Clifton B. Cates (born Clifton Bledsoe Cates; August 31, 1893 – June 4, 1970) was a senior officer of the United States Marine Corps who served as the 19th Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1948 to 1951.
 He was honored for his heroism during World War I at the Battle of Belleau Wood, and in World War II for inspired combat leadership at the Battle of Iwo Jima.
 He is considered one of the most distinguished young officers of the Great War.
 Cates was one of the few officers from any branch of service to have commanded a platoon, a company, a battalion, a regiment, and a division each in combat.
St Elmo Murray Haney (1898 - 1979) was a Master Gunnery Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps.
 As a veteran of many early campaigns in the Marine Corps, he was considered the epitome of the "old breed" Marine and a source of inspiration during the tough battles of the Pacific Campaign in World War II.
 Author Eugene Sledge described Haney as being, "everywhere at once, correcting mistakes and helping out".
 As one who fought in some of the most fiercest fighting of the time, he had the respect of the Marines.
 In World War I, he fought in the Battle of Belleau Wood with the 5th Marine Regiment.
 In 1930, between the wars, he was stationed in Shanghai and played in the outfield for the Fourth Marine Regiment Baseball Team.
 He also served in France, Nicaragua, Iceland and on the Amazon.
USS "Belleau Wood was a United States Navy "Independence"-class light aircraft carrier active during World War II in the Pacific Theater, from 1943 to 1945.
 The ship also served in the First Indochina War under French Navy temporary service as Bois Belleau".
The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the amphibious invasion of the Gulf of Leyte in the Philippines by American forces and Filipino guerrillas under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines led by General Tomoyuki Yamashita from 17 October - 26 December 1944.
 The operation code named "King Two" launched the Philippines campaign of 1944–45 for the recapture and liberation of the entire Philippine Archipelago and to end almost three years of Japanese occupation.
USS "Belleau Wood" (LHA-3), nicknamed "Devil Dog", was the second ship named after the Battle of Belleau Wood in World War I.
 Her keel was laid down on 5 March 1973 at Pascagoula, Mississippi, by Ingalls Shipbuilding.
 She was launched on 11 April 1977, and commissioned on 23 September 1978, with Captain T.C. Steele in command.
The Battle of Belleau Wood (1–26 June 1918) occurred during the German Spring Offensive in World War I, near the Marne River in France.
 The battle was fought between the U.S. 2nd (under the command of Major General Omar Bundy) and 3rd Divisions along with French and British forces against an assortment of German units including elements from the 237th, 10th, 197th, 87th, and 28th Divisions.
 The battle has become a key component of the lore of the United States Marine Corps.
Darel McKinney served in the United States Marine Corps during World War I.
 He would be awarded the Navy Cross and Distinguished Service Cross for his actions during the Battle of Belleau Wood.
Two ships of the United States Navy have been named Belleau Wood, after the Battle of Belleau Wood near Château-Thierry in France.
The American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) was the expeditionary force of the United States Army during World War I.
 It was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing.
 During the United States campaigns in World War I it fought alongside the French Army, British Army, and Canadian Army on the Western Front, against the German Empire.
 A minority of the AEF troops also fought alongside the Italian Army in that same year, against the Austro-Hungarian Army.
 The AEF helped the French Army on the Western Front during the Aisne Offensive (at the Battle of Château-Thierry (1918) and Battle of Belleau Wood) in the summer of 1918, and the AEF fought its major actions in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in the latter part of 1918.
The Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial is a 42 acre World War I cemetery in Belleau, Northern France.
 It is at the foot of the hill where the Battle of Belleau Wood was fought, with many American fatalities.
 The cemetery also contains burials from the Battle of Château-Thierry, later that summer.

Question: Which lasted longer, the Battle of Belleau Wood or the Battle of Leyte?
Answer: Battle of Leyte