U.S. 23rd Marine Regiment

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23rd Marine Regiment
23rd Marines' Insignia
Active	activated 20 July 1942
Country	United States
Branch	USMC
Type	Infantry regiment
Role	Locate, close with and destroy the enemy with fire and maneuver
Size	3,500
Part of	4th Marine Division Marine Forces Reserve
Garrison/HQ	San Bruno, California
Battles/wars	World War II * Battle of Kwajalein * Battle of Tinian * Battle of Saipan * Battle of Iwo Jima Operation Desert Storm Operation Iraqi Freedom

The 23rd Marine Regiment (23rd Marines) is an reserve infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. It is headquartered in San Bruno, California and falls under 4th Marine Division and Marine Forces Reserve.

The regiment is comprised of twenty units which are geographically dispersed throughout eight states from California to Alabama. The consists of Marine reservists, active duty Marines and active duty Navy personnel. The regimental headquarters is located in San Bruno, California.

1 Mission
2 Subordinate units
3 History
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Mission

[edit] Subordinate units

Headquarters Battalion 23d Marines (HQ/23) - San Bruno, California
1st Battalion 23rd Marines (1/23) - Houston, Texas
2nd Battalion 23rd Marines (2/23) - Pasadena, California
3rd Battalion 23rd Marines (3/23) - Belle Chase, Louisiana
TOW Platoon - Broussard, Louisiana

[edit] History

[edit] World War II

The 23rd Marine Regiment was activated on 20 July 1942 at New River, North Carolina; was assigned to the 4th Marine Division in February 1943 and relocated during July 1943 to Camp Pendleton, California.

During World War II, the 23rd Marines participated in the following campaigns: Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian, and the Battle of Iwo Jima. During the fierce fighting which occurred in the Pacific Theater, four Marines of the 23rd Marine Regiment were awarded the Medal of Honor for valor:

Richard B. Anderson, 2/23, Kwajalein
Joseph W. Ozbourn, 1/23, Tinian
Darrell S. Cole, 1/23, Iwo Jima
Douglas T. Jacobson, 3/23, Iwo Jima

For its actions against enemy forces, 23d Marines received the following awards: Presidential Unit Citation Streamer with one Bronze Star, the American Campaign Streamer with four Bronze Stars, and the World War II Victory Streamer.

In October 1945, the Regiment was again relocated to Camp Pendleton and was subsequently deactivated on 15 November 1945.

[edit] 1950s to the 1990s

The 23rd Marine Regiment was reactivated on 1 February 1966 in Alameda, California and assigned during the same month to the 4th Marine Division, USMCR.

In December 1990, the 2nd Battalion of the 23rd Marines was mobilized by Presidential Call-up to support Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.