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Sunday, January 20, 2013


2nd Battalion 5th Marines

       2/5 is the most highly decorated battalion in the Marine Corps and their motto, "Retreat, Hell!", comes from the French trenches of World War I, when a Marine officer named Lloyd W. Williams was ordered to retreat and replied, "Retreat? Hell, we just got here!"

               Major Lloyd W. Williams. A famous saying is attributed to Williams, who was serving as a company commander in the 5th Marines during the Battle of Belleau Wood. When advised to withdraw by a French officer at the defensive line just north of the village of Lucy-le-Bocage on June 1, 1918, he is said to have replied: "Retreat? Hell, we just got here!" Captain Williams would not survive the ensuing battle, and was posthumously promoted to major and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

               Here's a wiki link on this group of Americans:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Battalion_5th_Marines

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