2nd Battalion 3rd Marines
Encyclopedia
2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines (2/3) is an infantry
battalion in the United States Marine Corps
based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii
consisting of approximately 1000 Marines and sailors. The battalion falls under the command of the 3rd Marine Regiment and the 3rd Marine Division.
, North Carolina
. On June 17 of that same year, they were redesignated the "2d Training Battalion, 3rd Marines" and in September were deployed to Tutuila
, American Samoa
and reassigned to the 2d Marine Brigade. They remained there until they moved to Auckland
, New Zealand
in May 1943. In June of that year, they were reassigned to the 3d Marine Division and were again moved to Guadalcanal
in July.
2/3 participated in the following World War II
campaigns:
2/3 deployed to Da Nang
in the Republic of Vietnam in April 1965. They fought in Vietnam from April 1965 until October 1969, operating from DaNang, Camp Carroll
, Quang Tri
, Cam Lo
, the A Shau Valley
and Khe Sahn. The battalion made a night helicopter assault in the Elephant Valley south of Da Nang on 12 August 1965, shortly after Marine ground troops arrived in country. In October 1969, the battalion relocated to MCB Camp Pendleton.
In January 1991, 2d Battalion, 3d Marines deployed to Saudi Arabia
and participated in Operation Desert Storm and the Liberation of Kuwait
. The battalion was deployed to Southwest Asia
from January to April 1991, when 2/3 returned to Kaneohe Bay.
in the Konar and Laghman regions in north eastern Afghanistan
in 2005-2006. 2/3 suffered 5 KIAs.
2/3 deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Haditha
region of Al Anbar Province in western Iraq
in 2006-2007. In February 2008, the battalion again deployed to Iraq, operating in the vicinity of Fallujah
. On June 26, 2008, the commanding officer of 2/3, LtCol Max Galeai and two other Marines (Captain Philip J. Dykeman and Cpl. Marcus W. Preudhomme) from the battalion were killed when a suicide bomber dressed as an Iraqi policeman detonated an explosive vest at a meeting of tribal sheiks in the town of Karmah
. The battalion returned from this deployment in late August/early September 2008.
2/3 Deployed to Afghanistan
in 2009 as part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade. They were part of the 17,000 troop increase announced by President Obama
in mid-February.
2/3 returned to Marine Corps Base Hawaii late 2009, and redeployed to Afghanistan in November 2010 to Hemand province to the Nawa district. During this deployment Fox Company was attached to 3rd battalion 9th Marines in Marjah, during less then 6 months the Company found over 270+ weapons caches, more then the rest of RCT 1 combined during the same time period.
2/3 returned from Afghanistan in June of 2011.
, PFC Leonard F. Mason
, serving with the 2/3, despite being mortally wounded, single-handedly destroyed an enemy machine gun position during the Battle of Guam. Mason was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor
.
During the Vietnam War
, PFC Bruce W. Carter
threw himself on a grenade to save the lives of fellow Marines. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor
.
During the Vietnam War, Staff Sergeant Peter S. Connor was awarded the MOH (posthumously) for actions on 25 February 1966.
During the Vietnam War, Private First Class James Anderson, Jr. was awarded the MOH (posthumously) for actions on 28 February 1967.
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 in 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...
based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii
Marine Corps Base Hawaii
Marine Corps Base Hawaii , formerly Marine Corps Air Station, Kaneohe Bay and originally Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay, is a U.S. Marine Corps base facility and air station located on the Mokapu Peninsula of windward O'ahu in the City & County of Honolulu. As of the 2000 Census, the base had a...
consisting of approximately 1000 Marines and sailors. The battalion falls under the command of the 3rd Marine Regiment and the 3rd Marine Division.
Subordinate units
- Headquarters and Services Company
- Echo Company
- Fox Company
- Golf Company
- Weapons CompanyWeapons companyA weapons company, sometimes called a manoeuvre support company is a company-sized military unit attached to an infantry battalion to support the rifle companies of the battalion...
