Members of the 4th Marine Division Association gathered together for the last time aboard base and in the community Aug. 3-7, 2015. The association held a formal deactivation ceremony at 8 a.m. Thursday, Aug 6 at Liversedge Field. This outdoor ceremony was held to case the association's organizational colors signifying the official deactivation of the association. Veterans and association members participated alongside current Marines symbolically representing the passing of the torch from one generation of Marines to another.
The 4th Marine Division, also known as the "Fighting Fourth," was formally activated on Aug. 14, 1943, aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. These men fought valiantly throughout the Pacific during WWII. No division participated in more violent combat than the 4th Marine Division. In 63 days, the men engaged in more combat action than many units did during months of jungle fighting, or in long campaigns in Italy and France.
After intensive training at Camp Lejeune, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, and Camp Maui, Hawaii, the Marines and sailors of the division shipped out on Jan. 13, 1944 to fight the war in the Pacific. Within 13 months, these men fought in four major amphibious assaults, in the battles of Kwajalein (Roi-Namur), Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima, and suffered more than 17,000 casualties. The unit was awarded two Presidential Unit Citations, the highest military unit award, and a Navy Unit Commendation. It was also the first Marine division to return to the US and be deactivated after the war, on Nov. 28, 1945.
During the four operations in which the Fighting Fourth was engaged, a total of 81,718 men saw action one or more times. 21.6% of those were casualties: killed, missing in action or wounded--and some were wounded more than once.
For more information about the 4th Marine Division Association, please visit their website at www.fightingfourth.com.