“Retreat?  Hell, we just got here.” So said Capt. Lloyd Williams, Virginia Tech Class of 1909, who was commanding the 51st Co., 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment (2/5 Marines) at Belleau Wood. You can read more about this incident by clicking here.

Formed in 1917, the 2/5 Marines went on to become the most decorated battalion in USMC history. They are on active duty as a part of the 1st Marine Division.

James (“Jim”) Patton BS BA MPA is a retired state official from Shawnee, Kansas and a frequent contributor to several WW1 e-publications, including "Roads to the Great War," "St. Mihiel Tripwire," "Over the Top" and "Medicine in the First World War." He has spent many hours walking the WW1 battlefields, and is also an authority on British regiments and a collector of their badges. An Army Engineer during the Vietnam War, he does work for the US World War 1 Centennial Commission and is affiliated with the WW1 Historical Association, the Western Front Association, the Salonika Campaign Society and the Gallipoli Association.