On June 27, 1917, the First Battalion, less the Fifteenth Company which joined the battalion the following day, disembarked from the De Kalb and occupied quarters ashore. On this date Lieut. Col. Logan Feland joined the Fifth Regiment. On June 28, 1917, the Second and Third Battalions went ashore from the Henderson for a practice march, and the following day the First Battalion erected tents for the regiment on a camp site a short distance outside of St. Nazaire. By 8 p. m., July 3, 1917, the entire Fifth Regiment was ashore under canvas.
On July 15, 1917, the Fifth Regiment, less the Third Battalion, which remained behind to perform guard duty, and other detached units and officers, proceeded to the Gondrecourt training area, and was stationed in Menaucourt and Naix.
On August 1, 1917, Gen. Pershing inspected the battalions at the two towns where they were billetted.
On August 15, 1917, the First Division, including the Fifth Regiment of Marines, was reviewed by its commanding general on a plateau 12 miles distant from the training area.
On August 19, 1917, Gen. Pershing and Gen. Petain, commander in chief of all the French forces, inspected the Marines, as a unit of the First Division. Gen. Petain congratulated the colonel of the regiment on the splendid appearance of its officers and men, as well as the cleanliness of the towns.
Every opportunity was taken advantage of to perfect the regiment for combat duty, but this work was handicapped by the fact that many units of the regiment were scattered along the Line of Communications performing duty of a necessary but of a nontraining nature. One company and one battalion commander left the regiment on September 22, 1917, for duty in England, and did not rejoin the regiment until March 11, 1918. Many other officers and men were placed on detached duty.
On September 24, 25, 1917, that part of the Fifth Regiment available for training arrived in the Bourmont training area and was stationed at Damblain and Breuvannes.
The following letter dated November 10, 1917, addressed by Gen. Pershing to the Major General Commandant is both complimentary and explanatory as to why the Marines were used along the Line of Communications:
Your Marines having been under my command for nearly six months, I feel that I can give you a discriminating report as to their excellent standing with their brothers of the Army and their general good conduct. I take this opportunity, also, of giving you the reasons for distributing them along our Line of Communications which, besides being a compliment to their high state of discipline and excellent soldierly appearance, was the natural thing to do as the Marine Regiment was an additional one in the Division and not provided for in the way of transportation and fighting equipment in case the Division should be pushed to the front. When, therefore, service of the rear troops and military and provost guards were needed at our base ports and in Paris it was the Marine Regiment that had to be scattered, in an endeavor to keep the rest of the organized division intact.
I have been obliged to detach a number of your officers as assistant provost marshals in France and in England, all of which I take it you will agree with me was highly complimentary to both officers and men, and was so intended. I can assure you that as soon as our service of the rear troops arrive, including a large number of officers and men for the specific duties now being performed by your men, the Marines will be brought back once more under your brigade commander and assigned to the duties which they so much desire in the Second Regular Division under General Bundy.