject draftees that failed to meet its standards, while the inductees in turn were allowed to reject assignment to the Marines. For all intents and purposes, the Marine Corps remained a volunteer service throughout the war. Based on a request from Commandant Barnett, Secretary Daniels authorized the enlistment of women in the Marine Corps Reserve for clerical duty.
1919 – The 4th Marine Brigade paraded through New York City along with its parent 2nd Division. It returned to duty with the Navy Department later that day.
The 5th Marine Brigade returned to the United States from France.
1924 – The 1st Aviation Group began supporting the ground elements of the East Coast Expeditionary Force in preparation for the fall maneuvers to be staged at Antietam, Maryland. The operation would continue through 18 September.
1927 – A small detachment of Marines from the USS Denver landed at Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, from the USS 'Robert Smith'.
1937 – In China, the Japanese seized Peking from Chinese forces, leaving the Marine Legation Guard surrounded in unfriendly territory, the Second Battle of Shanghai. The killing of two Japanese marines by Chinese near Shanghai led to the landing of a Japanese naval force. Due to the superior Chinese force, the Japanese were obliged to land an army which, after heavy resistance, forced the Chinese to withdraw from the city.
1942 – In the Pacific, Admiral Ghormley, ComSoPac, approved a request by the Commander, Task Force 61, to withdraw his carrier force from the Guadalcanal area until sufficient land-based aircraft and fuel were available to support shipping.
On Guadalcanal, the 5th Marines and Company A, 1st Tank Battalion, crossed the Ilu and Lunga Rivers and moved toward the Kakum river. The 1st Battalion and the tanks met the first scattered Japanese resistance on the island.
In the Solomons, the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines (rein), joined later by two tanks from Company C, 2nd Tank Battalion, landed on Gavutu to reinforce the 1st Parachute Battalion there.
Elements of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, on Tulagi, moved to the southeast to assist the 1st Raider Battalion in the sweep of that part of the island, resulting in the end of organized opposition on Tulagi.
The Battle of Savo Island. Elements of the Japanese Eighth Fleet attacked Allied shipping between Savo and Florida Islands; four Allied cruisers were lost and one destroyer damaged.
1943 – On New Georgia, Battery B, 9th Defense Battalion, emplaced on Kindu Point to undertake the seacoast defense of Munda.
In the Solomons, the main body of the Japanese Southeast Detached Force moved to Kolombangara.
1944 – In the Pacific, CinCPac directed, to take place as soon as practicable, that MajGen Roy Geiger, commanding the III Amphibious Corps, and key staff members, report to Guadalcanal to take charge of the Palaus landings and that LtGen Holland M. Smith, commander of Force Expeditionary Troops, Marianas, return to Pearl Harbor and continue his duties as Commanding General, Fleet Marine force, Pacific. All assault troops remaining in the Marianas were to be assigned to the V Amphibious Corps and, when the situation warranted, the Corps commander was to transfer operational control of the troops to the various island commanders. Vice Admiral John H. Hoover, USN, Commander, Forward Area Central Pacific, assumed responsibility for the defense of the Marianas.
On Guam, the 307th Infantry, 77th Division, USA, captured Mt. Santa Rosa, and effective resistance ceased in the division's zone.
1945 – In the Pacific, advance copies of Admiral Halsey's Operation Plan 10-45 for the occupation of Japan were distributed, setting up Task Force 31 (Yokosuka Occupation Force).
1946 – VMTB-233 was reestablished as a Reserve fighter squadron.
1950 – The first night evacuation of wounded was made by an HO3S-1 of VMO-6 from a field aid station at Chingdong-ni to a hospital train at Masan.
1966 – Major Howard V Lee received the MEDAL OF HONOR for actions as CO, E/4/3 near Cam Lo, RVN.
1970 – Marine shooters took 12 of 17 events during the 9th Annual Interservice Rifle Championships held at Quantico.

August 9
1781 – In the Atlantic, partially dismasted by a storm, 'Trumbull' and her Marines were defeated by the British frigate 'Iris' off the Delaware Capes.
1812 – Marines participated in the capture of the British brig 'Mary' by the U.S. frigate 'Essex' in the North Atlantic.
1815 – A Treaty of Peace was concluded with the Bashaw of Tripoli.
1842 – A treaty was signed at Washington with Great Britain which required each nation to maintain on the coast of Africa naval vessels for the suppression of the slave trade.
1846 – Marines participated in the capture of the Mexican brigantine 'Juanita' by the U.S. sloop 'Cyane' at San Diego, California.
1851 – While the U.S. sloop 'Dale' was at anchor in the harbor of Johanna Island (now Anjouan of the Comora Islands near Madagascar), Marines were sent to the American 'Paulina' to put down a mutiny.
1864 – Major Jacob W. Zeilin was appointed as the seventh Commandant of the Marine Corps.
1866 – Marines from the 'Wachusett' landed at Shanghai, China, to assist in fighting a fire.
1876 – Secretary of the Navy declared that the Marine Corps would have the place of honor, “First on Foot and Right of the Line”, in any naval formation.
1898 – The 1st Marine Battalion, commanded by Lt Col Robert W. Huntington, sailed from Guantanamo Bay Cuba, on the USS 'Resolute' for Manzanillo, Cuba.
1914 – British Expeditionary Force landed in France. Austria declared war on Montenegro. This was the first surface ship/submarine action on the high seas (North Sea).
1918 – On the Western Front, the movement of the 2nd Division, AEF, including the 4th Brigade of Marines, into the Marbache sector was completed.
1935 – The overall headquarters of the Fleet Marine Force was transferred from Quantico to San Diego to be near the largest concentration of the U.S. fleet.
1942 – With the Guadalcanal airstrip secure after heavy fighting with the Japanese, the 1st Engineer Battalion commenced work on the runway using captured equipment.  Three days later, on 12 August, the first plane landed on Henderson Field, a Navy PBY which evacuated two wounded Marines.  Over 3,000 wounded Marines would be evacuated from Henderson Field during the battle.
In the Solomons, Task Force 61, supporting the Guadalcanal-Tulagi landings, departed the lower Solomons for Noumea, without completing the unloading of Marine supplies and forces, and leaving the landing force without air or surface support until 20 August. The Marines ashore were left in short supply of critical items, including food, and began subsisting on two meals a day to stretch out meager stocks.
Tananbogo and Gavutu were secured, and the occupation of the Solomon Island group was completed when units of the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, captured several small peripheral islands, including Madambo, Mbangai, Kokomtumbu, and Songonangona.
The 1st and 2nd Battalions, 2nd Marines, went ashore on Beach Blue, Tulagi.
1943 – On New Georgia, the Northern and Southern Landing Groups of the New Georgia Occupation Force established contact when a patrol from the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry, USA, appeared at a roadblock southwest of Triri held by the 3rd Battalion, 148th Infantry, USA.
A light antiaircraft battery from the 11th Defense Battalion arrived at Enogai.
1944 – On Guam, the 3rd Marine Division launched an attack to capture the remainder of the island. The III Amphibious Corps gained the northern beaches.
Brigadier General Lemuel Shepherd, Jr., commanding the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, announced that all organized resistance had ceased in the brigade zone.
CinCPOA and the Commandant of the Marine Corps landed at Orote Airfield and inspected front line units and installations; top level conferences were held to discuss the future role of the island in the advance to Tokyo.
1945 – In the Bismarcks, Marine aircraft flew their last bombing mission against Rabaul by PBJs from Marine Bomber Squadron 413, 423, & 443 & Marine Aircraft Group 61 headquarters raided the area.
In Japan, the second atomic bomb to be exploded in combat was dropped on Nagasaki.
1948 – For the first time since WWII, all services were represented in the annual CAMID amphibious exercise at Camp Lejeune.
1952 – In Korea, after the 1st Marine Division's resumption of a policy of permanently occupying outposts, the Chinese attacked and seized outpost Siberia just after midnight. The 1st Marines gained it back and lost it twice more by morning of the next day. Marine losses were 17 killed and 243 wounded.
1960 – Marine Attack Squadron 225 from Key West, Florida, was deployed on Cuba alert to the Naval Air Station, Leeward Point.

