--- title: "This Marine Corps video is the most moto thing you’ll see today" date: "2018-03-31" modified: "2020-10-22" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/military-life/this-marine-corps-video-is-the-most-moto-thing-youll-see-today/" categories: - "History" - "Join the Military" - "Marine Corps" - "Military Culture" --- # This Marine Corps video is the most moto thing you’ll see today ![]() Facebook now allows you to use full-motion video as cover imagery for your profile page. We are either one step closer to bringing back ugly MySpace pages or maximizing everyone's creative potential. --- ![]() *I think we're safe.* The Marine Corps updated their official Facebook page to include not just some awesome shots of Marines doing Marine things, but also to teach a little about the Corps' history. It's basically the best primer to fool kids into learning while simultaneously getting their malleable brains ready to be washed in [the cult that is the U.S. Marine Corps](). \[facebook https://www.facebook.com/marines/videos/10154800324835194/ expand=1\] Damn. I'm a 35-year-old Air Force veteran and I'm already primed to go to MCT after watching that. But, for the uninitiated, these are some the historical battles the video covers. ## 1. The Raid on Nassau Yes, the Marines invaded the Bahamas. They captured the island of New Providence in the Bahamas in 1776 in an attempt to raid British gunpowder stores there. ![]() *I bet Marines wish we still invaded Caribbean countries.* The Continental Marines didn't get much gunpowder but it was the first amphibious landing of what would become the United States Marine Corps. ## 2. The Battle of Derna ![]() *But no, the Middle East it is.* If you're reading this, you've probably heard of the infamous "Shores of Tripoli" from [the well-known hymn](). Marine Lt. Presley O'Bannon led a ragtag group of Marines and Arab allies against the Barbary pirate states in North Africa and won against all odds. ## 3. The Battle of Chapultepec If you know the aforementioned hymn, you're probably familiar with this battle, too. Marines captured the citadel of Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City during the 1847 Mexican-American War. ![]() "It's just a small hill, I think!" They fought up a 200-foot slope and over a 12-foot wall just to enter the castle. Then, they took it from the Mexican Army, sometimes fighting hand-to-hand to do it. ## 4. The Battle of Belleau Wood This bloody World War I slugfest is a fight nobody thought was winnable. Even after the French fell back from the woods, the Marines stood their ground against the oncoming Germans. When the Marine lines held, it astonished all their allies. ![]() It's said that this is where the Marines earned the nickname, "Devil Dogs." ## 5. The Battle of Iwo Jima Of all the battles on display in the video, this is the one that likely needs the least explanation. The iconic image of Marines raising the American flag over Mount Suribachi is legendary. ![]() *Yeah, this one.* It took 110,000 American troops nearly a month to capture the island. And of the 21,000 Japanese defenders, only 216 survived to be taken prisoner. ## 6. The Battle of the Chosin Reservoir This is the most amazing fight that was almost lost to history. The 1st Marine Division took on 10 attacking Chinese divisions in a blinding, freezing snowstorm in North Korean Siberia — and they won. ![]() *No words.* The individual stories of surviving Chosin veterans — calling themselves "The Chosin Few" — are the stuff of legend. ## 7. The Battle of Hue In one of the most pivotal moments of the entire Vietnam War, a forgotten area on the border between North and South Vietnam became a focal point for the Tet Offensive. ![]() Capturing Hue City was a brilliant strategy for the North Vietnamese. The only problem was that it was defended by U.S. Marines – and they spent a month taking it back, house-by-house. ## 8. Iraq and Afghanistan As for Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan, the history of those entire conflicts is too long to list out here, but find out (or ask Marines) about their time in Desert Storm, or in places like Sangin in Afghanistan or Fallujah in Iraq. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()