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This division was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation. An awards for acts of heroism against enemies after the bombing of Pearl Harbor

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This division participated in many pivotal battles of World War II including  the Battle of Saipan, the Battle of Tinian, and of course the invasion and occupation of Iwo-Jima.

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When the United States joined the war, the marine corps was standing at a relatively low number of about 45,000 soldiers. There were only two divisions, the 1st division, and the 2nd division.

After Pearl Harbor, these two divisions were quickly assigned to tasks, and so it was deemed necessary to create more marine divisions. Both the 3rd and 4th Marine Divisions were formed to aid in the pacific.

The 4th Marine Division was formed August 16th, 1943, and is  unique in that it was formed on the east coast rather than the west coast. This meant getting these troops to the pacific proved to be quite the challenge.

They eventually reached camp Pendleton via various methods. The conditions at the camp are said to be rugged. As the camp was newly built, and the United States had other priorities, the roads were not paved, hot water was not available, and training was intense. However, this only served to improve and strengthen the members of the division.

This is part of the reason they are called the "Fighting Four"

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The 4th Marine Division was a national regiment, with soliders coming from all 50 of the states. However, unlike the other Marine Divisions formed on the west coast, the 4th Marine Division was formed more to the east coast, meaning their may be a higher number of east coast state soldiers.

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Brigadier General James L. Underhill (August 16, 1943 – 18 August 1943)

Major General Harry Schmidt (18 August 1943 – 11 July 1944)

Major General Clifton B. Cates (12 July 1944 – November 1945)

Colonel William W. Rogers (14 August 1943 – 10 August 1944)

Colonel Matthew C. Horner (21 August 1944 – 29 August 1944)

Brigadier General Franklin A. Hart (30 August 1944 – 31 October 1944) (Served simultaneously as Assistant Division Commander)

Colonel Merton J. Batchelder (1 November 1944 – 9 April 1945)

Colonel Walter W. Wensinger (10 April 1945 – 16 April 1945)

Colonel Edwin A. Pollock (17 April 1945 – 28 November 1945)

*Taken from wikipedia, as no other sites cover this divisions specific leaders

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The insignia of the 4th Marine Division shows a dragon figure crawling up a blade in front of a blue diamond covered in white stars.

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The motto adopted by the 4th Marine Regiment Division is shown on their insignia. "Whatever it takes" in reference to these marines struggling through the difficult battles of the pacific, doing whatever it takes, to secure victory for the United States.

In terms of a nickname, the name "fighting four" is sometimes used in reference to the division. This eludes to their rough training circumstances and battling conditions.

Some pacthes also include the text "The New Breed", an indication to the division being newly created for the purpose of war in the pacific.