There atop the hill at Belleau Wood, with the bodies of so many young Americans buried below, is a tribute to the Marines, yes, United States Marines, who took part in the battle of Belleau Wood. The trails are lovely and well marked and show the scars of the battle, even today. Well worth the trip.

Helped to explain to the children how the war was won... The views are great and the info on the monument instructive

Belleau Wood is located on the high ground to the rear of the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial south of the village of Belleau (Aisne), France. It contains many of the vestiges of World War I. In the center of the road leading through the woods is a flagpole and a monument commemorating the valor of the U.S. Marines who captured this area in 1918. Like all the ABMC memorials it is a fitting and beautiful tribute.

My wife and i were traveling with our French friends in the Champagne region and I suggested we make a significant detour to see the monuments at Belleau and at Chateau-Thievery. Our friends agreed so on Saturday morning, May 25, 2013, Memorial weekend back home, we drove from outside of Reims about an hour through the gorgeous French countryside to visit the cemetery and monument at Belleau. I was not prepared for this visit and found myself emotionally touched as I watched Marines from California, Stuttgart, Germany, and a collection of wounded warriors, practicing, along with their French counterparts (who were in uniform, the American Marines were in civilian dress) the Saturday morning before the actual Memorial Day ceremony, on 26 May 2013. This cemetery is flat out beautiful and evoked in me very strong feelings, especially as my wife and I climbed the hill behind the monument. I choked up as I looked out over the cemetery, realizing that 95 years ago on about June 1, 1918, thousands of young, untested Marines faced a strong German force and, over the course of three weeks, held them back, preventing the Germans from crossing the Marne and marching on Paris. We chatted with a Marine Colonel who was in charge of the young Marines who had traveled to Belleau. He could not have been more proud of his young men, who, it seemed, were extremely proud to be there for this special ceremony. I wish we could have stayed to see them in action, representing the Marine Corps..