Marines charged machine-gun nests with fixed bayonets and engaged the Germans in fierce hand-to-hand combat while moving from tree to tree. Dan Daly, a legendary two-time Medal of Honor recipient, famously shouted to his troops to motivate them to continue to push forward. 'Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?' First Sgt. Determined to take the forest, the Marines did not stop their advance. The Battle of Belleau Wood, one of the most brutal battles fought by American forces in World War I, saw US Marines charge across a field of waist-high wheat into German machine-gun fire, suffering unbelievable casualties. Georges Scott/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain Georges Scott's illustration 'American Marines in Belleau Wood (1918).' The stripes, however, reportedly pre-date this famous battle.

Not only is this battle, like the earlier Battle of Derna, commemorated in the Marines' Hymn, but the scarlet stripes on the Marines' blue dress trousers are called 'blood stripes' and are said to honor those who fell at Chapultepec. With this victory,В US troops captured the last stronghold of the Mexican-American War and cleared the way for US forces to take the Mexican capital. US troops then scaled the high walls of the castle while battling it out against an enemy ready to fight until the bloody end.ДЄt the conclusion of the two-day battle, the Marines hoisted the flag inside the fort, commonly referred to as the Halls of Montezuma. US Marines and Army soldiers fought their way up the hill through heavy musket and artillery fire to engage Mexican forces in intense hand-to-hand combat. Winfield ScottВ determined that it was necessary to take it before American troops could seize the capital. Mexico:В September 12 to September 13, 1847Д¬hapultepec Castle sat atop a steep hill, serving as a critical fort for the defense of Mexico City, and US Army Gen. This unique sword remains the oldest ceremonial weapon in use by the US armed forces today.ДЄnd the Battle of Derna is famously celebrated in the Marines' Hymn, a key verse of which reads: 'From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli, we fight our country's battles in the air, on land, and sea.'Д«attle of Chapultepec during the Mexican-American War, painted by Carl Nebel.Д¬arl Nebel/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

The Mameluke sword presented to O'Bannon by the rightful ruler of Tripoli, who was able to retake his throne after the battle, eventually became a part of the Marine Corps officer's uniform. The nickname 'leathernecks' originated at Derna, where US Marines wore high, leather collars to guard against the cutlasses carried by the pirates. The battle also notably shaped a handful of Marine Corps traditions. The victory, supported by the Navy and local mercenaries, helped secure US ships and trade at a critical time in America's development. Presley O'Bannon marched more than 500 miles across the Libyan Desert to storm the Tripolitan port city of Derna, where the Marines won a historic victory over the Barbary pirates of North Africa and rescued the captured crew of the USS Philadelphia. Marines Capture the Barbary pirate fortress at Derna, Tripoli, April 27, 1805ДЄ small Marine expeditionary force under the command of Lt.

Us marine corp band stars and stripes