1929: Cayes Massacre
- Army strength: 139,118 people
- Navy strength: 97,117 people
- Marine Corps strength: 18,796 people
- Air Force strength: Not yet formed
- Total strength: 255,031 people
- Percent of population enlisted: 0.21%
The U.S. occupation of Haiti began in 1915 as a means of keeping the country from German occupation that could disrupt passage through the Panama Canal. By 1929, there was deep resentment against Americans for their roles in censoring the press, collecting customs duties, controlling the distribution of essentials like food and medicine, and forcing a new constitution upon the Haitians. Uprisings were commonplace, including a 1918 guerrilla war that rose up against the Marines over their forced labor system, designed to build roads through the country. On Dec. 6, 1929, U.S. Marine battalions in Les Cayes opened fire on 1,500 protestors who were part of a national strike and area rebellion. Twelve Haitians were killed and 23 wounded in the massacre. Worldwide backlash from this violence helped bring an end to U.S. occupation there.
[Pictured: Wendell Neville and Smedley Butler Review Marines, Oct. 31, 1929.]
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