Belleau Wood - a bloody encounter of WW1 - occupies a special place in the annals of American military history, an early and vital display of American capability on the battlefield.

U.S. Marines march through the battlefield of Belleau Wood prior to a Memorial Day commemoration at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau, France, Sunday, May 27, 2018.

The battle is one of the first things taught to any U.S. Marine, said Owen Gardner Finnegan, a Marine who served in Afghanistan and was visiting the Belleau Wood cemetery.

The World War I battle of Belleau Wood in northern France pitted untested U.S. forces against the more-experienced Germans, who were making a push toward Paris.

The battle is one of the first things taught to any U.S. Marine, said Owen Gardner Finnegan, a Marine who served in Afghanistan and was visiting the Belleau Wood cemetery.

Piercing the fog of war to separate legend from fact. Many historians consider the June 1918 Battle of Belleau Wood the defining event in the history of the U.S. Marine Corps. As the Corps ...

Many of the trees at Belleau Wood are new. A century ago, the quiet forest was torn apart and the trees splintered, uprooted, and exploded as two battalions of untested U.S. Marines ...

Belleau Wood - a bloody encounter of WW1 - occupies a special place in the annals of American military history, an early and vital display of American capability on the battlefield.

The battle is one of the first things taught to any U.S. Marine, said Owen Gardner Finnegan, a Marine who served in Afghanistan and was visiting the Belleau Wood cemetery.