The century-old legacy of Belleau Wood is still worth fighting for

When French President Emmanuel Macron came to Washington, D.C., last month, he brought as a gift an oak sapling from Belleau Wood. But "Macron's Oak" did not get a lot of attention. Perhaps that's because most of the press corps who covered the visit haven't heard of Belleau Wood, and thus have no appreciation of its meaning for America. That's a pity; it has much meaning.

The Battle of Belleau Wood, one of the epic confrontations of World War I, was fought 100 years ago this month. Russia's withdrawal from the war in 1918 freed German troops for the western front. Long mired in the trench warfare that had stymied his advance through northern France, German general Erich Ludendorff hoped to use the additional forces finally to reach and capture Paris, and perhaps end the war. He began a fresh offensive from the Marne River, about 100 kilometers north of the French capital. His forces quickly overwhelmed the French line opposing them, and they began to move south.

What ensued was three weeks of some of the most terrifying carnage of the war. American General John Pershing, commanding American troops separately from French and British forces, rushed units of the U.S. 2nd and 3rd Army Divisions, including several Marine regiments, to the breach in the French lines, where they joined French and British companies fighting for survival. The Americans had recently come from training and many were yet to be battle-tested. Nonetheless, they closed the breach. But the Germans were securely dug in, especially in a square mile of forest land, Belleau Wood. The Americans repeatedly attacked the German positions, often having to cross level wheat fields in the face of concentrated machine gun fire raking across their ranks to get into the forest where the Germans had established heavily fortified positions.

Once in the trees, the Americans had difficulty finding their way and distinguishing friend from foe. The Yanks were tenacious, especially the Marines, undeterred though taking heavy casualties, many from very accurate sniper fire. The fighting raged on for days, the Germans threatening to break out from their positions and overrun the attacking Americans, the Americans pushing back and then pressing their assault, the opposing fire frequently accompanied by mustard gas explosions. Often, the Marines were reduced to hand-to-hand combat with fixed bayonets.

Finally, on June 26, a combined assault by Marine infantry and machine gun companies cleared Belleau Wood of German forces. The battle was over, and the Germans were unable to make any further approach to Paris, though the war was far from over. At Belleau Wood, the Americans took nearly 10,000 casualties, including almost 2,000 killed. It was the deadliest Marine battle until Tarawa in World War II.

Belleau Wood was the first protracted and volatile fire fight for American forces in World War I, and also for U.S. Marines, whose previous battles had been skirmishes. From Belleau Wood came the reputation the Marines have since enjoyed, of a fighting force that will not quit and which will prevail, no matter the odds and the cost.

Though concerted work in U.S. military archives would be required to prove it, it's not unlikely that workers from Alaska Railroad construction in 1915 and 1916 fought at Belleau Wood, for when the U.S. finally entered the war in April 1917, many laborers left to join the Army.

What possible relevance can a battle fought a continent away and 100 years ago have for America and Alaska today?

As Monsieur Macron tried to remind President Donald Trump, the Americans went to France in 1917 to defend Enlightenment ideals and democratic values: "liberté, égalité, fraternité." Our cultures and people should have that in common. When President Woodrow Wilson's attempt to establish a new world order on those principles failed after the Versailles treaty at the end of the war, Europe reverted to the nationalist jealousies and ambitions that had caused the war. World War II became inevitable.

Mr. Trump now threatens to undo the Atlantic alliance constructed on those same principles after 1945, which has prevented war for 70 years and generated unparalleled prosperity. Those values and the peace they engendered were worth fighting for in 1918, and so are they today.

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