August 10
1776 – Marines participated in the capture of five British sugar-ships by the 'Columbus' off the northeast coast of the United States.
1782 – Marines participated in the capture of the British schooner 'Polly' by the 'Alliance' off Bermuda.
1812 – Marines participated in the capture of the British brig 'Lady Warren' by the U.S. frigate 'Constitution' off Cape Race.
Marines participated in the capture of the British brig 'New Liverpool' by the U.S. privateer 'Yankee' in the North Atlantic.
1846 – Marines participated in the capture of the Mexican brig Prima Vera by the U.S. sloop Cyane at San Diego, California.
1863 – A Marine battalion, commanded by Major Jacob Zeilin, joined Marines from the South Atlantic Squadron on Morris Island, South Carolina, near Charleston, to reinforce Army troops for a planned assault on Battery Wagner.  Zeilin proved unaggressive and was eventually relieved of command when he fell ill.
1898 – Thirty-seven Marines, commanded by 1st Lt John A. Lejeune, landed from the USS Cincinnati at Cape San Juan, Puerto Rico, to protect a lighthouse previously seized by United States forces.
1940 – The British government announced the withdrawal of all its forces from Shanghai and North China, leaving the U.S. Marines as the only non-Axis western force in those areas.
1943 – On New Georgia, operational control of the Northern Landing Group passed to the 25th Army Division, and the 1st Marine Raider Regiment returned to Enogai.
1944 – On Guam, the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, 3rd MarDiv, destroyed and captured the last handful of Japanese tanks and reached the northern coast, ending Japanese resistance. The 3rd MarDiv was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation.
IIIAC issued an operation order outlining the future activities of the units on Guam. The 77th Division, USA, and the 3rd Marine Division were directed to establish a line across the island from Fadian Point to a point northwest of Tumon Bay; emphasis then was to be placed on mopping-up.  Marine casualties during the assault phase on Guam totaled 1,568 dead and 6,933 wounded. Losses among Navy personnel serving with IIIAC were 51 killed and 206 wounded.
On Tinian, the Capture and Occupation Phase of the operation ended. The Defense and Development Phase began under the Tinian Island Command, headed by Major General James L. Underwood, which directed the mop-up by the 8th Marines, 2nd Marine Division.
MAG-92 was organized at Cherry Point.
1945 – In the Pacific, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, directed the 6th Marine Division to furnish a regimental combat team to the Third Fleet for possible early occupation duty in Japan. Brigadier General William T. Clement, Assistant Division Commander, was named to head the Fleet Landing Force.
Rear Admiral Oscar C. Badger, USN, was designated Commander, Task Force 31 (Yokosuka Operation Force), and all ships were alerted to organize and equip bluejacket and Marine landing forces for occupation in Japan.
Japan sued for peace on the basis of the terms enunciated in the Potsdam Declaration (26 July).
1949 – President Truman signed legislation amending the National Security Act of 1947. It renamed the National Military Establishment as the Department of Defense (DOD), enhanced DOD's powers by reducing the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force from executive departments reporting directly to the president to subordinate elements of DOD, created a chairman of the JCS, and more than doubled the Joint Staff to 210 officers. In a small victory for the Marine Corps, it specifically prohibited any alteration in the missions of the services assigned in the original act of 1947.
1950 – In Korea, the 1st Marine Brigade reached the coast in the American push to Chingju.
In Korea, the first Marine helicopter rescue was effected by an HO38-1 which rescued Captain Vivian M. Moses who was forced to ditch his aircraft when its oil pressure failed.
The 1st Marine Division began embarking on ships at San Diego for Korea. The final elements of the 1st Marines would sail by 22 August. The 7th Marines, yet to form, would not complete embarkation until 1 September.
1955 – The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing moved from Miami, Florida, to El Toro, California for duty.
1959 – HMR-261 helicopters assisted during the Taiwan typhoon.
1961 – The 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines (Rein) left Okinawa and joined HMR-261 as the landing force of the Seventh Fleet in Far East Waters.
1965 – The Marine Corps was authorized to expand to 223,100 personnel, which would include the creation of three new infantry battalions.
1983 – About 27 artillery and mortar rounds are fired by Druze militia from the high ground east of Beirut into BIA, resulting in one Marine WIA. Rockets also hit the Defense Ministry and the Presidential palace, and three cabinet ministers are kidnapped by the Druze.
1990 – OPERATION DESERT SHIELD: 7th MEB (RLT7, MAG-70, and BSSG-7) began flying from the United States to AL Jubayl, Saudi Arabia, where it would link up with its MPF.

August 11
1812 – Marines participated in the capture of the British brig 'New Liverpool' by the U.S. privateer 'Yankee' in the North Atlantic.
1918 – On the Western Front, in the Marbache sector, the report from the Commanding General, 4th Brigade, Marines to the Commanding General of the 2nd Division, AEF, read as follows: "Usual patrolling, no contact with the enemy. Machine gun and rifle fire: normal. Enemy patrol, 6 men, fired on in Burgogne sub-sector. Artillery activity: Enemy, none; our own: normal. Aerial activity: Enemy bombing planes active. Bombs dropped in vicinity of Respaut, Mauchet Bas, Guerber and Vin-Sans- eau in Moussons sub-sector."
1919 – This was the final day of active service for women Marine reservists enlisted for the World War. A total of 305 women served in clerical billets.
1923 – The Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Mare Island, California, was transferred to San Diego, California.
1941 – LtCol Harold D. Shannon, executive officer of the 6th Defense Battalion, arrived on Midway and immediately began preparations for the relief of the 3rd Defense Battalion.
1942 – In the New Hebrides, Marine Observation Squadron 251 was installed at Espiritu Santo with 16 F4F-3 long-range photographic planes.
1943 – In the Pacific, Admiral Halsey, ComSoPac, received orders for the seizure of Vella Lavella by Task Force 31, to neutralize Japanese troop concentrations on Kolombangara; the forces on New Georgia were directed to continue their cleanup operations in the Munda area and to interdict Vila airfield on Kolombangara by artillery fire.
1944 – On Guam, the 306th Infantry, 77th Division, USA, captured the Mt. Mataguac command post, killing the top Japanese commander on the island, Lt Gen Obata.
1945 – President Truman informed the Japanese that a Supreme Commander would accept its surrender and that the Emperor and High Command would have to issue a cease fire to all Japanese armed forces before the Allies could accept Japan's suit for surrender.
In the Pacific, preliminary plans for the activation of Task Force Able, to participate in the occupation of Japan, were prepared by the III Amphibious Corps. The task force was to consist of a skeletal headquarters detachment, the 5th Marines (rein), an amphibian tractor company, and a medical company.
Concurrently, officers designated to form the staff of MajGen William T. Clement, commanding the Fleet Landing Force, were alerted and immediately began planning for Task Force Able's departure for Japan. Warning orders were passed to the staff directing that a regimental combat team with attached units be ready to embark within 48 hours.
1949 – Brig Gen William E. Riley USMC was assigned to the United Nations' Palestine Truce Mission as Chief of Staff. The UN's Palestine observance staff under General Riley was to be cut from 500 to 40 persons.
1950 – Capt Vivian M. Moses, the nephew of Maj Gen Emile P. Moses USMC, was the first Marine Corps aviator to be killed in combat in Korea.
A Marine artillery bombardment rousted a large North Korean motorized force from the town of Kosong. Marine air destroyed roughly 100 trucks, jeeps, and motorcycles retreating along the road. The brigade took the town that morning.
1952 – In Korea, the 1st Marines launched a complex night attack and captured Bunker Hill, which dominated Siberia. The fighting continued through the afternoon of 15 August, with the Chinese making determined attempts to regain the position. 1st MAW conducted numerous missions for the division during this period. American casualties exceeded 38 killed and 268 wounded, in part due to increasingly heavy enemy use of artillery. The division estimated Chinese losses at 3,200.
The Combat Duty Pay Act went into effect, providing extra compensation for personnel in a combat zone.
1964 – President Johnson signed the Southeast Asia ("Gulf of Tonkin") resolution into law.
1965 – Marine aircraft made their first combat use of the cluster bomb unit (CBU) in Vietnam.
1967 – General Wallace M. Green, Jr., Commandant of the Marine Corps, stated that although the Marines were making considerable progress in Vietnam, the civic action program had slowed down due to increased fighting along the DMZ.
1969 – L/Corporal Roy M Wheat received the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously for actions as a fire team leader with the K/3/7, 1st Marine Division, RVN.
1971 – The Secretary of the Navy issued a directive to Navy and Marine Corps base commanders instructing them to advise local government officials, community leaders, and private groups that failure to enforce open-housing laws would be a factor in any future decision to close bases.

