The above image is dedicated to the memory of the Marines who fought in the Battle of Belleau Wood in June of 1918.
Marine legend has it that it was this battle where the German army gave their opponents the name “Teufel Hunden”, or “Devil Dogs”, due to the tenacity and bravery with which they fought for 26 days. In the last days of the battle, many Marines were reduced to using only their bayonets and their fists.
While the origin of the term is disputed, the ferocity of Marines in battle and the appropriateness of the name is not.
On 26 June, 1918, Major Maurice E. Shearer submitted an action report which simply stated “Woods now U.S. Marine Corps entirely”. This marked the end of the Battle of Belleau Wood.
The woods were renamed by the French after the battle. The name given to them was Bois de la Brigade de Marine, or “Wood of the Marine Brigade”, in honor of the Marines tenacity in battle.
Devil Dogs.
Semper Fi.
The Beginning At Last 
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