To travel to Belleau, Aisne District, France to be photographed at the "Devil Dog" Fountain in the town and, if possible, at other locations related to the Belleau Wood battle of World War I in June 1918, then return to me here in Round Rock, Texas.

UPDATE!!! 17 May 2010

It's time for this one to come home to Texas!

After just over 4 years and over 18,400 miles, and a 2 year period where it was missing, the first part of the journey is OVER!

Thanks to an army of cachers and, especially to CRAMNAEJ for the final push, the TB has made it to Belleau, The Wood, and The American Cemetery. He went that extra measure that I had only dreamt of all this time and he got some amazing photographs in the process.  Be sure to scroll down and read his fantastic log entry!  Thank you so much one and all!  I cannot tell you how much this has meant to me and I can never thank you enough!

Now I get to watch and wait for it to make the long journey back home to Texas!

The Goal...

The “Devil Dog” Fountain in the town of Belleau, France has become a sort of a “Mecca” for United States Marines and as a Marine veteran I would dearly love to visit there and drink from the fountain as is the tradition.  However, it is not very likely that will happen, so this travel bug is being sent to act as my surrogate.

Please help it reach the fountain, dip it in the waters, photograph it at the fountain, post those photos in your travel bug log entry, and return the bug back to me.  If possible, I'd also like it to visit the following sites and get some more photos while there:

1. The Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial near Belleau.
2. The Marines Memorial at The Wood.
3. Any other sites of significance or interest you may find.

The Story...

Why is this fountain so special?  Well, the specifics of the story are shrouded in mystery, but the roots of the story lie in some of the hardest fighting and bloodiest days of the U. S. Marines’ involvement in World War I.

From 1-5 June 1918, U.S. Forces, including the 9th and 23rd Infantries of the U.S. Army and the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments (I was in the 5th Marine Regiment from 1977-1981 so this story is particularly special to me) met the German forces near Belleau Wood and fought several skirmishes.  On 5 June the Germans took up defensive positions in the wood and the U.S. forces started trying to drive them out.  On 23 June, after over two weeks of intense battle, often hand-to-hand, the Germans were driven from Belleau Wood.

On 30 June 1918, General Degoutte, the commander of the 6th French Army under whom the Americans had been fighting, issued an order.  In recognition of how the Marines stormed the wood in the face of a well held and deadly defence, in all official publications from then on "le Bois de Belleau" (Belleau Wood) would bear the name "le Bois de la Brigade de Marines" (Wood of The Brigade of Marines).  Thus it has been known since with the wood being bought by the Belleau Wood Association in 1923.

The next part of the story has been hotly debated but it makes a good tale in any case....

The Marines’ ferocity and tenacity during this battle was recognized by the Germans when they referred to the Marines as “Teufelhunden”, or “Devil Dogs”.  The Marines took to this new nickname very quickly and we’ve been very proud of it ever since, adopting the English Bulldog as our mascot and the physical embodiment of that nickname and that fighting spirit.

The Fountain...

In the town of Belleau, France, which is very near Belleau Wood in the Aisne District, there is a very old fountain.  It is known for its cold, clear water and the fixture on this fountain – a large, menacing dog.  Actually, it is a bull mastiff, but its close enough to a "Devil Dog" for Marines!

It did not take long for visiting this fountain, and the drinking of the water from this fountain, to become a very important personal mission for all Marines to complete if they can.  Besides, legend has it that if a Marine drinks from the fountain it will add 20 years to his life!

A Doughboy At The Fountain c. 1918

The Fountainhead