August 12
1812 – Marines participated in the capture of the British brig 'Argo' by the U.S. frigate 'President' in the North Atlantic.
1813 – Marines from Washington were sent to Annapolis for defense against the British.
1898 – Marines from the “USS Philadelphia” participated in ceremonies at Honolulu, Hawaii, incident to the islands becoming a territory under the jurisdiction of the United States.
1914 – The newly formed 5th Regiment embarked on the 'Hancock' at Guantanamo Bay and sailed to Hispaniola, where it remained offshore troubled Santo Domingo and Haiti almost continuously through mid-December.
1918 – The Secretary of the Navy, Josephus Daniels, authorized the Major General Commandant to enroll women in the Marine Corps Reserve for clerical assignments.
On the Western Front, in the Marbache sector, the report from the Commanding General, 4th Brigade, Marines, to the Commanding General of the 2nd Division, AEF, read as follows: "Usual patrolling. In Borgogne Sector, reconnaissance patrol located enemy at 3 points in his line. Intermittent rifle and machine gun fire from enemy lines. Artillery and aviation activity: American artillery more active. Enemy air-craft more active bombing squadron made raid over sector and dropped bombs at various points. Enemy probably retaliating with air-craft for our artillery fire."
1919 – The 4th Marine Brigade paraded for President Wilson in Washington, D.C., and then disbanded.
1937 – In an expansion of the undeclared war between Japan and China, Japanese forces launched an offensive to seize control of the Chinese portion of Shanghai. The 4th Marines established defensive positions around the U.S. sector of the International Settlement. Cruiser 'Augusta' placed 50 Marines and 57 bluejackets ashore to augment the regiment.
1941 – By a one-vote margin, the House of Representatives approved the bill continuing Selective Service and extending the service of Army draftees for 18 months.
1942 – In the Pacific, Admiral Ghormley, ComSoPac, ordered Task Force 63 to employ all available transport shipping to carry supplies, ammunition, and ground crews to Guadalcanal.
On Guadalcanal, Lt Col Frank Goettge, 1st Marine Division intelligence officer, led a 25-man reconnaissance patrol along the west bank of the Matanikau to check out reports of Japanese willing to surrender; the patrol was ambushed and only three men escaped alive.
1944 – In Washington, the Joint War Planning Committee submitted a plan for the seizure of the Bonins to the JCS, contending that Iwo Jima was the only practical objective in the group because it was the only island that could support a large number of fighter aircraft and because its topography rendered it unusually susceptible to preliminary softening.
On Guam, MajGen Roy S. Geiger, Commander of the Southern Troops and Landing Force, left for Guadalcanal to assume control of the Palaus landing. He was relieved by Maj Gen Harry Schmidt.
1945 – Plans were initiated for the establishment of Separation Centers at Great Lakes, Illinois, and Bainbridge, Maryland, to demobilize speedily all eligible personnel on schedule.
VMTB-144 went on board 'Salerno Bay'.
1950 – In Korea, General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, commander of U.N. forces in Korea, announced that the counterattack by Marines and Army troops west of Pusan had "attained its objective" with the taking of hill positions just east of Chingju. The force, known as "Task Force Kean", made a 27-mile advance to turn back the North Korean threat to Pusan. Marines in the Chinju drive were shifted to the Naktong front below Taegu.
1957 – Due to budget constraints, the Secretary of the Navy directed a reduction in strength in both the Navy and Marine Corps over the next two fiscal years. The Corps was slated to end up with 175,000 personnel by mid-1959.
1959 – MajGen David M. Shoup was named to succeed Gen Randolf McCall Pate as Commandant of the Marine Corps on 1 January.
1966 – In Vietnam, Marine pilots took part in a raid near Haiphong on four petroleum and oil dumps.
1968 – L/Corporal Kenneth L Worley received the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously for actions a machine Gunner with L/3/7, 1st Marine Division, RVN.
1972 – In Vietnam, Capt Larry G. Richard, an exchange pilot with the Air Force's 58th Tactical Fighter Squadron, downed a MIG-21 northeast of Hanoi. He was the second Marine pilot to claim an aerial victory in the war.

August 13
1800 – Marines participated in the capture of the French privateer schooner 'Dorade' by the U.S. Sloop 'Patapsco' in the West Indies.
1812 – In the Atlantic, Marines participated in frigate 'Essex's' defeat of the British sloop 'Alert'.
1846 – Marines and seamen plus volunteers marched into the town of Los Angeles with no opposition.
1898 – The 1st Marine Battalion on the USS 'Resolute' was in the process of landing to take the town of Manzanillo, Cuba, when word of the armistice ending the Spanish-American War was received.
1918 – Opha M. Johnson, a civil service employee at Headquarters Marine Corps, became the first woman to enroll in the Marines. A total of 305 women would be enlisted during the war.
1936 – Elements of the 4th Marines occupied positions in Sector "C" at Shanghai, China, an area assigned to the regiment under the International Defense Scheme, in support of the Municipal Police.
1942 – Marine Corps Air Station, Santa Barbara, California, commanded by Lt Col Livingston, B. Steadman, Jr., was organized.
In the Pacific, LtGen Haruyoshi Hyakutake, commanding the Japanese Seventeenth Army at Rabaul, was ordered to assume control of the ground action on Guadalcanal.
1943: In the New Georgia Group, troops from the 43rd Division, USA, landed on Vela Cela Island, between New Georgia and Baanga Islands, and reconnoitered without incident.
In Japan, Japanese Imperial Headquarters issued Navy Staff Directive No. 267 authorizing the abandonment of the central Solomons, after delaying actions.
On New Georgia, elements of the 169th and 172nd Regiments, 43rd Army Division, landed on the Baanga Island north of Munda Point and attacked Japanese troops fleeing from Munda. They were supported by artillery units at Munda and on offshore islands, including the 155mm gun batteries of the 9th Marine Defense Battalion.
1944 – In the Pacific, MajGen Roy Geiger relieved MajGen Julian Smith as commander of the Western Landing Forces (Task Group 36.1), X-Ray Provisional Amphibious Corps was deactivated, but most of its staff was retained by General Smith who continued in command of the higher echelon, designated Expeditionary Troops, Third Fleet.
On Guam, the command post of the III Amphibious Corps closed and was later reopened on Guadalcanal. Headquarters detachments of the V Amphibious Corps set up their command posts near Agana and took control of the remaining III Amphibious Corps elements. Clean-up activities began under the new command, coordinated with the Island Command operations section under LtCol Shelton C. Zern.
1945 – The last U.S. air raid on Wake Atoll was executed by Marine Corps aircraft against Peacock Point battery.
1953 – Headquarters, 3rd Marine Division, left Camp Pendleton for Japan. Its subordinate elements also shifted during the month.  MAG-16 (a helicopter transport group) arrived in Japan with HMR-162 and 163, both flying the HRS-2.
1955 – President Eisenhower signed an executive order directing the Army and Marine Corps to begin enlistments under the Armed Forces Reserve Act of 1955. A six-month active duty training program was initiated under this act.
1960 – Commandant Shoup announced that plans were on track to reactivate the remainder of the six infantry battalions deactivated in Fiscal Year 1959.
1967 – Two companies from the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines, were attached to the 9th Marines for Operation KINGFISHER which began 16 July. They were transferred because of a decrease of enemy action around Khe Sanh. The operation terminated 31 October 1967 in the DMZ area with over 1,100 NVA and VC killed.
1968 – In Vietnam, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 165 left Vietnam for Okinawa under the announced 25,000-man troop reduction. The squadron boarded the USS Valley Forge at the Marble Mountain Air Facility.  The first major increment of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing to leave Vietnam.
The 1st LAAM Battalion left Da Nang to be relocated at Marine Corps Base, Twenty-nine Palms, CA.
1969 – In Vietnam, HMM-165 flew from Marble Mountain to Valley Forge (LPH-8), the initial 1st MAW element to depart the country as part of the reduction in forces. The 1st LAAM Battalion also began to leave Da Nang for 29 Palms, while the last elements of the 9th Marines boarded ship the next day for Okinawa.
1971 – In Vietnam, the USMC Night Observation Gunship System detachment, flying two specially adapted OV-10s, completed the last of 207 missions conducted to test an intebrated 20mm gun and an infrared target acquisition system.
1974 – VMA-513 arrived at Iwakuni with 16 AV-8A Harriers. This was the first deployment of a Harrier squadron to the western Pacific.

August 14
1779 – Marines and Army troops reembarked and retreated up the Penobscot River when a British fleet sailed into the bay.
1812 – Marines helped capture the British sloop “Alert” during the War of 1812.
1813 – Off the coast of Ireland, 'Argus' and her Marines were defeated and captured by the British ship 'Pelican'.
1814 – Marines and soldiers, embarked in Sinclair's Squadron, landed at the mouth of the Nautauwasaga River in Lake Huron and captured a blockhouse.
Marines participated in the capture of the British bark 'William' by the U.S. sloop 'Peacock' off north coast of Ireland.
1842 – The campaign against the Indians in Florida was officially terminated.
1900 – After an arduous ten-day march, the international relief force of Admiral Edward Seymour reached the eastern outskirts of Peking. When the legation guards heard machine guns (the Chinese had none), they knew Western troops were near. Throughout the 14th, the walls of Peking fell before American, British, and Japanese assaults. The 14th Infantry led the attack, and theirs were the first colors in the relieving force to be unfurled on the wall of Peking. Chaffee had seen fit to assign the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines the insulting role of guarding the American pack train and only the 1st Battalion was in the forefront of the battle, where it covered Riley's Battery in breaching the West Gate. General Chaffee, for political reasons, was compelled to check the American assault short of the Forbidden City, which had never been entered by foreigners. Since organized resistance was over anyway, it remained only for the relief force to go into the compounds. The 1st Regiment was assigned the southwest quarter of the Tartar City, with Major Waller as Provost Marshal.
1901 – Private Dan Daily received the MEDAL OF HONOR for actions during the battle of Peking, China. (1st Award)
1912 – A Marine battalion of 13 officers and 341 enlisted men, commanded by Major Smedley D. Butler, landed at Corinto, Nicaragua, and proceeded by rail to Managua to reinforce the Legation guard as civil unrest continued.
1918 – On the Western Front, in the Marbache sector, Field Order #22, HQ, 2nd Division, was received for the relief of the 4th Brigade of Marines by the 164th Brigade of the 82nd Division. The order also provided for the movement of the Brigade to a billeting and training area about 20 kilometers to the southwest of Toul. The relief and movement began on the 14 August and completed 18 August.
1941 – The Atlantic Charter was issued.
1943 – On New Georgia, Brigadier General Francis P. Mulcahy moved his Aircraft, New Georgia, command post from Rendova to Munda Point. VMF-123 and 124 began operating from Munda Airfield. They would be followed in the coming weeks by VMSB-144, 234, and 244, and VMTB-143 and 232. The headquarters of 2nd MAW and MAG-14 would also shift to Munda.
In Canada, the Quebec Conference took place. The CCS directed that the advance through the Southwest-South Pacific by CinCSWPA and ComSoPac be continued while CinCPOA aimed a new offensive along the Central Pacific axis. Action in the Central Pacific would begin with the invasion of the Gilberts and Marshalls; Rabaul would be neutralized but not captured.
1944 – On Guam, the V Amphibious Corps established a line from Naton Beach to Sassayan Point, above which the 3rd Marine Division and the 77th Division, USA, maintained one infantry regiment and one artillery battalion each for mop-up activities. The remainder of the 3rd Division was assigned to the east coast road between Pago and Ylig Rivers and that of the 77th Division occupied the hills east of Agat along the Harmon Road.
VMF-914 was organized at Greenville.
1945 – President Truman announced that a cease-fire was in effect and that the war had ended. General MacArthur was designated SCAP and given authority to accept the surrender of Japan for the governments of the United States, Republic of China, United Kingdom, and USSR.
1950 – In Korea, Brig Gen Edward A. Craig, USMC, received orders to move the Marine Brigade with all possible speed to Miryang. The brigade began its movement by truck, train and ship to the Naktong Bulge, the NKPA salient on the eastern side of the river, about halfway up the Pusan Perimeter.
1953 – In Greece, Battalion Landing Team 2/6 (Rein), afloat with the Sixth Fleet, was employed in rescue and relief missions when an earthquake struck the Ioian Isles of Greece.
1958 – In Lebanon, following a relaxation of tension in the Middle East, the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines was withdrawn from the country but remained in the Mediterranean to reconstitute the amphibious striking power of the Sixth Fleet until it could be relieved by a regimental landing team.
1960 – In the Pacific, BLT 2/5 embarked on the 'Lenawee' (APA-195) and 'Thomaston (LSDF-28) for service as the landing force of the Seventh Fleet. The plan was to rotate other units out of Okinawa for this duty every three months. 1st MAW also assigned an attack squadron to the fleet carriers.
1965 – Brief compulsory extensions of service for regular Marine Corps personnel were put into effect by the Navy Department to meet the growing demands of the war in Vietnam. This order affected 12,000 Marines whose tours of duty expired within the next four months.
Landing Team 7, 1st Marine Division, landed in Vietnam.
1969 – U.S. Forces in Vietnam numbered 534,200 men, of which 76,000 were Marines.
1990 – Advance elements of the 1st MEF and 7th MEB arrived in Saudi Arabia, joining other U.N. forces against possible Iraqi aggression.

