In 1942, the US Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard opened their ranks to most women.

US Marine Corps Women’s Reserve Sgt. and Museum family member Bernice Williams turns 100 years old on March 1, 2021. She says that her 1943-1945 service as a Marine made her a “better person.”

Benjamin Carson talks about volunteering for the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion and the brutally realistic training they received in San Diego to prepare for combat in the Pacific.

It was only in the wake of Executive Order 8802, and a presidential directive issued directly to the Corps, that the Marines began setting up a new segregated training facility for African American recruits at Montford Point, North Carolina. One of the first recruits was Edgar Cole.

Ed Bearss, a US Marine who was severely wounded in combat in 1944 and went on to become a great Civil War historian, passed away on September 15, 2020, at the age of 97. He stood for the finest values and traditions of the US Marine Corps.

James “Horse Collar” Smith describes his experiences during the Battle of Bloody Ridge on Guadalcanal in September 1942.

In honor of National Dog Day, think about what it would be like to volunteer your dog for military service.

Mike Mervosh describes his experience with the flag raising on Iwo Jima.

George Peto describes an uphill assault he took part in on Okinawa that ended up being his proudest day in the Marine Corps, despite the tremendous casualties his company suffered.

Hershel “Woody” Williams describes his actions on Iwo Jima for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Arthur Jackson discusses engaging Japanese positions during the Battle of Peleliu, actions for which he would later be awarded the Medal of Honor.

James Carrington discusses his experiences of being hidden by Filipino guerillas after escaping from Bilibid Prison where he had been a POW of the Japanese for two years.