Re: 1st MarDiv to Korea

[Marc James Small <msmall@infi.net>]

At 02:59 PM 10/30/02 EST, SDonell73@aol.com wrote:

>During the years following WWII, the Marine Corps had to fight for its very
>existence. The existence of the Corps was saved by Public Law, by friends
>in Congress. But there was continuous action dealing with cuts in resources
>for the Marine Corps, to bring it to the point of extinction, primarily by
>SecDef Louis Johnson.  
> 
>After the Korean Conflict broke out, the Commandant offered MacArthur a
>reinforced regiment and attached Marine Aircraft Group, 

Sandy

The third or fourth message MacArthur sent to the JCS after the North
Koreans invaded was a request for a reinforced regiment, later increased to
a Brigade -- his Marine staff liaison told him that this was all the Corps
would be able to provide, and then only, as you note, by scraping and
shifting forces and personnel.  When the Marine Corps then increased this
to the offer of an entire division, MacArthur WAS ecstatic, and reminded
his coterie of the outstanding record this unit had had in the Second World
War.

Marc

msmall@infi.net  FAX:  +276/343-7315
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