On 10 June 2013, in a Change of Command ceremony, Major General Ronald L. Bailey, USMC relinquished command of the oldest and most decorated division in the Marine Corps, the 1st Marine Division, to Major General Lawrence D. Nicholson, USMC.
The ceremony took place at Camp Pendleton, on the parade ground near the Division’s Headquarters, a building which has served as headquarters for every division commander since 1942.
The 1st Marine Division was activated aboard the USS Texas on February 1, 1941 and in 1942 landed on the island of Guadalcanal, part of the Solomon Islands. Since then, the Division has engaged in major campaigns throughout World War II, Korea, Viet Nam, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
The Division’s regiments were in existence as early as March 8, 1911, when the 1st Marine Regiment was formed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The 5th Marines were created in Vera Cruz, Mexico on July 13, 1914 and participated in 15 major engagements during World War I, including Belleau Wood, Chateau Thierry, and St. Mihiel. On August 7, 1917, the 7th Marines were activated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and spent the duration of World War I in Cuba and were disbanded after the war. The 11th Marines was formed in January 1918 at Quantico, Virginia, as a light infantry regiment. The Regiment went to France as an infantry unit, providing a machine gun company and a guard company. Decommissioned and reactivated twice between the world wars, the Regiment was re-formed in 1940 as a full-fledged artillery unit.
These photographs are presented in the order of the events of the day, beginning with a band concert by the 1st Marine Division Band as guests gathered prior to the ceremony, and ending with guests greeting and congratulating General's Bailey and Nicholson. The sequence of events is described in image # 1.
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