U.S. 9th Marine Regiment
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 9th Marine Regiment | |
|---|---|
 9th Marines Insignia courtesy of www.military-graphics.com |
|
| Active | November 10, 1917 — April 25, 1919 January 1, 1943 — December 31, 1945 October 1, 1947 — October 17, 1949 March 17, 1952 — July 21, 1994 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | USMC |
| Type | Infantry regiment |
| Role | Locate, close with and destroy the enemy with fire and maneuver |
| Part of | 3rd Marine Division III Marine Expeditionary Force |
| Garrison/HQ | Deactivated |
| Nickname | Striking Ninth |
| Battles/wars | World War II * Battle of Bougainville * Battle of Guam * Battle of Iwo Jima Vietnam War Operation Desert Storm |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Lemuel C. Shepherd |
The 9th Marine Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. Formed during World War II it served until the early 1990s when it was deactivated to make room for three light armor reconnaissance battalions.
Contents |
[edit] Current Units
The regiment was comprised of three infantry battalions and one headquarters battalion:
- Headquarters Battalion 1st Marines (HQ/9)
- 1st Battalion 9th Marines (1/9)
- 2nd Battalion 9th Marines (2/9)
- 3rd Battalion 9th Marines (3/9)
[edit] History
[edit] Early years
The 9th Marines were activated at Quantico, Virginia on November 20, 1917. A month later they deployed to Cuba and wer attached to the 3rd Marine Brigade. That same month they redeployed with the brigade to Galveston, Texas in case of any German operation in the Carribean or in Mexico. After World War I the regiment was deactivated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 25, 1919[1].
[edit] World War II
The 3rd Battalion 9th Marines was reactivated at Camp Elliot, San Diego on February 12, 1942. In the following months the rest of the battalions were also reactiveted until January 1, 1942 when the regiment officially re-formed. They attached to the 3rd Marine Division at Camp Pendleton on September 16, 1943. The Regiment was deactivated at Camp Pendleton on December 31, 1945 [1].
[edit] Vietnam War
The 9th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, was deployed to Vietnam in March 1965 as the first ground combat unit in Vietnam. Their mission was to defend the Air Base at Da Nang. The first significant contact was in April 1965. The regimental headquarters arrived in country in July of that year.
The Regiment saw action in Vietnam’s I Corps, primarily in Quang Tri and Thua Thien provinces, although a number of its earlier operations were also conducted in the southern I Corps provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Tin, and Quang Ngai. The 9th Marines served as a vital stop to the North Vietnamese penetrations across the DMZ and from along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Cambodia.
Some of its early operations included Double Eagle, Macon, and Prairie.
In April and May 1967 the elements of the Regiment defeated two NVA Regiments in the Hills (861, 881 South, and 881 North around Khe Sanh). In Operation Buffalo, elements of the 1st Battalion made contact north of Con Thien with regimental size NVA forces in an engagement that lasted through May, accounting for over 1300 enemy dead.
In one of the most successful operations of the war, the Regiment conducted Operation Dewey Canyon in the A Shau Valley, cut by the Song Da Krong river. The Marines of the 9th Regiment exacted a deadly toll on the NVA. These actions precluded another build-up and assault from Route 622 from Laos into South Vietnam as the NVA had the year before during the Tet Offensive.
Operation Dewey Canyon netted, among other weaponry, 16 artillery pieces, 73 anti-aircraft guns, hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition, 92 trucks, and hundreds of thousands pounds of rice.
In the words of Gen Stillwell in his report to Gen Abrams on Operation Dewey Canyon:
“...this ranks with the most significant undertakings of the Vietnam conflict in the concept and results...”
The 9th Marines were redeployed from Vietnam in August 1969 as part of the first redeployments.
[edit] Medal of Honor recipients
5 Marines from the 9th Marine Regiment have received the Medal of Honor:
[edit] Unit awards
- Presidential Unit Citation w/ one bronze star
- World War II Victory Medal w/ one bronze star
- China Service Medal
- National Defense Medal w/ one bronze star
- Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal
- Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
- Vietnam Service Medal
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Rottman, Gordon L. (2002). U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle – Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War.. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-31906-5.
