Almost every major offensive campaign the United States launched during World War II was initiated by an amphibious assault, as were the principal offensives of the Korean War.

Marines and amphibious warfare go together, the melding of the Navy-Marine Corps Team. Amphibious warfare integrates virtually all types of ships, aircraft, weapons and landing forces in a concerted military effort against a hostile shore; one of the most potent of these resources is the Marines.

The Marine Corps dates from the resolution of the Continental Congress on November 10, 1775, authorizing two battalions of Marines. The Marines served gallantly throughout the revolution, as they have throughout America's history‹``From the halls of Montezuma, to the Shores of Tripoli,'' on land, on sea and in the air, in wartime and peacetime. The story of World War II in the Pacific cannot be told without major dependence on the glorious record of the Marines. Guadalcanal, Tarawa, the Marshalls, the Marianas, the Palaus and finally, Iwo Jima, where ``uncommon valor was a common virtue.'' In Korea, the Inchon landing depicted in the bronze relief was a pivotal point in the war, enabling the United Nations forces to shift from a defensive posture to an offensive one. The Navy-Marine assault forced the enemy North Korean armies to withdraw rapidly northward.

In Vietnam, Marines compiled a distinguished record in combat both in amphibious operations and sustained operations ashore. Most recently, the Marines were engaged in combat in the Persian Gulf, for the liberation of Kuwait.

Sponsored by past and present United States Marines, with a contribution from Waste Management Corporation. Sculptor: Fred Press.