August 15
1779 –After a British fleet arrived off Penobscot Bay, Maine, the American landing force re-embarked in an attempt to withdraw. The American fleet tried to evade the British, but all American ships were subsequently captured or scuttled. Escaping Marines, sailors & soldiers started an overland trek back to Massachusetts.
1806 – Marines participated in the action between the U.S. schooner 'Enterprise' and a number of Spanish gunboats in the Straits of Gibraltar.
1814 – Marines participated in the capture of the British ship 'Sir Edward Pellen' by the U.S. sloop 'Peacock' off the north coast of Ireland.
1914 – The 5th Marine Regiment, from Philadelphia, arrived at Port-au-Prince, Haiti, aboard the USS 'Hancock' in response to the threatened insurrection by Davilmar Theodore and his Caco army. They would remain in harbor until December 16.
1915 – The remainder of the First Brigade of Marines, the 1st Regiment and brigade headquarters, arrived at Port-au-Prince, and Col L.W.T. Waller took command of all American forces ashore. He sent Col Cole with the Headquarters and the 1st Battalion of the 1st Regiment to Cap-Haitien. The remainder of the Brigade was stationed at Port-au-Prince. With these additional Marines, it was now possible to occupy other important localities. A company supported by the USS 'Eagle' was sent on August 17 to occupy the town of Leogane, about 20 miles west of Port-au-Prince, to secure the capital's food supply. Another company was dispatched on board the 'Castine' for the same purpose and occupied St Marc, on the coast northwest of Port-au-Prince.
1918 – On the Western Front, in the Marbache sector, the report from the Commanding General, 4th Brigade, Marines, to the Commanding General of the 2nd Division, AEF, read as follows: "Increased aerial activity both sides. Each side raided with bombing squadrons. Extensive flames observed far to northward. One enemy unit opened machine gun fire on our front lines in Mousson Sector."
1934 – 19 years of occupation ended as the 1st Marine Brigade departed Haiti.  Personnel from Haiti were organized into 1/6, for transfer to San Diego to establish a West Coast ground element of the FMF.
1942 – Air Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, organized at San Diego as Marine Aircraft Wings, Pacific, and was made responsible for the organization, administration, and distribution of personnel and supplies of the 1st and 2nd Marine Aircraft Wings and the 4th Marine Base Defense Battalion.
On Guadalcanal, CUB One, a Navy aviation ground support unit, arrived to provide the initial maintenance echelon for Marine aircraft.
1943 – Marines and New Zealand forces landed on Vella Lavella in the North Solomon Islands.
1st Lieutenant Kenneth A Walsh received the MEDAL OF HONOR for actions as a pilot with VMF 124.
In the Solomons, the Northern Landing Force assaulted Vella Lavella near Barakoma. The 4th Defense Battalion, Fleet Marine Force, was responsible for the installation and operation of anti-aircraft and seacoast defenses and for the organization and occupation of a sector of the beach defenses. Marine fighters from Munda provided cover and shot down 17 enemy planes.
In the Aleutians, U.S. Army and Canadian troops reoccupied Kiska Island.
1944 – In the Pacific, the III Amphibious Corps, having completed its operations in the Marianas sooner than expected, was definitely committed to the invasion of the Palaus.
On Guam, MajGen Henry L. Larsen, Commanding General, Island Command, assumed control of the island.
1945 – The Commandant and the Under Secretary of the Navy approved the general plan for demobilization of the Adjusted Service Rating System of Discharge and Separation, commonly known as the "Point System".
In Washington, amplification of JCS General Order No. 1 called for key areas of Japan, Korea, and the China coast to be occupied.
1948 – HMX-1 took delivery of its first Piasecki HRP-1. The twin-rotor "Flying Banana" had a payload of 900 pounds and a speed of 100 miles per hour.
1950 – The 1st Marine Division reached wartime strength (less 7th Marines) 27 days after commencing its build-up from a peacetime table of organization.
1960 – The 8th Marine Expeditionary Unit (composed of BLT 3/8, VMA-331, VMF-122, HMR(L)-261, and HMR(M)-461) deployed to the Caribbean for potential operations in Cuba. The units remained there until 29 November.
1965 – In Vietnam, the headquarters of the 7th Marines and 1/7 landed at Chulai, while 3/9 returned to Da Nang from Okinawa.  Da Nang and Chu Lai Marines reinforced by 6,400 new arrivals.
1968 – In Vietnam, Marines again crossed into the DMZ when two platoons of Company A, 3rd Tank Battalion, supported a South Vietnamese attack on an enemy battalion. During the attack, 421 North Vietnamese were killed and 2 boats and 1 truck destroyed.

August 16
1812 – Marines participated in the recapture of the American brig ‘Adeline’ by the U.S. frigate Constitution off Cape Race.
1814 – Marines participated in the capture of the British schooner Maria by the U.S. sloop Adams in the Atlantic.
1822 – In Caribbean, 'Grampus' and her Marines engaged the pirate brig 'Palmyra' in the West Indies.
1918 – On the Western Front, in the Marbache sector, the report from the Commanding General, 4th Brigade, Marines, to the Commanding General of the 2nd Division, AEF, read as follows:
"Events of the Day:
Combat patrol in contact with Boche patrol, latter fired upon but escaped.
Rifle and Machine Gun fire unusually heavy on Mouchet Bas.
Artillery: Ours, slight.  Enemy, more active, especially on usual target, vicinity of Hill 307.9.
Aerial activity: both sides active with bombing planes. French civilian escaped from Boche, sent to Division Headquarters.
3rd Battalion, 5th, and 77th M.G. Company moved to new area."
1924 – VO-IM arrived at Naval Air Station, North Island in San Diego Bay the first Marine squadron to operate on the West Coast of the United States.
1937 – The American Advisor on Political Relations, requested reinforcements for the 4th Marines at Shanghai, China.  They were reinforced by 2 officers and 102 enlisted Marines from Cavite, Philippines.
1941 – The first man was enlisted in the 1st Samoan Battalion, Marine Corps Reserve. Its purpose was to provide an infantry element to reinforce the 7th Defense Battalion on Tutuila.
1943 – The 4th Marine Division, commanded by MajGen Harry Schmidt, was activated at Camp Pendleton, California. It was the only Marine Division during World War II to be mounted and staged into combat directly from the continental United States. It consisted primarily of the 23rd, 24th, and 25th Marines (infantry), 14th Marines (artillery), and 20th Marines (engineers & pioneers).
1945 – In Indochina, Ho Chi Minh, leader of the Viet Minh movement, declared an independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam. His guerrilla forces had gained control of the northern half of the country from the defeated Japanese. British, Indian, and Free French forces would soon occupy the southern half of the country, a pre-war French colony.
1966 – In Vietnam, over 2,000 Marines from the 5th Marine Division landed 100 miles east of Saigon to participate in Operation DECKHOUSE III, the second USMC operation in III CTZ. The purpose of the landing was to trap North Vietnamese troops massing in Binh Tuy province.
1967 – General Wallace M. Green, Jr., said that the 4th Marine Division and Aircraft Wing would not be mobilized in spite of the fact that the Marines needed more combat troops in Vietnam.

