1st Battalion 2nd Marines
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| 1st Battalion 2nd Marines | |
|---|---|
 1/2 Insignia |
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| Active | June 1, 1933 - November 1947 October 1949 - present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | USMC |
| Type | Light infantry |
| Role | Locate, close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver |
| Part of | 2nd Marine Regiment 2nd Marine Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune |
| Nickname | "Others Will Follow ... Where We Lead" |
| Battles/wars | World War II * Battle of Guadalcanal * Battle of Tarawa * Battle of Saipan * Battle of Tinian * Battle of Okinawa Operation Desert Storm Operation Iraqi Freedom * Battle of Nasiriyah |
1st Battalion 2nd Marines is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina consisting of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors. They fall under the 2nd Marine Regiment and the 2nd Marine Division.
Contents |
[edit] Subordinate Units
- H&S Company
- Alpha Company (Helo)
- Bravo Company (Mechanized)
- Charlie Company (Motorized)
- Weapons Company
[edit] History
The 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines was activated on January 1, 1933 at Cap Haitian, Haiti and spend the next year-and-a-half in Haiti until its deactivation in 1934.
Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, the battalion was reactivated deployed to the Pacific theater in June 1942. While there, the unit participated in the bloody "island hopping" campaign, fighting at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian, and Okinawa. After the war, 1/2 spent a brief period on occupation duty in Japan, including Nagasaki, before returning to MCB Camp Lejeune where it stood down in November 1947.
Reactivated again in October 1949, the battalion has since regularly deployed to the Caribbean and Mediterranean regions. 1/2 has seen operational service during the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962), Dominican intervention (1965), operations in the Persian Gulf (1988), Somalia evacuation (1991), Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm (1990-91), Haitian refugee operation (1992), Somalia (1993), and Cuba (1994). The unit has also deployed with the Unit Deployment Program and Camp Lejeune-based MEUs.
Most recently, the battalion saw combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom as part of Task Force Tarawa in 2003 and with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in (2004). In the summer of 2006, the battalion completed their third tour in Iraq as part of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit and deployed again the following year in March 2007.[1]
