1st Battalion 3rd Marines

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1st Battalion 3rd Marines
1/3's Insignia
Active	May 1, 1942 - present
Country	United States
Branch	USMC
Type	Light infantry
Role	Locate, close with and destroy the enemy with fire and maneuver
Part of	3rd Marine Regiment 3rd Marine Division
Garrison/HQ	Marine Corps Base Hawaii
Nickname	"Lava Dogs"
Motto	"Fortuna Fortes Juvat" "Fortune Favors the Brave"
Battles/wars	World War II * Battle of Bougainville * Battle of Guam Vietnam War Operation Desert Storm Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom * Operation Phantom Fury

1st Battalion 3rd Marines (1/3) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii consisting of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors. The battalion, known as the "Lava Dogs", falls under the 3rd Marine Regiment and the 3rd Marine Division.

1 Subordinate units
2 History
3 Awards
4 See also
5 Notes
6 External links

[edit] Subordinate units

Headquarters and Service Company
Alpha Company
Bravo Company
Charlie Company
Weapons Company

[edit] History

[edit] World War II

Marines from 1/3 fighting on Bougainville in 1943.

On May 1, 1942 the 1st Training Battalion was activated at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina. A month and a half later, on June 17, the unit was redesignated as the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. The battalion received its baptismal into combat in November of 1943 against the Japanese in the Battle of Bougainville. The Japanese were a formidable foe with the fighting complicated by deep swamps and dense jungles. The battalion fought with distinction for nearly two months before being sent to Guadalcanal to prepare for the next leg of the Pacific Island Hopping Campaign.

The Battle of Guam was the next combat assignment for 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines. The amphibious assault began on July 21, 1944. Once again, the battalion encountered a tenacious enemy and the fighting on the proved to be both bloody and costly. Organized resistance officially ended on August 10 and the Guam was declared “secured”. However, numerous Japanese remained at large in the jungle refusing to surrender. Subsequently, the battalion participated in “mopping-up” operation through the latter part of October.

In early 1945, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, as part of Regimental Combat Team 3, was to be the floating reserve for the amphibious assault of the Battle of Iwo Jima. The battalion, however, was never called upon to land or to take part in the battle for Iwo Jima. Instead it returned to Guam in March where it continued to remove the small pockets of Japanese resistance that still remained on the island.

The battalion remained on Guam through the surrender of the Japanese in September of 1945. Although the end of the war signified the end of hostilities, there was still much work to be done. The Islands in the Pacific held by the Japanese had to be demilitarized and the Japanese forces repatriated to mainland Japan, this job fell to 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, soon to be known as the “Chichi Jima” Marines. Chichi Jima was an Island fortress, often referred to as the Gibraltar of the Pacific, located in the Ogasawara Island chain 615 miles south of Tokyo. After 14 years of war in China and the Pacific, Japan had arrived at a mortifying surrender. At exactly 1015 on December 13, 1945 the Japanese flag flying over Chici Jima was lowered from its staff. The Japanese Color Guard folded the flag and presented it to the Commanding Officer of 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines. At 1025, the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps sounded Colors and everyone present, American and Japanese alike, rendered a salute as Old Glory was raised to her lofty summit. With the Japanese threat removed from Chichi Jima, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines returned to Guam where it was deactivated on February 9, 1946.

[edit] Vietnam War

Marines of 1/3 near Khe Sahn in 1966.

1st Battalion, 3d Marines became the second American infantry unit to enter South Vietnam. The battalion began its movement, via air, to Da Nang in early March 1965 and completed its movement by mid-March. Less than six months after its arrival, 1/3 was withdrawn to Okinawa. The battalion was sent back to Vietnam on November 18, 1965. The 1968 Tet Offensive ushered in a new wave of intense combat activity for the Marines and in May 1/3 found itself heavily engaged in fighting North Vietnamese units at the village of Dai Do near the Cua Viet River.

In 1969 the United States began a slowly withdrawing combat units from Southeast Asia. One of the first Marine units to be notified to commence stand down operations was 1st Battalion, 3d Marines. The unit departed South Vietnam for the United States on October 5, 1969. Towards the end of the month the battalion arrived in California and was located at again at Camp Pendleton. Shortly thereafter, it was reduced to zero strength, effective November 18, 1969. It then was reestablished at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii as part of the 1st Marine Brigade on November 27, 1969.

[edit] The Gulf War and the 1990s

In September 1990, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines deployed to Saudi Arabia and participated in Operation Desert Storm and the Liberation of Kuwait. The battalion was deployed to Southwest Asia from September 1990 to April 1991 at which time 1/3 returned to Kaneohe Bay.

[edit] The Global War on Terror

In January 2006, the battalion deployed to eastern Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom ^[1]. During this five month deployment they operated throughout the Korengal Valley and were known as "Task Force Lava." On June 1, 2006, 1/3 handed over their area of operations to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment and would soon be redeploying to Hawaii ^[2].