August 17
1812 – Marines participated in the capture of the British schooner Adeline by the U.S. frigate ‘President’.
1912 – A detachment of Marines and seamen from the USS Tacoma landed at Bluefields, Nicaragua to protect American and foreign lives and property during a revolutionary outbreak.
1915 – Secretary of the Navy Daniels asked the Secretary of War to provide instruction in flying land planes to Marine and Navy aviators. Lieutenant W.M. McIlvain was the first Marine to receive training.
1917 – The 1st Machine Gun Battalion was established at Quantico.
1918 – On the Western Front, in the Marbache sector, the 3rd Battalion, 327 Regiment, USA, relieved the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines in Bois de Facq. The 2nd Battalion, 328th Regiment, USA, relieved the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines in the front line, Bourgogne subsector.
1922 – The 1st Air Squadron was redesignated Marine Observation Squadron I (VO-IM).
1937 – The first group of American evacuees left Shanghai, China.
1942 – Sgt Clyde Thomason received the MEDAL OF HONOR for actions with the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion on Makin.
In the Gilbert Islands, about 200 Marines from Companies A and B of the 2nd Raider Battalion were landed from submarines on Makin Atoll; they were partially successful in attempts to destroy Japanese installations, gather intelligence data, and divert attention from the action on Guadalcanal. The Marines defeated the garrison, but heavy surf disrupted their withdrawal and delayed it until the next night. Marine casualties during the raid were 18 dead, 16 wounded, and 12 missing. Of the latter, nine were captured soon after and beheaded on Kwajalein by the Japanese. Major James Roosevelt, son of the President, participated in the raid as XO of the 2nd Raiders.
1950 – In Korea, Marines stormed a 1,000-foot hill, Obong-ni (otherwise known as "No-name") Ridge, commanding the "Naktong Bulge," a Communist bridgehead across the Naktong River. The Marines battled North Koreans and Russian T-34 tanks, destroying five tanks in just a few minutes.
1952 – PFC Robert E Simanek received the MEDAL OF HONOR for actions with F/2/5 in Korea.
1954 – In Vietnam, the United States began the evacuation of nearly 200,000 refugees from the Hanoi and Haiphong areas to South Vietnam.
1956 – The title of Marine Gunner was restored for qualified personnel appointed as non-technical warrant officers.
1964 – Stuart Mesa, the Corps' newest weapons training facility, was put into operation in the Camp Pendleton area, replacing Camp Matthews
2000 – Chaplain Lou Iasiello was frocked to the rank of rear admiral making him the first flag officer to serve as the Chaplain of the Marine Corps.  Since 1959, only Navy captains had held the position of Chaplain of the Marine Corps.

August 18
1897 – The first Marine Corps Post Exchange was established at Marine Barracks, Newport, Rhode Island.
1918 – During the last days of August rumors were current throughout France that the Americans in a united army were going to make a drive, and evidence seemed to point to the Toul sector as the site that was selected.
1941 – Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, North Carolina, commanded by Lt Col Thomas J. Cushman, was organized at New Bern as Air Facilities under Development. The first air operations would commence in March 1942. Cherry Point would become one of the primary Marine airfields on the East Coast.
1942 – On Guadalcanal, the 2nd Battalion, 28th Japanese Infantry (rein), landed at Taivu Point, while 500 men of the Yokosuka Fifth Special Naval Landing Force arrived at Kokumbona; this was the first of many runs by Japanese destroyers and cruisers shuttling supplies and reinforcements to the island
Henderson Field, named after Major Lofton Henderson who died leading his Marine dive bombers against the Japanese at Midway, was completed.
On Guadalcanal, Company L, 5th Marines, crossed the Matanikau River and attacked the village of that name, while Company I made a successful amphibious raid farther west at Kokumbona to cut off any retreating Japanese.
The 51st Defense Battalion was activated at Montford Point, New River, North Carolina. It was destined to train the first African American recruits and become the first African American operational unit in the Marine Corps.
1943 – In the European Theater, Axis resistance on Sicily ceased.
1944 – In Northern Ireland, Marine Barracks Londonderry was disbanded and most of the Marines sailed for the States. An 80-man detachment remained behind to guard the Naval Radio Station.
1950 – The Marine Corps lowered the minimum enlistment period from four years to three years in an effort to attract recruits. It also invited enlistments in the Volunteer Reserve for extended active duty which would make discharge possible after fewer than three years.
1951 – In Korea, aircraft of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing were evacuated to Itami Air Force Base due to typhoon "Marge" which threatened the Korean bases.
1955 – Helicopters from HMR-261, -262, and Quantico, Virginia, assisted in relief work and the evacuation of civilians in Connecticut and Pennsylvania following Hurricane Diane while Marine Reserve units assisted on the ground.
1965 – L/Cpl Joe Paul received the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously for actions as a Fire Team Leader with H/2/4, RVN.
Corporal Robert O’Malley received the MEDAL OF HONOR for actions as a Squad Leader with I/3/3, RVN.
In Vietnam, after learning that the 1st Viet Cong Regiment of some 2,000 men had moved into prepared positions on the Van Tuong Peninsula, III MAF launched Operation STARLITE, the first    regimental-sized U.S. battle since the Korean War. Thousands of Marines made airborne and amphibious landings in an effort to trap the Viet Cong. At the end of four-day operation, over 960 of the enemy had been.
1969 – In Vietnam, the last UH-34D Sea Horse Squadron, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 362, left Vietnam to be reformed. The squadron was redesignated Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 362 after receiving the jet-powered CH-53 aircraft. This squadron had been the first aircraft unit of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing to serve in Vietnam, arriving in April 1962.

August 19
1812 – In the Atlantic Ocean east of Boston, 'Constitution' and her Marines defeated the British frigate 'Guerriere', which was so badly damaged that the Americans scuttled it the next day.
1818 – In Oregon, Sgt McFadian and his Marines from the sloop 'Ontario' helped raise the flag along the Columbia River to strengthen the U.S. claim to the Oregon Territory.
1838 – Marines sailed from New York on board sloops 'Vincennes' and 'Peacock' and brig 'Porpoise' with the Wilkes Expedition. The primary objective was the exploration of Antarctica's coastline, but the squadron also conducted many scientific studies and charted the coasts and waters of south Pacific islands and the Pacific rim of North America.
1861 – Two hundred Marines from the Navy Yard at Washington, D.C., were detailed to serve with the Potomac flotilla which was searching for suspected Confederate depots in Maryland.
1914 – In the European War, Retreat of the Belgian Army from River Gette on Antwerp after defeat at Aerschot, Belgium. First deliberate mass execution of civilians by German Army: 150 shot at Aerschot. On same date, in Serbia, 150 peasants shot at Lesnica by Austrian Army.
1918 – On the Western Front, the movement of the 2nd Division, AEF, from the Marbache sector to the area around Colombey les Belles, south of Toul, was completed, with the exception of the 2nd Field Artillery which was still en route. The men of the 2nd Division spent remainder of day resting.
1919 – “The Marines Hymn” was registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.
1932 – Nine "Hell Diver" planes, commanded by Major Ross E. Rowell, from Quantico, Virginia, represented the Marine Corps in the 4th Annual Canadian Air Pageant.
1937 – A rifle company of two officers and 102 enlisted men arrived from Cavite, Philippines, to reinforce the 4th Marines in Shanghai, China.
1941 – On Wake Atoll, an advance party arrived from the 1st Defense Battalion.
1943 – The 4th Marine Base Defense Aircraft Wing departed Hawaii for the central Pacific.
1945 – On Guam, Rear Admiral Oscar C. Badger, USN, formed the ships assigned to Task Force 31 into a separate tactical group for the occupation of Japan.
In the Philippines, the headquarters of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and Marine Aircraft Group 61 completed their transferal to the islands.
1946 – In Cuba, the Marine Corps Base, Guantanamo Bay was redesignated Marine Barracks, Naval Operating Base, Guantanamo Bay
1950 – In Korea, the North Korean drive for Taegu appeared to be broken as the defenders counter-attacked to push back twin enemy offensives. The Marines gained more than three miles near Changnyong, southwest of Taegu, and were nearing the Naktong River.
1967 – Major Stephen W Pless received the MEDAL OF HONOR for actions as a helicopter gunship pilot attached to Marine Observation Squadron Six against enemy forces near Quang Ngai, RVN.

