| Conflicts | Other Events | Inclusive Date(s) | Explanation |
| Marine disarmament of Japanese |
September 30, 1945
|
Marines of the 3rd Amphibious Corps began landing in North China, disarmed 630,000 Japanese. | |
| Marines assaulted Chinese |
October 6, 1945
|
On Tientsin Peiping road, Marines had first fire fight with Chinese Communists. | |
| French Indochinese war began |
November 23, 1946
|
French invaded Vietnam. | |
| National Security Act of 1947 |
July 26, 1947
|
President Truman signed National Security Act, which organized the armed forces under a single Secretary of Defense, and established a separate Air Force. | |
| First Marine amphibious helicopter exercise |
May 23, 1948
|
First Marines were brought ashore by helicopter for amphibious exercise at New River, North Carolina. | |
| Regular women marines / First black women marines |
November 10, 1948
|
First eight enlisted women were sworn in as regular marines. The following summer, the first black women marines enlisted. | |
| Vacancies filled throughout Marine Corps |
November 18, 1949
|
All male marines, regardless of race, were assigned to vacancies in any unit. | |
| North Korean forces invaded South Korea |
June 25, 1950
|
North Korean invasion of South Korea started a civil war. | |
| Marines landed at Pusan |
August 2, 1950
|
1st Marine Provisional Brigade landed at Pusan, South Korea. | |
| Korean War |
September 15, 1950
|
1st Marine Division conducted assault landing at Inchon on west coast of Korea, retook Seoul. | |
| Marines took on the Chinese in North Korea |
November 2, 1950
|
Marines engaged Chinese Communists in North Korea near the Chosin Reservoir. | |
| Marines controlled Yudam-ni |
November 23, 1950
|
7th Marines took Yudam-ni, Korea. | |
| Marines gained momentum against the Chinese |
November 28, 1950
|
After repulsing eight Chinese divisions, Marines began an epic "breakout" on December 1. | |
| President Truman relieved Gen. Douglas MacArthur |
April 9, 1951
|
Due to egotistical tendencies, MacArthur was ordered to step down as commanding officer of UN forces. | |
| Marines advanced into South Korea |
June 20, 1951
|
1st Marine Division reached "The Punchbowl" in Korea. The Punchbowl is a geologic bowl several miles across, ringed by steep mountains on three sides, and contains the richest farmland in South Korea. | |
| Armistice signed at Panmunjon, Korea |
July 27, 1953
|
The armistice agreement ending the Korean War was signed. | |
| French were defeated at Battle of Dien Bien Phu |
May 8, 1954
|
French strong point of Dien Bien Phu fell in Indochina. | |
| Marine War Memorial |
November 10, 1954
|
Marine Corps War Memorial was dedicated next to Arlington National Cemetery. | |
| Marine recruits drown |
April 8, 1956
|
Six recruits drowned in Ribbon Creek at Parris Island, South Carolina. | |
| Marines landed at Beirut |
July 15, 1958
|
2nd Marines landed near Beirut and seized airport at Lebanese government's request. | |
| Castro took control in Cuba |
January 16, 1959
|
Fidel Castro overthrew Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. | |
| Bay of Pigs |
April 17, 1961
|
Anti-Castro Cubans repulsed at Bay of Pigs. | |
| Marine orbits earth |
February 20, 1962
|
Marine Lt. Col. John H. Glenn Jr. orbited earth in American space capsule. | |
| Cuban Missile Crisis |
October 20, 1962
|
Cuban Missile Crisis brought the U.S. and Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear conflict at the height of the Cold War. | |
| Assassination of President Kennedy |
November 22, 1963
|
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. | |
| Vietnam War began for the U.S. |
March 8, 1965
|
9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade landed at Da Nang, South Vietnam. | |
| Marines landed in Dominican Republic |
April 28, 1965
|
6th Marines landed in Santo Domingo. | |
| Marines landed in Dominican Republic |
February 28, 1967
|
Pfc. James Anderson Jr. became the first black marine to win the Medal of Honor. | |
| Battle for Khe Sanh |
January 20, 1968
|
North Vietnamese opened battle against 26th Marines for Khe Sanh. | |
| Tet Offensive |
January 31, 1968
|
Vietnamese Communists launched an offensive on Chinese New Year. | |
| Khe Sanh Offensive^ |
July 5, 1968
|
After an unsuccessful attempt at baiting the North Vietnamese (using Marines as bait), U.S. gave up Khe Sanh base because of ongoing communist shelling. | |
| President Richard M. Nixon planned withdrawl |
June 8, 1969
|
President Nixon announced first sizable withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam. | |
| Marines faced court martial |
February 19, 1970
|