World War II
The 3rd Training Battalion, Division Special Troops, 1st Marine Division was activated on May 1, 1942 at New RiverMarine Corps Air Station New River
Marine Corps Air Station New River is a United States Marine Corps helicopter base in Jacksonville, North Carolina, in the eastern part of the state. In 1972, the airfield was named McCutcheon Field for Brigadier General Keith B. McCutcheon, one of the fathers of Marine Corps helicopter aviation...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. On June 17 of that same year, they were redesignated the "2d Training Battalion, 3rd Marines" and in September were deployed to Tutuila
Tutuila
Tutuila is the largest and the main island of American Samoa in the archipelago of Samoan Islands. It is the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain of the Central Pacific located roughly northeast of Brisbane, Australia and over northeast of Fiji. It contains a large, natural harbor,...
, American Samoa
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
and reassigned to the 2d Marine Brigade. They remained there until they moved to Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in May 1943. In June of that year, they were reassigned to the 3d Marine Division and were again moved to Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
in July.
2/3 participated in the following 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...
campaigns:
- Battle of Bougainville
- Battle of the Northern Solomons
- Battle of Guam
- Battle of Iwo JimaBattle of Iwo JimaThe 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...
Vietnam War
Da Nang
Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...
in the Republic of Vietnam in April 1965. They fought in Vietnam from April 1965 until October 1969, operating from DaNang, Camp Carroll
Camp Carroll
Camp Carroll was a United States Marine Corps artillery base during the Vietnam War. It was located at , 8 km southwest of the town of Cam Lo. Camp Carroll was also at the centroid of a large arc of the strategic Highway 9 corridor south of the DMZ, which made it a key facility.-History:The...
, Quang Tri
Quang Tri
Quảng Trị is a town district of Quang Tri province in the North Central Coastal region of Vietnam. Significantly, it was the only South Vietnamese provincial capital to be captured by the North Vietnamese forces for a limited period in the 1972 offensive....
, Cam Lo
Cam Lo
Cam Lộ is a rural district of Quang Tri province in the North Central Coastal region of Vietnam. As of 2003 the district had a population of 46,231. The district covers an area of 347 km²...
, the A Shau Valley
A Shau Valley
The A Shau Valley is a valley in Vietnam's, Thừa Thiên province, west of the city of Huế along the border with Laos. The valley was one of the key entry points into South Vietnam for men and matériel brought along the Ho Chi Minh Trail by the communist forces and was the scene of heavy fighting...
and Khe Sahn. The battalion made a night helicopter assault in the Elephant Valley south of Da Nang on 12 August 1965, shortly after Marine ground troops arrived in country. In October 1969, the battalion relocated to MCB Camp Pendleton.
The Gulf War and the 1990s
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
and participated in Operation Desert Storm and the Liberation of Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
. The battalion was deployed to Southwest Asia
Southwest Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia are terms that describe the westernmost portion of Asia. The terms are partly coterminous with the Middle East, which describes a geographical position in relation to Western Europe rather than its location within Asia...
from January to April 1991, when 2/3 returned to Kaneohe Bay.
Global War on Terror and the Iraq War
The battalion deployed in support of Operation Enduring FreedomWar in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
in the Konar and Laghman regions in north eastern Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in 2005-2006. 2/3 suffered 5 KIAs.
2/3 deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Haditha
Haditha
Haditha is a city in the western Iraqi Al Anbar Governorate, about 240 km northwest of Baghdad. It is a farming town situated on the Euphrates River at . Its population of around 100,000 people is predominantly Sunni Muslim Arabs...
region of Al Anbar Province in western Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
in 2006-2007. In February 2008, the battalion again deployed to Iraq, operating in the vicinity of Fallujah
Fallujah
Fallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....
. On June 26, 2008, the commanding officer of 2/3, LtCol Max Galeai and two other Marines (Captain Philip J. Dykeman and Cpl. Marcus W. Preudhomme) from the battalion were killed when a suicide bomber dressed as an Iraqi policeman detonated an explosive vest at a meeting of tribal sheiks in the town of Karmah
Al-Karmah
Al-Karmah, also sometimes transliterated as Karma, Karmah, or Garma , is a city in central Iraq located 16 km northeast of Fallujah in the Al Anbar province.-Invasion of Iraq:...
. The battalion returned from this deployment in late August/early September 2008.
2/3 Deployed to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in 2009 as part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade. They were part of the 17,000 troop increase announced by President Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
in mid-February.
2/3 returned to Marine Corps Base Hawaii late 2009, and redeployed to Afghanistan in November 2010 to Hemand province to the Nawa district. During this deployment Fox Company was attached to 3rd battalion 9th Marines in Marjah, during less then 6 months the Company found over 270+ weapons caches, more then the rest of RCT 1 combined during the same time period.
