Modern Hard Corps Stories: 4/1st BN, 8th Marines

And we are back! After a pause through all the key events of November, Modern Hard Corps Stories is back!

Modern Hard Corps Stories 4: 1st Bn. 8th Marines

Modern Hard Corps Stories is a monthly segment here at American Grit. We will take you through the modern history since the end of the Vietnam War to the present. Consequently, covering some of the greatest units that make up the United States Marine Corps.Our journey through the Corps' 'Victor" units is still at Camp Lejeune NC. And having just marked the 37th anniversary of the terrorist attack on our Marines in Beirut, it only makes sense that this segment is all about 1st Bn. 8th Marines (1/8).And while several other battalions also were part of the operations in Beirut, 1/8 is arguably the most recognized and hence owns the tag "Beirut Battalion. For more about the overall involvement in Beirut, check out this earlier article.

One Heck of a Legacy

During WW2, 1/8 made it's mark on Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian, and Okinawa. After the war and a brief period of deactivation, 1/8 would spend the next 3 decades as a force in readiness, deploying throughout the Mediterranean and Caribbean regions. As early as 1958, 1/8 was making it's presence felt in Beirut, Lebanon. They were also a key part of operations during the Cuban missile crisis as well as the troubles in the Dominican Republic.