Combat patrol of 7th Marines charged with deaths of 11 civilians at Son Thang, North Vietnam. | |
| Marines "unofficially" entered Cambodia |
April 30, 1970
|
President Nixon ordered troops into Cambodia. | |
| Marine involvement in Indochina ended |
June 25, 1971
|
Last Marine ground troops departed South Vietnam leaving only a token force at the U.S. Embassy. | |
| Easter Offensive |
March 30, 1972
|
North Vietnamese swept south in Easter offensive. | |
| Nixon forced to resign |
August 8, 1974
|
Due to the Watergate Scandal, President Nixon resigned the most powerful office on the planet. Incoming president Gerald R. Ford pardoned him. | |
| Marines defended Cyprus embassy |
August 19, 1974
|
Marines defended U.S. embassy in Nicosia, Cyprus, after sniper killed U.S. ambassador Roger Davies; mob action ensued. | |
| Marines evacuated Cambodian foreigners |
April 12, 1975
|
Marines evacuated innocent civilians, including Americans, before Khmer Rouge seized Phnom Penh. | |
| Fall of Saigon |
April 30, 1975
|
4th Marines under Col. Alfred M. Gray, completed evacuation by helicopters from U.S. Embassy and Tan Son Nhut airfield. | |
| Communism remained in Vietnam |
July 2, 1975
|
North and South Vietnam were united as Socialist Republic of Vietnam with its capital at Hanoi. | |
| 200 years of service |
November 10, 1975
|
Marine Corps celebrated its 200th birthday. | |
| Marines were taken hostage in Iran |
November 4, 1979
|
Mob overran embassy in Teheran, Iran; 13 Marines were among 65 Americans taken hostage; 52 were held captive for 444 days. | |
| Marines defend Pakistan embassy |
November 21, 1979
|
In Islamabad mob burned embassy as seven marines defended building. | |
| Marines died in Iran |
April 24, 1980
|
Three Marines were killed in desert accident during effort to rescue Teheran hostages. | |
| Marines rescued U.S. ambassador to El Salavador |
May 12, 1980
|
Embassy Marines in San Salvador used tear gas to rescue U.S. ambassador from mob. | |
| Invasion of Lebanon |
June 6, 1980
|
Israel invaded southern Lebanon to root out PLO terrorists. | |
| Marines landed in Lebanon |
June 23, 1980
|
Marines landed in Lebanon to evacuate civilians. | |
| Terrorists killed marine at Beirut Embassy |
April 18, 1983
|
One marine killed (among 63 in the attack, with several wounded) when terrorists blew up U.S. Embassy in Beirut. | |
| Marines killed at Beirut headquarters |
October 23, 1983
|
Terrorist truck bomb blew up headquarters of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines at Beirut airport, killing 241 Americans, of whom 220 were marines. | |
| Marines deployed for West Indies |
October 25, 1983
|
Marines and Army intervened in Grenada, West Indies. | |
| Marines departed Lebanon |
July 31, 1984
|
All marines, except embassy guard, left Lebanon after 533-day intervention. | |
| Berlin Wall was torn down |
November 9, 1989
|
As a symbol of an end to the Cold War, the Berlin Wall was torn down. | |
| Marines pursued Noriega |
December 20, 1989
|
Marines were part of a force that tried to capture Panama's dictator, Manuel Noriega. | |
| Invasion of Kuwait |
August 2, 1990
|
Saddam Hussein's Iraqi Army invaded Kuwait. | |
| Marines saved Liberian civilians |
August 5, 1990
|
Marines landed in Monrovia, Liberia, and evacuated civilians threatened by civil war. | |
| Marine pilots saved Somalian U.S. Embassy personnel |
January 4, 1991
|
Marine helicopters evacuated 281 people from U.S. Embassy at Mogadishu. | |
| Operation Desert Storm |
January 16, 1991
|
Marines flew in first waves of allied planes in Operation Desert Storm. | |
| Marines breached Iraqi lines |
February 24, 1991
|
Lt. Gen. Walter Boomer led Marine 1st and 2nd divisions into Iraq. | |
| Persian Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm) officially ends |
February 28, 1991
|
President George H.W. Bush called for an end to the Gulf War and directed military efforts to humanitarian objectives. | |
| Marines moved to northern Iraq |
April 14, 1991
|
Marines were deployed to Iraq/Turkey border to assist in a multinational relief force to protect Kurdish civilians. | |
| Marines assisted in Bangledesh |
April 30, 1991
|
Marines assisted millions of starving and homeless Bangladeshi, after a tornado wiped out 125,000 civilians. | |
| Soviets reconstructed new diplomacy |
December 21, 1991
|
Soviet Union was disbanded and replaced by a commonwealth of independent states. | |
| Marines landed in Somalia |
December 9, 1992
|
Marines landed in Somalia to rescue foreign civilians in Mogadishu. | |
| Marines returned to Somalia |
June 20, 1993
|
Marine unit returned to Mogadishu, to maintain peace. | |
| Genocide in Rwanda |