August 20
1813 – Marines participated in the capture of the British schooner ‘Fly’ by the U.S. brig ‘Enterprise’.
1912 – Alfred Cunningham completed his solo flight to become the first Marine aviator.
1920 – A Marine guard was established at the U.S. consulate in Tungchow, China.
1942 – 31 planes from MAG 23 were the first to land at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal.
1943 – In the Pacific, Admiral Nimitz, CinCPOA, submitted an outline plan for the Marshalls operation which assumed the success of continued progress of operations in the Gilberts and in the New Guinea-New Britain area.
In the New Georgia Group, Baanga Island was secured by elements of the 43rd Division, USA, supported by artillery units at Munda, New Georgia, including the 155mm gun batteries of the 9th Defense Battalion.
1944 – On Guam, Task Force 53 was formally dissolved when Rear Admiral L.F. Reinfanider, USN, Senior Officer in the Area, turned over his duties to the Deputy Commander, Forward Area, Central Pacific.
1945 – In the Pacific, the Japanese emissaries to Manila received General Order No. 1. Under its terms, the Japanese commanders of forces in the Pacific islands south of Japan would surrender to CinCPOA or his representatives, and the commanders of forces in Japan proper, the Philippines, and the southern section of Korea, would surrender to CinCSWPA, or his representatives.
A threatening typhoon forced Admiral Halsey to postpone the date of the landing at Yokosuka, Japan, originally scheduled for 25 August, to the 28th.
In the Marianas, Vice Admiral George D. Murray, USN, Commander Marianas, organized the Marianas Surrender Acceptance and Occupation Command (Task Group 94.3) to standardize the conduct of the surrender and occupation program. It was comprised of the Truk, Bonina, and Palau Occupation Units, the Guam Evacuation Unit, and three other units commanded by naval officers.
On Guam, the 4th Regimental Combat Team, assigned to occupation duty in Japan, arrived and joined Task Force 31.
1950 – In Korea, Marines and the 24th Infantry Division, USA, completed the elimination of a bridgehead established by a division of Communists across the Naktong River near Changnyong, 25 miles southwest of Taegu.
1952 – In Korea, U.S. Navy, Marine, and Air Force aircraft teamed together in a mass attack on the large Korean West Coast supply area at Changpyong-ni. Pilots estimated that 80% of the assigned area was destroyed.
1966 – In Vietnam, Operation ALLEGHANY began 15 miles southwest of Da Nang in Quang Nam province.
2000 – Medal of Honor recipient, Major Douglas T. Jacobson, USMC (Retired), died at the age of 74 in Port Charlotte, Florida. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during the battle for Iwo Jima. After World War II, he re-enlisted in the Marine Corps and served in both the Korean War and Vietnam War before retiring as a major in 1967.

August 21
1779 – Marines participated in the capture of the British brigantine Mayflower by John Paul Jones' squadron.
1814 – Marines defended Washington DC at Bladensburg, MD against the British.
Marines participated in the capture of the British brig Bellona by the U.S. sloop Peacock.
1917 – The 7th Marine Regiment, commanded by Col Melville J. Shaw, embarked on the USS Prairie at Philadelphia, bound for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to protect American interests during a time of political unrest.
1942 – On Guadalcanal, the Battle of the Tenaru (Ilu) River. Elements of the 2nd Battalion, 28th Japanese Infantry (rein), launched attacks against Marine positions at the mouth of the Ilu River. The 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, crossed the river and enveloped the Japanese force while a tank attack successfully concluded the action.
1943 – In the Southwest Pacific, planners for the New Britain operation circulated an outline naming the units to furnish the assault elements which included the 1st Marine Division, the 32nd Infantry Division, USA, and the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, USA.
1944 – In the Solomons, Commander, Aircraft, Northern Solomons, centralized the direction of tactical air operations under his headquarters.
(21-31 Aug): On Guam, the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade departed the island for Guadalcanal.
1945 – Letters of Instruction Nos. 1108 (male enlisted personnel), 1109 (male reserve officers), and 1110 (women's reserve) governing demobilization became effective; eligibility for discharge was based on a system of credits.
In the Pacific, LtGen Robert L. Eichelberger, USA, commanding the Eighth Army, directed that the landing by Task Force 31 at Yokosuka, Japan, be made at the naval base. The reserve battalion of the 4th Marines was directed to land on Futtau Saki to eliminate threats by shore batteries and coastal forts.
1967 – Gunnery Sergeant Jimmie E. Howard received the Medal of Honor from President Johnson at ceremonies at the White House for action in Vietnam in June 1966.

August 22
1776 – Marines participated in the capture of the British ships Hannah and Elizabeth and the Hope by the U.S. Spy (Conn. Navy).
1791 – Slave revolt began Haitian revolution. In 1804, Haiti would become first free black country in the world, though not recognized by United States until 1865, due largely to pressure from Southern slave-owners
1800 – Marines participated in the capture of the French ship 'La Tourterelle' by the U.S. revenue cutter brig 'Eagle' in the West Indies
1912 – Congress authorized an increase in the size of the Marine Corps to 348 officers and 9,921 enlisted men. This marked the first time the Corps was allowed to exceed 10,000 personnel.
1942 – The 4th Marine Aircraft Wing was commissioned at Ewa, Hawaii, as the 4th Marine Base Defense Air Wing and charged with providing air defense for bases, search and patrol, air-sea rescue, and    shipping escorts in the Hawaiian area.
On Guadalcanal, the first Army Air Force aircraft, five Bell Airacobra P-400 fighter planes of the 67th Fighter Squadron, landed on Henderson Field.
1943 – In the Ellice Islands, an advance party of the 2nd Marine Airdrome Battalion landed at Nukufetau where an air base was to be established.
1944 – On Guam, the 3rd MarDiv was assigned to Guam Island Command to continue mopping up operations. Numerous Japanese holdouts resisted until December 1945. The last of them came out of hiding in 1960.
1945 – In the Marshalls, the Japanese garrison on Mille Atoll surrendered; it was the first Japanese group in the POA to capitulate.

August 23
1779 – Marines participated in the capture of the British brig 'Fortune' by Jones' squadron.
1798 – Marines participated in the capture of the French privateer 'Le Sans Pareil' by the U.S. frigate 'United States' off the north coast of Puerto Rico.
The first Headquarters of the Marine Corps was established at Philadelphia.
1815 – Marines participated in the capture of the British brig 'Triton' by the U.S. sloop 'Peacock'.
1862 – A force of Marines, commanded by Captain David M. Cohen, from the Navy Yard at Brooklyn, New York, quelled a drunken riot among Army recruits of General Spinola's "Empire Brigade".
1944 – On Guam, operational control of the 3rd Marine Division passed to Island Command, and the 1st and 3rd Battalions, 306th Infantry, USA, were assigned to the 3rd Division.
1945 – In the Pacific, Aircraft, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, directed Marine Aircraft Group 31, then at Chimu airfield on Okinawa, to move to Japan as a supporting air group for the northern occupation.
1958 –In Scotland, a special detachment of 150 Marines participated in the annual Edinburgh Tattoo, a military ceremony held in Edinburgh. The detachment included the Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Corps from Washington, D.C., a band from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina, and a special ceremonial troop unit.
Marines from Okinawa reinforced Chinese Nationalists at Taiwan.
1984 –- The last Marines to serve peace-keeping duty in Lebanon arrived home.  The 24th Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) arrived off the coast of Lebanon on 9 April to relieve Marines of the 22nd MAU who were guarding the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.  The 24th MAU left Beirut on 31 July, marking the last presence of U.S. combat troops in Beirut since Marines entered two years earlier.
2004 – Commandant General Michael Hagee announced during an appearance at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., that the first deployment of the Marine Corps newly developed Special Operations Forces (SOF) Detachment One was going extremely well in Iraq with the SEAL unit it had been attached to. It was the first time that Marines and SEALS’ had been “specifically integrated” for the specific purpose of performing SOF missions under the operational control of Special Operations Command.
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules airplane. The C-130 first flew in 1954 and has carried out numerous military and humanitarian missions throughout its lifespan. The plane was capable of day and night flying as well as flying in all types of weather conditions.

August 24
1775 – The 'Hannah', the first ship in "Washington's Fleet", went into Continental employ. General Washington ordered troops aboard the 'Hannah', which was fitted out and equipped at Continental expense, to serve as officers, blue-jackets and Marines.
1778 – Marines participated in the action between the 'Ranger' and British sloop 'Drake', off the coast of England.
1797 – The uniform to be worn by Marines was prescribed by Secretary of War James McHenry as "...blue coats...red lapels..."
1814 – Captain Samuel Miller's 100-man detachment from Marine Barracks, Washington, fought in the battle of Bladensburg for the defense of the national capital.  After helping to fight back three British charges, Captain Miller was wounded and the enemy began to work around both flanks of the American force.  Almost encircled, the force of Sailors and Marines was forced to retire to avoid capture.  The Marines lost 8 killed and 14 wounded.
1912 – A Marine detachment, commanded by Captain Thomas C. Turner, from the USS Rainbow, landed on Kentucky Island, near Shanghai, China, to protect American lives and property from local revolutionary elements.
1922 – The 3rd Air Squadron at Quantico was re-designated Marine Fighting Squadron I (VF-IM).
1942 – On Guadalcanal, Marine fighter planes of VMF-223 had their first big aerial battle with the Japanese, downing 16 enemy at a cost of four of their own aircraft. Capt Marion E. Carl became the first Marine ace of the war after he destroyed three enemy planes. Air battles would become an almost daily occurrence hereafter. Eleven Navy SBDs from damaged 'Enterprise' landed at Henderson Field to reinforce temporarily what is now referred to colloquially as the 'Cactus Air Force'.
The U.S. Army assumed command of the Amphibious Corps, Atlantic Fleet, from the Marine Corps. The Marine commander, MajGen Holland M. Smith, and his staff, were reorganized as the Amphibious Training Staff, Fleet Marine Force, with headquarters at Quantico.
MAG-25 began arriving in Hawaii.
1943 – On New Georgia, Col William O. Brice, heading Fighter Command, moved his command post to Munda airfield and relieved Commander, Aircraft, New Georgia, of responsibility for control of fighter aircraft operating there.
1944 – In the Pacific, the Administrative Command, Fleet Marine Forces, Pacific, was abolished by redesignation of its headquarters to Provisional Headquarters, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific.
1949 – A bronze memorial tablet was dedicated in Mount Rainer National Park to 32 Marines lost in a plane crash on the South Tahoma Glacier on 10 December 1946.
1950 – The 1st Marine Division (less the 7th Marines and units in Korea with the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade) sailed for Korea.
1961 – Douglas A4D "Skyhawk" jets joined MAG-13, the air arm of the 1st Marine Brigade, FMF, at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
1966 – Marine pilots took part in several raids on North Vietnamese communications centers and oil installations. Nearby, 200 targets were hit around the cities of Dong Hoi, Vinh, and Thanh Hoa near Hanoi.
1968 – In Vietnam, Operation ALLEN BROOK, which began on 4 May under the control of the 7th Marines, was terminated. The operation was a search and clear mission to neutralize enemy forces and installations. The enemy lost 1,017 killed, Marine casualties were 172 killed and 1,124 wounded.
1969 – L/Corporal Richard A. Anderson received the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously for actions with E/3/3 in RVN.
1991 – The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait was ordered closed. Marine Security Guards were with approximately 100 U.S. officials and citizens transferred to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad by the Iraqi government. They were among an estimated 1,000 Americans being held hostage in Iraq.

