9th Communication Battalion - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

9th Communication Battalion (9th Comm) is a communications

Military communications

Historically, the first military communications had the form of sending/receiving simple signals . Respectively, the first distinctive tactics of military communications were called Signals, while units specializing in those tactics received the Signal Corps name...

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...

. It is part of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) and is headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

Marine 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...

, California.

Subordinate units

Headquarters Company
Service Company
Alpha Company
Bravo Company
Charlie Company
Support Company

Early years

9th Communication Battalion was activated 1 June 1966 at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms

Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms

The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center , also known as 29 Palms, is a United States Marine Corps base. It was a census-designated place officially known as Twentynine Palms Base located adjacent to the city of Twentynine Palms in southern San Bernardino County, California. As of the 2000...

, California. They were assigned to Force Troops, Fleet Marine Force Pacific in July 1967. The unit was reduced to zero strength and deactivated 15 October 1974. The Communication Support Company was activated 16 October 1974 but quickly deactivated 30 November 1976

1980s & 1990s

1 December 1982: Communication Company (Reinforced), 9th Communication Battalion redesignated at Camp Pendleton, California, as the 9th Communication Battalion, Fleet Marine Force

January 1984: Reassigned to I Marine Amphibious Force

5 February 1988: I Marine Amphibious Force redesignated as I Marine Expeditionary Force

July 1989: Reassigned to 1st Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Intelligence Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force

August 1990-March 1991: Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Southwest Asia

December 1992-April 1993: Operation Restore Hope, Somalia

Reassigned during June 1998 to I Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group

Global War on Terror

9th Comm has made four, year long deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF. They deployed to 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...

in late 2002 and subsequently took part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq

2003 invasion of Iraq

The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...

. After that they have spent year long deployments for OIF during 2004, 2006 and 2008.

Unit awards

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. 9th Comm has been presented with the following awards:

Award	Year(s)	Additional Info
Presidential Unit Citation Streamer	2003	Iraq
Joint Meritorious Unit Award Streamer Joint Meritorious Unit Award The Joint Meritorious Unit Award is a military award that was established on June 4, 1981 by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and was implemented by Department of Defense Directive 1348.27 dated July 22, 1982...	1992–1993	Somalia
Navy Unit Commendation Streamer Navy Unit Commendation The 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... with one Bronze Star
Meritorious Unit Commendation Streamer Meritorious Unit Commendation The 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.... with one Bronze Star
National Defense Service Streamer National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower... with two Bronze Stars	1966–1974, 1990–1995, 2001–present	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... , Gulf War Gulf War The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf... , War on Terrorism War on Terrorism The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamer Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal is a military award of the United States military, which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy...	1992–1993	Somalia
Southwest Asia Service Streamer Southwest Asia Service Medal The 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... with two Bronze Stars	September 1990 – February 1991	Desert Shield, Desert Storm
Iraq Campaign Streamer Iraq Campaign Medal The 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....
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Streamer Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal The 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,...	March – May 2003	Iraq
Global War on Terrorism Service Streamer Global War on Terrorism Service Medal The 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...	2001–present