U.S. 2nd Marine Division
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 2nd Marine Division | |
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 2nd Marine Division insignia |
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| Active | February 1, 1941 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | USMC |
| Type | Infantry division |
| Role | Locate close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver |
| Part of | II Marine Expeditionary Force |
| Garrison/HQ | Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune |
| Motto | Follow Me |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Guadalcanal Battle of Tarawa Battle of Saipan Battle of Okinawa Beirut Operation Just Cause Desert Storm Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom |
The U.S. 2nd Marine Division is a division of the United States Marine Corps, which forms the ground-force component of the II Marine Expeditionary Force. As of 2005, it is based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
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[edit] Subordinate units
As of 2006, the 2nd Marine Division is comprised of:
- Headquarters Battalion
- 2nd Marine Regiment (infantry)
- 6th Marine Regiment (infantry)
- 8th Marine Regiment (infantry)
- 10th Marine Regiment (artillery)
- 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion
- 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion
- 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
- 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion
- 2nd Tank Battalion
- Anti-Terrorism Battalion
[edit] History
[edit] World War II
The 2nd Marine Division was officially organized on February 1, 1941 by change of designation from the 2nd Marine Brigade.
The 2nd Marine Division (Headquarters) participated in authorized operations and engagements in the Pacific Theater of Operations:
- The Battle of Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands campaign — 4 January to 8 February 1943.
- 2d Marines, reinforced:
Guadalcanal-Tulagi landings, 7 to 9 August 1942;
capture and defense of Guadalcanal, 10 August 1942 to 31 January 1943. - 8th Marines, reinforced:
capture and defense of Guadalcanal, 2 November 1942 to 8 February 1943.
- 2d Marines, reinforced:
- The Battle of Tarawa, in the Gilbert Islands campaign — 20 November to 4 December 1943.
- The Battle of Saipan, in the Mariana Islands campaign — 15 June to 24 July 1944.
- The Battle of Tinian, — 24 July to 10 August 1944.
- The Battle of Okinawa (floating Reserve) — 1 April to 10 April 1945. (Detachment of Headquarters and the 8th Marines, reinforced, from 1 to 30 June 1945).
The 2nd and 8th Marines (reinforced by other units of the 2nd Marine Division) were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation (US) while attached to the 1st Marine Division from 7 August and 4 November 1942, respectively, for the Guadalcanal operation.
The 2d Marine Division was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, 20–24 November 1943.
[edit] 1950s through the 1980s
The Division didn't take part in any major action again until 1958 when elements participated in the US intervention into Lebanon in 1958. 2nd Marine Division units also helped to reinforce Guantanamo Bay during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 and landed in the Dominican Republic in 1965 as part of Operation Power Pack. Other peace keeping operations carried on by the Division include being part of the Multi National Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon from August of 1982 until February 1984. It was 241 Marines and Sailors of the Division that died during the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing. Towards the end of the 1980s, Division Marines participated in Operation Just Cause, the invasion of Panama.
[edit] The Gulf War & the 1990s
The 1990s began with elements of the Division participating in Operation Sharp Edge, the evacuation of American and allied civilians out of war torn Liberia. This was followed by deployments to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield and then the follow liberation of Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm. Following the war, elements of the Division participated in Operation Provide Comfort.
[edit] Iraq
Elements of the 2nd Marine Division deployed to Kuwait in early 2003 to reinforce the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. These units formed a Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) and were called Task Force Tarawa. Task Force Tarawa crossed into Iraq on the first day of the ground war with the initial task of seizing Jalibah airfield in southern Iraq. Following this, the Task Force pushed north and took part in a major battle in the town of Nasiriyah. After the war, these Marines were moved north to Al Kut where they provided security and stablization operations in central Iraq.
The 2nd Marine Division returned to Iraq in January of 2005 to relieve the 1st Marine Division in Al Anbar province in western Iraq. The division is set to return home in February of 2006.