August 25
1781 – Marines participated in the capture of a British cutter by the 'South Carolina' (S.C. Navy).
1782 – Marines participated in the recapture of the sloop 'Fortuna' by the 'Alliance', off Bermuda.
1804 – Marines participated in another bombardment of Tripoli by Preble's squadron.
1812 – Marines participated in the recapture of the American schooner 'Betsey' by the US frigate 'President'.
1836 – A Marine detachment from the U.S. schooner 'Grampus' went ashore to protect the 'Rancho' at Tampa Bay, Florida.
1942 – The Battle of the Eastern Solomons, which turned back an enemy effort to land troops on Guadalcanal. Planes from Marine Scout-Bomber Squadron 232 at Henderson Field assisted in an attack on a Japanese task force carrying Guadalcanal reinforcements. A Japanese destroyer and transport were sunk, and many men of the Special Naval Landing Force were killed.
1943 – Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet, at Camp Elliott, California, was redesignated Amphibious Corps with Major General Holland H. Smith retaining command. It was to be an administrative command with control over Marine elements in the Central Pacific area and a tactical organization to direct amphibious assaults comprising both Marine and Army troops. Responsibility for the training of amphibious troops on the West Coast passed to the Troop Training Unit, Amphibious Training Command, Pacific Fleet, activated simultaneously with the V Amphibious Corps.
1944 – In the European Theatre, Paris was liberated by Allied forces.
1945 – SCAP informed Task Force 31 that the typhoon danger would delay U.S. Army air operations in Japan for 48 hours. The landing was postponed until 30 August and the Third Fleet's entry into Sagmi Wan, the outer bay which led to Tokyo Bay, until the 28th.
1947 – Major Marion Carl, USMC, a test pilot at the Patuxent Naval Air Test Center, set a world 3-kilometer speed record of 650.6 mph in a jet Douglas D-558 Skystreak at Muroc Lake, Calif.
1948 – 2nd Lieutenant John E Rudder was the first black officer commissioned in the regular Marine Corps.
1962 – More than 500 Marines of 3/9 who were recently stationed in Thailand as a "show of force" returned to Camp Pendleton where they assumed the designation of 1/5. They arrived at Long Beach on board the USS 'Navarro'.

August 26
1776 – Marines participated in the action between the 'Warren' (Washington's fleet) and the British frigate 'Liverpool', off Massachusetts Bay.
1803 – Marines participated in the capture of the Moroccan ship 'Mirboka' by the U.S. frigate Philadelphia, near Cape de Gatt, Spain.
1937 – A second rifle company of two officers and 102 enlisted men arrived at Shanghai, China, and joined the 4th Marines.
1942 – The first black Marines to serve with the Corps in the modern times enlisted.
1943 – The 2nd Airdrome Battalion landed at Ellice Islands.
In the Southwest Pacific, allied general headquarters directed the New Britain assault force to "seize the Cape Gloucester area and neutralize Gasmata and establish control over Western New Britain to include the general line Talasea-Gasmata, the Vitu Islands and Long Island" as well as to participate "in over-seas landing operations to capture Rabaul."
1944 – On Guam, the 1st and 3rd Battalions, 306th Infantry, USA, reverted from the 3rd Marine Division to the 77th Army Division's control, and the mop-up zones of both units came under the Marine division.  The last naval commander of the island's assault force left the Marianas after transferring responsibility for the Central Pacific to Admiral Halsey, Commander, Third Fleet.
1969 –Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 334 was relocated from Chu Lai to the Marine Corps Air Station, Iwakuni, Japan.
1971 – The first production vehicle of the Corps' newest assault amphibian vehicle, the LVTP7, was delivered to the Corps. It hauled 25 troops and had a water-jet drive capable of pushing it through the ocean at 8.4 mph.
1972 – In Vietnam, an F-4J Phantom of VMFA-232 was shot down by a MIG 70 miles southwest of Hanoi.

August 27
1776 – Marines participated in the capture of the British brigantine 'Britannia' by the sloop 'Providence', off the northeast coast of the United States.
1780 – Marines guarding workmen who were cutting masts for the Navy near Reading, Pennsylvania, pursued a band of Indians.
1790 – Major Samuel Nicholas, senior Marine officer in the Revolution and considered the first Commandant, died in Philadelphia and was buried in the Friends Burial Ground in that city.
1800 – Marines participated in the capture of the French ship 'La Tourterelle' by the U.S. revenue cutter brig 'Eagle' in the West Indies.
1893 – A gigantic tidal wave swept over Paris Island, Port Royal, South Carolina. The Marine Detachment from Port Royal assisted in preserving life and property.
1926 – A detachment of Marines from the USS 'Galveston' landed at Bluefields, Nicaragua, to protect American interests.
1942 – On Guadalcanal, an additional nine Army P-400s arrived at Henderson Field.
1943 – In the Ellis Islands, the 2nd Marine Airdrome Battalion and Seabee units occupied Nukufetau Atoll preparatory to the installation of an airfield and suitable defenses.
In the New Georgia Group, the 172nd Infantry, USA, crossed Hathorn Sound from New Georgia to Arundel Island and seized artillery positions that had been harassing Munda Point.
1945 – In the Philippines, the forward echelon of Marine Bomber Squadron 611 left for Peleliu to join the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing.
1947 – In China, the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, left Tientsin for the United States on board the USS 'Pickaway'.
1950 – Twelve U.S. Marines reached Saigon, Indochina, from Seoul, Korea, to guard the U.S. legation and other American interests.
Representative Carl Vinson, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, announced that he believed the Corps should have four divisions and 26 squadrons.
1951 – In Korea, the 1st Marine Division began moving back into the lines southeast of the Punchbowl.
1966 – Operation “Jackson” RVN initiated. (Concluded 29 August)
1968 – Secretary of the Navy Paul R. Ignatius awarded posthumously the Medal of Honor to 2nd Lieutenant John P. Bobo for action in the Vietnam in March 1967.
1970 – 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company was deactivated.

August 28
1778 – Marines were aboard the 'Resistance' when she was captured by British Admiral Howe's squadron off the U.S. coast.
1804 – Marines participated in another bombardment of Tripoli by Preble's squadron.
1816 – Marines were aboard the U.S. schooner 'Firebrand' when she was fired upon by Spanish warships off Vera Cruz.
1855 – Marines from the U.S. sloop 'Germantown' went ashore in Montevideo, Uruguay, to protect American lives and property.
1861 – Marines from the frigate 'Minnesota', the sloop Cumberland, the frigate 'Wabash', and the sloop 'Susquehanna' joined soldiers of General Benjamin F. Butler in landing at Hatteras inlet, North Carolina, resulting in the capture of Forts Clark and Hatteras.
1867 – The U.S. annexed the Midway Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
1891 – Marines, commanded by Captain William S. Muse, landed with seamen from the USS 'San Francisco' and the USS 'Baltimore' at Valparaiso, Chile, to protect the U.S. legation during a revolution.
1900 – In China, it was decided that, on 28 August, that a representative column of foreign troops should march across the Forbidden City to erase its legendary inviolability by foreigners. The Marine Corps contingent was one company from each battalion, 1st Marines; the company commanders, respectively, were Captain Neville and Lieutenant Butler, who wrote home: "This is the first time within the memory of man when such a march occurred and it certainly was a wonderful sight to see Russian, Japanese, English, American, French, German, Italian and Austrian troops marching in the order named in one column. We went through all the holy temples and palaces where foreigners have never set foot before." As the last troops passed the north gate, a 21-gun salute proclaimed the fall of the Forbidden City.
1912 – A detachment of 1 officer and 63 enlisted Marines from the USS California landed at Corinto, Nicaragua, to protect American interests during a revolutionary uprising.
1937 – The 2nd Marine Brigade headquarters and the 6th Marines departed San Diego for duty in Shanghai.
1942 – In Samoa, the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 7th Marines (rein), sailed from Pago Pago, Tutuila, on board the President Adams and President Hayes.
1943 – In the Ellice Islands, a detachment of the 7th Marine Defense Battalion troops from the 16th Naval Construction Battalion went ashore at Nanomeo in preparation for a move o the Gilbert Islands.
On New Georgia, the 1st Raider Regiment was withdrawn from New Georgia and sailed to Guadalcanal. Total Marine casualties during the New Georgia campaign were 221 killed and 415 wounded. Losses among Navy personnel serving with Marine units were three killed and eleven wounded.
On Bougainville, Lt Alvin J. Jensen of VMF-214 destroyed 24 enemy aircraft on the ground at Kahili airfield on the southern part of the island.
1945 – In Japan, the first American task force, consisting of combat ships of Task Force 31, entered Tokyo Bay and dropped anchor off Yokosuka. Technicians from the Fifth Air Force landed at Atsugi and began operations preparatory to subsequent landings.
1946 – In the Marshalls, the Marine Detachment (Provisional), Bikini was disbanded.
1967 – Gen Wallace M. Green, Jr. stated before a closed session of a Senate subcommittee that attacks on more targets in North Vietnam should be permitted.
1969 – L/Corporal Jose F Jimenez received the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously for actions as a Fire Team Leader with K/3/7 in the RVN.
1983 - A combat outpost manned by 30 Marines and Lebanese Army troops east of BIA comes under fire from semi-automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades. Marines return fire for the first time, with rifles and M-60 machine guns. No friendly casualties, after a 90-minute firefight.

