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2nd Battalion, 1st Marines
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"2/1" redirects here. For the musical interval, see
octave
. For the dates, see
February 1
and
January 2
.
2nd Battalion, 1st Marines
2nd Battalion, 1st Marines insignia
Active
August 1, 1922 – July 20, 1924
March 1, 1941 – October 31, 1947
August 4, 1950 – January 24, 1989
September 9, 1994–present
Country
United States of America
Branch
United States Marine Corps
Type
Light infantry
Role
Locate, close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver
Size
1,200
Part of
1st Marine Regiment
1st Marine Division
Garrison/HQ
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
Nickname(s)
Gunsmoke, The Professionals, Ghost Battalion
Motto(s)
No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy
Engagements
World War II
Guadalcanal Campaign
Battle of Cape Gloucester
Battle of Peleliu
Battle of Okinawa
Korean War
Battle of Inchon
Second Battle of Seoul
Battle of Chosin Reservoir
Battle of Hwacheon
Battle of the Punchbowl
Battle of Bunker Hill (1952)
First Battle of the Hook
Battle for Outpost Vegas
Battle of the Samichon River
Vietnam War
War on Terror
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Operation Vigilant Resolve
Commanders
Current
commander
LtCol Brad E. Whited
Notable
commanders
James M. Masters, Sr.
Edwin A. Pollock
William W. Stickney
Charles F. Widdecke
Archie Van Winkle
William G. Leftwich, Jr.
Peter Pace
2nd Battalion, 1st Marines
(
2/1
) is an
infantry
battalion in the
United States Marine Corps
based out of Camp Horno on
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
, California. Nicknamed "The Professionals," the battalion consists of approximately 1,200 Marines and sailors. Normally they fall under the command of the
1st Marine Regiment
and the
1st Marine Division
.
Contents
1
Subordinate units
2
History
2.1
World War II
2.2
Korean War and early 1960s
2.3
Vietnam War
2.4
Post War and the 1980s
2.5
Global War on Terrorism
3
Unit awards
4
Notable former members
5
Motto
6
See also
7
External links
8
References
Subordinate units
[
edit
]
Headquarters and Services Company
Echo Company
Fox Company
Golf Company
Weapons Company (CAAT RED, CAAT BLUE, 81s [Mortars] Platoon, Scout Sniper Platoon)
History
[
edit
]
The battalion was activated August 1, 1922, at
Santo Domingo
,
Dominican Republic
, as the
2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment
and was assigned to the 2nd Brigade. The battalion played a role in the
occupation of the Dominican Republic
, after which it was deactivated on July 20, 1924.
World War II
[
edit
]
Two Marines, Davis P. Hargraves with
Thompson submachine gun
and Gabriel Chavarria with BAR, of 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, advance on Wana Ridge on May 18, 1945.
Lt. Colonel
William W. Stickney
cuts a Thanksgiving cake with a Japanese officer's sword at Guadalcanal, as marines of 2nd Battalion look on.
The battalion was reactivated March 1, 1941, at
Guantanamo Bay
,
Cuba
, as the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines and was assigned to the
1st Marine Division
of the
Fleet Marine Force
. The force was active for only a brief period of time, during which it was deployed to
Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island
,
South Carolina
. The unit was again deactivated on June 14, 1941.
Shortly after the
United States entered into World War II
, the unit was reactivated February 11, 1942, at
New River
,
North Carolina
. It was again assigned to the 1st Marine Division, which deployed in July 1942 to
Wellington, New Zealand
. The battalion participated in numerous campaigns in the
Pacific Theater
of WWII, and was a part of the American advance into Japanese territory in the Pacific. The first of these was the Guadalcanal Campaign, during which the battalion defended Henderson Field, an airfield on Guadalcanal, and withstood Japanese bombings of the strategic location. They later participated in
Operation Cartwheel
, specifically the
Battle of Cape Gloucester
, during which they withstood several Japanese
Banzai charges
. Later, during the
Battle of Peleliu
, the unit suffered heavy casualties during their defense of the
Umurbrogal Pocket
. In their last engagement in the Pacific, the unit participated in the decisive
Battle of Okinawa
, taking part in the capture of
Shuri
during poor weather conditions.
At the close of World War II, in September 1945, the unit was redeployed to
Tiensin
, China, where they were a part of the
occupation of northern China
until October 1947, when the unit was deactivated.
