2nd Battalion 28th Marines
Encyclopedia
The 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines (2/28) is an inactive infantry
battalion of the United States Marine Corps
. They were part of the 28th Marine Regiment and 5th Marine Division and fought during the Battle of Iwo Jima
in World War II
. Five of the battalion’s Marines and one Navy corpsman were immortalized in the famous photo of the flag raising
on top of Mount Suribachi.
in February 1944 as part of the 5th Marine Division. Many of the battalion's personnel came from the recently deactivated 3rd and 4th Parachute Battalions
. In September of that year, they were sent to Hawaii
to begin training for combat in the Pacific theater.
. 2/28 landed at Beach Green 1 just northeast of the imposing Mount Suribachi. Their mission was part of the larger one for the 28th Marines, which was to assault across the island cutting it in two and then assault Mount Suribachi. On D-Day+1, in a cold rain, 2/28 prepared to assault the mountain. The battalion's commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Chandler Johnson, set the tone for the morning as he deployed his tired troops forward: "It's going to be a hell of a day in a hell of a place to fight the damned war!"
Early on the morning of February 23, 1945, four days after the initial landings, Captain Dave E. Severance, the commander of Company E, 2/28, ordered Lieutenant Harold G. Schrier
to take a patrol and an American flag to the top of Suribachi. Staff Sergeant Louis R. Lowery
, a Leatherneck Magazine
photographer, accompanied the patrol. After a short fire fight, the 54"-by-28" flag was attached to a long piece of pipe, found at the crest of the mountain, and raised. This is the flag-raising which Lowery photographed. As the flag was thought to be too small to be seen from the beach below, another Marine from the battalion went on board LST 779 to obtain a larger flag. A second patrol then took this flag up to Suribachi's top and Joe Rosenthal
, an Associated Press
photographer, who had just come ashore, accompanied it. It is the photo of the second flag raising that became the iconic photo of the battle.
Following the taking of Suribachi, 2/28 was allowed a few days rest and then returned to fighting on Iwo on March 2 until the island was declared secure on March 26, 1945.
, Hawaii to rest and refit and begin training for the planned invasion of Japan
. The Japanese surrender
saw the battalion take part in occupation duty
near the city of Nagasaki. 2/28 returned to the United States in December 1945 and were deactivated shortly thereafter, in January 1946.
. It was deactivated again in 1969.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
battalion of the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. They were part of the 28th Marine Regiment and 5th Marine Division and fought during the Battle of Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Five of the battalion’s Marines and one Navy corpsman were immortalized in the famous photo of the flag raising
Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima
Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima is a historic photograph taken on February 23, 1945, by Joe Rosenthal. It depicts five United States Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman raising the flag of the United States atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.The photograph was extremely...
on top of Mount Suribachi.
Subordinate units
- Headquarters Company
- Dog Company
- Easy Company
- Foxtrot Company
- Weapons Company
Early days
2nd Battalion, 28th Marines was activated at Marine Corps Base Camp PendletonMarine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and serves as its prime amphibious training base...
in February 1944 as part of the 5th Marine Division. Many of the battalion's personnel came from the recently deactivated 3rd and 4th Parachute Battalions
Paramarines
The Paramarines was a short-lived specialized unit of the United States Marine Corps, trained to be dropped by parachute. The first Paramarines were trained in October 1940, but the unit was disbanded in 1944...
. In September of that year, they were sent to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
to begin training for combat in the Pacific theater.
Battle of Iwo Jima
The battalion departed Hawaii in January 1945 and a month later were part of the initial invasion force in the Battle of Iwo JimaBattle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...
. 2/28 landed at Beach Green 1 just northeast of the imposing Mount Suribachi. Their mission was part of the larger one for the 28th Marines, which was to assault across the island cutting it in two and then assault Mount Suribachi. On D-Day+1, in a cold rain, 2/28 prepared to assault the mountain. The battalion's commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Chandler Johnson, set the tone for the morning as he deployed his tired troops forward: "It's going to be a hell of a day in a hell of a place to fight the damned war!"
Early on the morning of February 23, 1945, four days after the initial landings, Captain Dave E. Severance, the commander of Company E, 2/28, ordered Lieutenant Harold G. Schrier
Harold G. Schrier
Colonel Harold George Schrier was an officer in the United States Marine Corps, recipient of the Navy Cross, the nation's second highest award for valor, and a combat veteran of World War II and the Korean War...
to take a patrol and an American flag to the top of Suribachi. Staff Sergeant Louis R. Lowery
Louis R. Lowery
Louis R. "Lou" Lowery was a United States Marine Corps photographer best known for taking the first flag-raising photograph on Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945...
, a Leatherneck Magazine
Leatherneck Magazine
Leatherneck Magazine of the Marines is a magazine for United States Marines. It was first published as a newspaper by off-duty Marines at Marine Corps Base Quantico in 1917, and was originally named The Quantico Leatherneck...
photographer, accompanied the patrol. After a short fire fight, the 54"-by-28" flag was attached to a long piece of pipe, found at the crest of the mountain, and raised. This is the flag-raising which Lowery photographed. As the flag was thought to be too small to be seen from the beach below, another Marine from the battalion went on board LST 779 to obtain a larger flag. A second patrol then took this flag up to Suribachi's top and Joe Rosenthal
Joe Rosenthal
Joseph John Rosenthal was an American photographer who received the Pulitzer Prize for his iconic World War II photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, taken during the Battle of Iwo Jima. His picture became one of the best-known photographs of the war.-Early life:Joseph Rosenthal was born on...
, an Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
photographer, who had just come ashore, accompanied it. It is the photo of the second flag raising that became the iconic photo of the battle.
Following the taking of Suribachi, 2/28 was allowed a few days rest and then returned to fighting on Iwo on March 2 until the island was declared secure on March 26, 1945.
Post Iwo Jima
After the fighting on Iwo Jima, the battalion returned to Camp TarawaCamp Tarawa
Camp Tarawa was a training camp located on the big island of Hawaii constructed and used by the 2nd Marine Division during World War II. The grounds of the camp were situated between the volcanic peaks of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. Marines were sent straight from the bloodly Battle of Tarawa to the...
, Hawaii to rest and refit and begin training for the planned invasion of Japan
Operation Downfall
Operation Downfall was the Allied plan for the invasion of Japan near the end of World War II. The operation was cancelled when Japan surrendered after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet Union's declaration of war against Japan. The operation had two parts: Operation...
. The Japanese surrender
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
saw the battalion take part in occupation duty
Occupied Japan
At the end of World War II, Japan was occupied by the Allied Powers, led by the United States with contributions also from Australia, India, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. This foreign presence marked the first time in its history that the island nation had been occupied by a foreign power...
near the city of Nagasaki. 2/28 returned to the United States in December 1945 and were deactivated shortly thereafter, in January 1946.
Reactivation
The battalion was reactivated in 1967 to serve as a training unit for Marines going to and returning from VietnamVietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. It was deactivated again in 1969.
See also
- History of the United States Marine CorpsHistory of the United States Marine CorpsThe history of the United States Marine Corps began with the founding of the Continental Marines on November 10, 1775 to conduct ship-to-ship fighting, provide shipboard security and discipline enforcement, and assist in landing forces. Its mission evolved with changing military doctrine and...
- List of United States Marine Corps battalions