Evening star., 1939-11-05

sible tranquility and began chant
ing Death to the foreign devils"
Marines were rushed from a pair
of gunboats in Asiatic waters. They
landed and hammered their way
into Pekin, where they were besieged
with the rest OF the foreign lega-
tons.
The nearest effective force of Ma
rines was in the Philippines. To-
gether with soldiers, they were hur-
ried to the rescue, and severe fight
ing. with many casualties, took place
before the relief column hacked
through the hostile Gordon, fighting
from Tientsin to Pekin to lift the
siege.
Busy on Expeditions.
From then until April, 1914, Ma
rines shared in Is foreign expedi-
tions, including such romantic places
as Abyssinia, Syria, Korea, Cuba and
Russia. In the spring of 1914. to-
gether with a landing force of blue
jackets, Marines swept across the
beach in front of Vera Cruz. Mexico.
and occupied and held the city after
a desperate fight.
Almost before they had a chance
to catch their breath, serious Incl
dent occurred in Haiti. A harried
people, frantic from despotism, lit
orally chopped their President to
pieces in the streets of Port au
Prince. Had they conducted their
assassination so as not to encroach
upon other nations, probably moth
ing would have developed. But the
fleeing Chief Executive had sought
sanctuary in the French Legation,
whence his infuriated subjects drag
ged him to his death. despite the
protests of the Mortified French min
listers. Some civilized nation had to
land troops to insure safety. So
according to our Monroe Doctrine,
it was up to us.
Marines were rushed to the Black
Republic, and an occupation that
was to endure for almost two dec
AIDES began. And more Marines went
into that island than ever came out
again.
Sailed for France.
Then on that memorable April 6
1917, weary Congress decided that
the United States could no longer
honorably avoid war with the CEN
tral powers. The Marines, theil
ranks vastly swollen, sailed fol
France, where they met the Ger
mans at Belleau Woods, at Blanc
Mont, at Scissors and in few
other encounters. Their actions
startled the world, and not the least
Of these was on that June day
when assaulting waves Of leather
necks" shattered themselves against
the strongly held village o1
Bouresches. Only 20 Marines, quite
mad possibly, survived to reach the
outksirts Of the village. But they
bombed and bayoneted their way in
and drove out more than 400 of the
enemy. Twenty to one were the
odds against them-but they tool
the town.
While the famed 4th Brigade wa.
fighting in the A. E. f., lesser.
known but equally brave flight o1
Marine flyers was meeting the Ger,
mans in the air over the mud.
racked fields Of Flanders. In Cubs
and the Dominican Republic dis.
gusted Marines cursed the servic,
that enlisted them for war only K
forget them on distant islands.
Yet it was on one Of those unin.
spired islands, faraway Guam, hall
the world distant from the western
front, that the first American sho
was fired in the World War. Or
April 6, 1917, a Marine corpora
dropped q rifle bullet in front o.
German cutter as q signal Il
heave to.
In Familiar Places.
After the war, with the exception
Of detachment in Russia, the Ma
rines found themselves back in theil
old familiar stamping grounds
China, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Nicaragua! There was q cam
paign! From the first hostile sh6
fired In the cold gray dawn Of Apri
16, 1927, until the final evacuation
six years later, it was war to th'
teeth. Many brave men perishee
In that struggle, men Of high ideals
(see MARINES, Pago C-6J