Korean War and early 1960s
[
edit
]
2nd Battalion was reactivated August 4, 1950, at
Camp Lejeune
, North Carolina, and again assigned to the 1st Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force. It was almost immediately deployed to
Kobe
, Japan in preparation for its participation in the
Korean War
from September 1950 – July 1953, during which it fought at
Inchon-Seoul
,
Chosin Reservoir
, the East Central Front, and the Western Front. After the war, the unit aided in the defense of the
Korean Demilitarized Zone
.
After the war, in April 1955, the unit was relocated to
Camp Pendleton, California
, where it participated in the transplacement system between the 1st and 3rd Marine Divisions.
Vietnam War
[
edit
]
Deployed during November 1965 to the
Republic of Vietnam
, and assigned to the
3rd Marine Division
, Fleet Marine Force
Participated in the War in Vietnam, November 1965 – May 1971,
Thừa Thiên Province
Huế
/
Phu Bai
)
Quảng Nam
Đà Nẵng (Danang Air Base)
Quảng Trị
Quảng Tín Province
Major Operations and Battles
Operation Oregon
[1]
Quảng Trị Province
Mar 20–23, 1966
Operation Hastings
/
Operation Deckhouse II
[2]
Quảng Trị Province
Jul 7 – August 3, 1966
Operation Union I
/
Operation Lien Ket 102
[3]
Quảng Nam
and
Quảng Tín Provinces
Apr 21 – May 17, 1967
Operation Medina
[4]
Quảng Trị
Oct 11–20, 1967
Operation Kentucky
[5]
[6]
Quảng Trị
November 1, 1967 – February 28, 1968
Operation Napoleon/Saline
[7]
Quảng Trị Province
Feb 19 – December 9, 1968
Battle of Huế
Thừa Thiên Province
January 30 – March 3, 1968
Operation Scotland II
[8]
Quảng Trị
April 15, 1968 – February 28, 1969
Detached during April 1971 from the 1st Marine Division, and reassigned to the 3rd Marine Amphibious Brigade, Fleet Marine Force
Relocated during June 1971 to Camp Pendleton, CA, and reassigned to the 1st Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force
Post War and the 1980s
[
edit
]
Participated during April – May 1975 in
Operation New Arrivals
, the relocation of refugees from
Indochina
Participated in the Battalion rotation between the
3rd Marine Division
on
Okinawa
and Divisions stationed in the United States during the 1980s
Deactivated January 24, 1989
Reactivated September 9, 1994, at Camp Pendleton, CA, and assigned to the 1st Marine Division.
Global War on Terrorism
[
edit
]
Marines from Echo Company passing the body of an alleged Iraqi insurgent during the
First Battle of Fallujah
.
As part of the
15th Marine Expeditionary Unit
, the battalion deployed to
Kuwait
in February 2003, and participated in the
invasion of Iraq
in March 2003. The battalion deployed in March 2004, to
Fallujah
,
Iraq
and took part in
Operation Vigilant Resolve
. They returned to Iraq in 2005 with the
13th Marine Expeditionary Unit
and engaged in combat operations during
Operation Steel Curtain
in
Husaybah
,
Karabilah
, and New Ubaydi, and
Operation Iron Hammer
in
Hit
. The battalion deployed to Okinawa to serve as the Ground Combat Unit for the
31st Marine Expeditionary Unit
from January 1, 2007, until January 1, 2008. The battalion deployed to Iraq in January 2009 and returned in August of the same year.
The battalion deployed to
Afghanistan
in October 2010 through May 15, 2011, in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom
. They operated in the
Garmsir District
, Helmand Province. In June 2012, the battalion returned to Okinawa as the Ground Combat Element for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. In March 2014, 2/1 deployed as the Ground Combat Element of the 11th MEU.
Marines with Golf Company of 2nd Battalion conduct physical training on the flight deck of the
USS
Makin Island
during Amphibious Squadron Marine Expeditionary Unit Integration, off the coast of San Diego, California, April 2014.
Unit awards
[
edit
]
A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited. Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the awarded unit citation. 2/1 has been presented with the following awards:
Ribbon
Unit Award
Presidential Unit Citation
with one Silver and four Bronze Stars
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Navy Unit Commendation
with three Bronze Stars
Meritorious Unit Commendation
with four Bronze Stars
Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal
American Defense Service Medal
with one Bronze Star
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
with one Silver and one Bronze Star
World War II Victory Medal
Navy Occupation Service Medal
with Asia clasp
China Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal
with three Bronze Stars
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
with two Silver and three Bronze Stars
Korean Presidential unit Citation
Vietnam Cross of Gallantry
with Palm Streamer
Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation Civil Action Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
with one Bronze Star
Iraq Campaign Medal
with three Bronze Stars
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korea Defense Service Medal
ISAF