April 12, 1994
|
Marines evacuated foreign civilians from Rwanda, Africa. | |
| Marines land in Haiti |
September 20, 1994
|
U.S. soldiers and 1,900 marines landed in Haiti (Cape Haitian on the island's north side) to conduct Operation Uphold Democracy. | |
| Marines withdrew from war-torn Somalia |
March 3, 1995
|
Marines complete withdrawal of United Nations (UN) forces from clan war in Somalia. | |
| Marines assisted Air Force pilot |
June 8, 1995
|
40 Marines rescued an Air Force pilot shot down over Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 2. | |
| Marines assisted Bangledesh natural disaster victoms |
May 30, 1997
|
Marines helped to evacuate 2,500 people from Kinshasa, Zaire. | |
| Suspected al Qaeda terrorist attacked U.S. soil |
September 11, 2001
|
Following suspected mastermind Osama bin Laden's planned terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, Marines were deployed around the world in defense of American freedom. | |
| Air strikes in Afghanistan |
October 7, 2001
|
U.S. began military strikes into Kabul, Kandahar, and Jalalabad. | |
| Invasion of Iraq |
March 19, 2003
|
The beginning of the Iraq "decapitation attack" got under way when the U.S. launched Operation Iraqi Freedom. The first air strike pin-pointed Saddam Hussein and other top officials in Baghdad. | |
| Marines advanced in southern Iraq |
March 20, 2003
|
U.S. 3rd Division and 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) invaded southern Iraq from Kuwait. Marines began assault on Iraqi port of Umm Qasr. | |
| Marines ambushed in Nasiriya |
March 23, 2003
|
An Iraqi ambush, using massive artillery, inflicted heavy casualties on U.S. Marines in the city of Nasiriya. | |
| Marines gained "foothold" in Nasiriya |
March 28, 2003
|
Three Marine infantry battalions occupied parts of Nasiriya. The U.S.'s longest helicopter air assault operation took place as hundreds of coalition soldiers were dropped into Baghdad suburbs. | |
| Marines in heavy fire fight for Nasiriya |
March 29, 2003
|
Along the Euphrates River, U.S. Marines and Iraqi fighters exchanged heavy munitions fire for control of Nasiriya. | |
| Marines gained control of Nasiriya / Marines confronted Iraqi Republican Guard |
April 2, 2003
|
The 1st MEF engaged the elite Republican Guard's Baghdad Division, and captured a bridge crossing the Tigris River. Other Marines in Nasiriya continued their search for Iraqi militia. | |
| Marines gained ground for Kut |
April 3, 2003
|
1st Battalion of the 7th Marines secured two locations on the outskirts of Kut. | |
| Saddam's Republican Guard surrendered to Marines |
April 4, 2003
|
U.S. forces held Baghdad's airport, 12 miles outside the city center, still facing sporadic resistance. About 2,500 Iraqi soldiers surrendered to Marines. | |
| Marines emerged victorious in fierce Baghdad fighting |
April 5, 2003
|
U.S. forces drove into downtown Baghdad with token resistance. The U.S. Army's V Corps, 1st MEF, and 1st Battallion, 7th Marines, also were involved. The 1st MEF emerged victorious from close-quarters combat with Iraqi infantry. | |
| Marines were ambushed in Diwaniyah |
April 7, 2003
|
"Chemical Ali," Saddam's first cousin, was found dead in Basra. Iraqi militia ineffectively ambushed a U.S. Marine platoon in Diwaniyah. | |
| Marines attacked at Baghdad University |
April 9, 2003
|
U.S. Marines were attacked at Baghdad University after initially being greeted by happy citizens three hours earlier. | |
| Suicide bomb wounded four marines |
April 10, 2003
|
At a U.S. Marine checkpoint in Baghdad, a Saddam loyalist with explosives strapped to his body blew himself up — wounding four marines. | |
| Marines advanced into Tikrit |
April 12, 2003
|
Divisions of the U.S. 1st MEF Unit left Baghdad for Tikrit. Citizens of Kut, about 40 miles southeast of Baghdad, welcomed U.S. Marines as the city came under coalition control. | |
| Marines battled for Tikrit |
April 13, 2003
|
U.S. Marines staged an offensive attack inside Tikrit on approximately 2,500 Iraqi fighters faithful to Saddam Hussein. | |
| Marines controlled Tikrit |
April 14, 2003
|
Tikrit was secured by U.S. Marines. With lighter resistance than expected, Marines established checkpoints throughout the city. | |
| U.S. offenses in Iraq ended |
April 14, 2003
|
Only 43 days after announcing the start of the war in Iraq, President Bush announced that major combat operations in Iraq had ended. His live speech was given from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. | |
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History of Marines-Part 3
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