2/3 returned from Afghanistan in June of 2011.
2/3 Medal of Honor recipients
During World War IIWorld 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...
, PFC Leonard F. Mason
Leonard F. Mason
Leonard Foster Mason served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Battle of Guam where he was mortally wounded.-Biography:...
, serving with the 2/3, despite being mortally wounded, single-handedly destroyed an enemy machine gun position during the Battle of Guam. Mason was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
.
During the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, PFC Bruce W. Carter
Bruce W. Carter
-External links:...
threw himself on a grenade to save the lives of fellow Marines. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
.
During the Vietnam War, Staff Sergeant Peter S. Connor was awarded the MOH (posthumously) for actions on 25 February 1966.
During the Vietnam War, Private First Class James Anderson, Jr. was awarded the MOH (posthumously) for actions on 28 February 1967.
Unit awards
- Presidential Unit CitationPresidential Unit Citation (US)The Presidential Unit Citation, originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941...
with 3 bronze stars- Guam - 1944
- Vietnam - 1965 - 1967, 1967
Navy Unit CommendationNavy Unit CommendationThe Navy Unit Commendation of the United States Navy is an award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944...
w/ 3 bronze stars- Bougainville - 1943
- Vietnam - 1968
- Desert Storm - 1990-1991
- Iraq - 2006
Meritorious Unit CommendationMeritorious Unit CommendationThe Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States military which is awarded to any military command which displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions....
w/ 2 bronze stars- Vietnam - 1968
- Vietnam - 1968
- Afghanistan - 2005
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign StreamerAsiatic-Pacific Campaign MedalThe Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945 and was created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was...
w/ 4 bronze stars
World War II Victory Streamer
National Defense Service StreamerNational Defense Service MedalThe National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower...
w/ 3 bronze stars
Korean Service StreamerKorean Service MedalThe Korean Service Medal is an award of the United States military and was created in November 1950 by executive order of President Harry Truman. The Korean Service Medal is the primary United States medal for participation in the Korean War and is awarded to any U.S. service member, who...
Vietnam Service StreamerVietnam Service MedalThe Vietnam Service Medal is a military award which was created in 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The distinctive design was the creation of sculptor Thomas Hudson Jones, a former employee of the Army Institute of Heraldry. The medal is issued to recognize military service during...
w/ 2 silver stars
Southwest Asia Service StreamerSouthwest Asia Service MedalThe Southwest Asia Service Medal is a military award of the United States armed forces which was created by order of President George H.W. Bush on March 12, 1991. The award is intended to recognize those military service members who performed duty during the years of the Persian Gulf War...
w/ 2 bronze stars
Vietnam Cross of Gallantry w/ palm streamer
Afghanistan Campaign StreamerAfghanistan Campaign MedalThe Afghanistan Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States military which was created by Executive Order 13363 of President George W. Bush on November 29, 2004. The Afghanistan Campaign Medal was designed by the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry....
w/ 3 bronze star
Iraq Campaign StreamerIraq Campaign MedalThe Iraq Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States armed forces which was created by Executive Order 13363 of President George W. Bush on November 29, 2004. The Iraq Campaign Medal was designed by the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry....
w/ 2 bronze stars
Global War on Terrorism Service StreamerGlobal War on Terrorism Service MedalThe Global War on Terrorism Service Medal is a military award of the United States military which was created by Executive Order 13289 of President George W. Bush on March 12, 2003...
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary StreamerGlobal War on Terrorism Expeditionary MedalThe Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal is a United States armed forces military award created by George W. Bush on March 12, 2003 by Executive Order 13289. It recognizes those military service members who have deployed overseas in direct service to the War on Terror from September 11,...- Nato ISAF StreamerNATO MedalThe NATO Medal is an international military decoration which is awarded to various militaries of the world under the authority of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization . It is manufactured by Eekelers - Centini, International, of Hemiksem, Belgium...
See also
- List of United States Marine Corps battalions
- Organization of the United States Marine CorpsOrganization of the United States Marine CorpsThe United States Marine Corps is organized within the Department of the Navy, which is led by the Secretary of the Navy . The most senior Marine officer is the Commandant of the Marine Corps, responsible for organizing, recruiting, training, and equipping the Marine Corps so that it is ready for...