Devil Dog Graphix

Jake McNiece enlisted on September 1, 1942 and was assigned to the demolition saboteur section of what was then the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. This section became the known as the "Filthy Thirteen," and was first led by Lt. Charles Mellen, who was killed in action on June 6, 1944, during the Invasion of Normandy. Following Mellen's death, Private McNiece led the unit.

McNiece's deliberate disobedience and disrespect during training prevented him from being promoted past Private when most Paratroopers were promoted to Private First Class after 30 days. He earned his famous nickname, "McNasty," from the men in his unit due to his unorthodox, hell-raising leadership style. McNiece would act as section sergeant and first sergeant through various missions. His first sergeant and company commanders knew he was the man the regiment could count on during combat. His escapades are documented in his words in The Filthy Thirteen, Fighting With the Filthy Thirteen, and War Paint: The Filthy Thirteen Jump Into Normandy.

McNiece went on to make a total of four combat jumps, the first as part of the Invasion of Normandy in 1944. In the same year he jumped as part of Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands, and at the Siege of Bastogne, part of the larger Battle of the Bulge. During fighting in the Netherlands, he acted as the demolition platoon sergeant.

The Marines got the nickname Devil Dogs from official German reports which called the Marines, at Belleau Wood, Teufel Hunden. It has been said that this nickname came about from Marines being ordered to take a hill occupied by German forces while wearing gas masks as a precaution against German mustard gas.

While the Marines fought their way up the hill, the heat caused them to sweat profusely, foam at the mouth and turned their eyes bloodshot, and at some points the hill was so steep it caused the Marines to climb up it on all fours.

From the Germans' vantage point, they witnessed a pack of tenacious, growling figures wearing gas masks, with bloodshot eyes and mouth foam seeping from the sides, advancing up the hill, sometimes on all fours, killing everything in their way.

On this Memorial Day, we will never forget the brave men and women who sacrificed all they had on the battlefield, to ensure our liberty and freedom. They shall live in our hearts forever.

"As we honor their memory today, let us pledge that their lives, their sacrifices, their valor shall be justified and remembered for as long as God gives life to this nation. And let us also pledge to do our utmost to carry out what must have been their wish: that no other generation of young men will every have to share their experiences and repeat their sacrifice.”

May 16, 2026 is Armed Forces Day! 🇺🇸

We honor all of the brave men and women currently serving, as well as those who have served and sacrificed to defend our freedom.

"You really like this shit, don't you? lt's your job. A story. You're waiting here like a fucking vulture. Watching for somebody to die, so you can take a picture. l've got more respect for those little bastards up there. At least they take a side. You just take pictures. You probably don't even do your own fucking."