Today, 54 years ago, Marines were the first U.S. combat troops to land in Vietnam. | U.S. Marine Corps

Today, we remember and honor the nearly 500,000 Marines who served our country during the Vietnam War. From 1965 to 1973, some of the Marine Corps’ most storied battles and operations took place in Vietnam, including the siege of Khe Sanh, the Battle of Hue City, and Operation Starlite. The tactical and operational lessons the Marine Corps learned throughout the conflict proved the efficacy of the Marine Air Ground Task Force Model and influenced the Corps’ warfighting doctrine in the decades th

October 1966 — U.S. Marines unleash the power of the M2 .50 caliber machine gun in Vietnam. Known as “Ma Deuce,” this heavy machine gun had already served through World War II and Korea — and in the jungles and firebases of Vietnam, it was still the king of the battlefield. The steady thump of the .50 meant security on the perimeter, convoy protection on the open road, and sheer firepower when everything else failed. #VietnamWar #USMC #MaDeuce #M2Browning #Firepower #1966 #GhostsOfTheBattlefield

Was your boot camp experience what you expected it to be? | U.S. Marine Corps

The Marine Corps boot camp experience is so memorable that most Marines still recall the names of their drill instructors, decades later. Do you remember your drill instructors' names? In our “Making Marines" gallery, visitors step inside the process used by drill instructors to transform young men and women into Marines. Check out the gallery or take our Virtual Experience tour here: https://www.usmcmuseum.com/makingmarines.html | National Museum of the Marine Corps