August 29
1776 – Marines participated in the capture of the British ship 'Royal Exchange' by the 'Columbus' off the northeast coast of the United States.
Marines participated in the capture of the British ship 'Molly' by the 'Andrew Doria' off the northeast coast of the United States.
Marines participated in the capture of the British brig 'St. John' and the schooner 'Three Brothers' by the 'Tyrannicide' (Mass. Navy).
Marines participated in the capture of the British sloop 'Betsy' by the 'Lexington' northeast of Cape Charles.
1777 – Marines participated in the capture of the British brig 'Industrious Bee' by the 'Lee' (Washington's fleet), east of the Newfoundland Banks.
1812 – Marines participated in the capture of the British-licensed American ship 'Francis' by the U.S. privateer 'Yankee' in the North Atlantic.
1916 – The National Defense Act authorized an increase in the Marine Corps to 597 officers and 14,981 enlisted and also allowed the President to expand it further to 693 officers and 17,400 enlisted in case of a national emergency. This legislation also established the Marine Corps Reserve and provided money to purchase land for a base in San Diego.
1943 – New Georgia-Battery A of the 9th Defense Battalion at Viru Plantation about 7,000 yards northwest of Munda Point began firing their 155mm batteries at the Japanese garrison at Kolombangars.
1944 – In Europe, in the invasion of Southern France, a landing party from the Marine detachments of the USS 'Augusta' and 'Philadelphia' went ashore on the islands of Ratonneau and in Marseilles harbor to accept the surrender of German forces on the islands and to disarm the garrisons.
1945 – In the Pacific, tentative plans for the employment of the III Amphibious Corps in North China were issued; the mounting out date was set for 15 September.
In Japan, Admiral Nimitz, CinCPOA, arrived in Tokyo Bay and authorized Admiral Halsey to begin the rescue of Allied prisoners immediately.
1968 – Operation SUSSEX BAY: The 5th and 7th Marines conducted operations to hunt down Communist forces involved in the recent attacks around Da Nang. The campaign ended on 9 September, with an estimated 2000 enemy dead stemming from the initial Communist offensive and its aftermath.
1983 – In Lebanon, Marine positions at the Beirut Airport come under heavy bombardment. Casualties were two killed and 14 wounded. The Marines countered with their own artillery fire. This marked a major escalation in the fighting, with repeated exchanges of heavy fire thereafter.
1986 – A CH-46 crash during an exercise in Norway resulted in eight Marines dead and 13 injured.
1995 – In the Balkans, VMFA (AW)-533 at Aviano and VMFA-312 on board carrier 'Theodore Roosevelt' (CVN-71) participated in the beginning of Operation DELIBERATE FORCE, an air offensive designed to force the Serbian government to end its brutal operations in Bosnia. The campaign continued through 21 December, when NATO forces were fully deployed in Bosnia to enforce peace.

August 30
1777 – Marines participated in the capture of the British snow 'Lively' by the 'Lee' (Washington's fleet) east of the Newfoundland Banks.
1782 – Marines participated in the capture of the ship 'Hunter' by the Conn. privateer 'Marshall'.
1813 – Marines participated in the capture of the British brig 'Shannon' by the U.S. frigate 'President'.
1814 – Marines participated in the capture of the British brig 'Lettice' by the U.S. sloop 'Wasp' in the English Channel.
1820 – Brevet Major Samuel Miller became acting Commandant due to the arrest for trial by court martial of Lieutenant Colonel Commandant Gale.
1911 – The Navy established a disciplinary barracks at Port Royal. To make room for it, the Marine Officers School was moved to Norfolk, Virginia, while the recruit training function was split between Norfolk and Charleston, South Carolina.
1912 – A detachment of Marines and seamen from the USS 'Denver' landed at San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, to protect the cable station and American interests from revolutionary elements.
1915 – In Haiti, a Marine artillery battalion joined the force in Haiti. The brigade now had a strength of 88 officers and 1,941 enlisted.
1942 – On Guadalcanal, the rear echelon of Marine Aircraft Group 23 (VMF-221 and -231) arrived on Henderson Field. Capt John Smith shot down four Zeros, temporarily making him the leading Marine ace, with nine kills
On Guadalcanal, more than 6,000 Japanese troops of the Kawaguchi Brigade began landing in the Tasimboko area west of Lunga Point near Kodumbons in an attempt to strike at the Marine perimeter.
1943 – On Rabaul, Lt Ken Walsh shot down four Zeros while escorting bombers over Rabaul, bringing his total kills to 20. Although forced to crash land his plane in the water due to damage, he survived and became the first Corsair pilot to receive the Medal of Honor.
1945 - Major Frank Carney and his 2nd Battalion 4th Marines, landed at Kurihama Naval Base, the first American troops to set foot on Japanese soil and the first occupying force to ever touch the Japanese mainland.
In Japan, the 11th Airborne Division, USA, and the various advance headquarters staffs, landed at  Atsugi from Okinawa in conjunction with the arrival of the amphibious landing force, comprising U.S. Marines and sailors, British sailors, and Royal Marine Commandos~ at Yokosuka and on the Harbor forts off Miura Peninsula. The first landing craft carrying elements of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, went ashore at Futtau Laki, found the coastal guns and mortars rendered useless, and reembarked. The main landing of the 4th Marines on Beaches Red and Green, Yokosuka, went without incident, and the regiment moved to the Initial Occupation Line and set up a perimeter defense for the naval base and airfield.
MajGen William T. Clement, commanding the Fleet Landing Force, received the surrender of the Yokosuka Naval Base area, while the First Naval District capitulated to Rear Admiral Robert B. Carney, USN.
In the Carolinas, Brig Gen Robert Blake was designated Prospective Island Commander, Truk.
In China, a British naval force reoccupied Hong Kong.
1953 – The last elements of the 3rd Marine Division arrived in Japan to reinforce the UN command in the Far East.
1961 – The first night jump from a Marine Corps GV-1 intercontinental jet-prop transport was made near Camp Horno, California, by 31 Marines from the 1st Force Reconnaissance Company in a free-fall parachute jump.
1967 – In Vietnam, three Marines were killed and 54 wounded, and 18 helicopters damaged, when enemy mortar rounds hit Phu Bai.

August 31
1814 – Marines participated in the capture of the British brig 'Bon Accord' by the U. S. sloop 'Wasp' in the English Channel.
1929 – The 11th Marine Regiment was disbanded while en route to Quantico, Virginia, from Nicaragua.
1942 – 3rd Marines departed San Diego for American Samoa
On Guadalcanal, the 1st Raider Battalion and the 1st Parachute Battalion arrived from Tulagi to reinforce the defense perimeter.
1943 – In Australia, the 1st Marine Division was alerted for movement from Melbourne to an advanced staging area.
1944 – The Commandant directed the abolition of the Administrative Command and the organization of the Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, to consist of the following: Headquarters Troops; the III Amphibious Corps; the V Amphibious Corps; Fleet Marine Force, Air, Pacific; Force Artillery; Force Antiaircraft Artillery, Force Amphibian Tractor Group; Force Reserve (combat units not assigned); Fleet Marine Force Supply Service; Force Service Troops; Fleet Marine Force Transient Center; and Marine units under island commands (administrative only). The future chain of command of Marine aviation units in the Pacific theater remained unresolved. The 20th Marines was disbanded as the 4th MarDiv shifted to the new tables of organization.
1945 – In the Pacific, the Headquarters and Service Battalion, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, was disbanded.
In Japan, Company L of the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, landed at Tatayama Naval Air Station on the northeastern shore of Sagmi Wan to reconnoiter the beach approaches and cover the 3 September landing by the 112th Cavalry, USA.
1946 – The First Special Marine Brigade stationed at Quantico and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, was disbanded.
1950 – In Korea, North Koreans swarmed across the Naktong River against the 1st Marine Brigade
1962 – In the West Indies, elements of the 6th Marine Expeditionary Unit, with 1/6 the basic unit, represented the United States at the Trinidad Independence celebration. The troops were on board the USS 'Boxer'. The celebration ran until 3 September.
1968 – By this date, 9,196 Marines had died in the war in Vietnam.