4th Marine Regiment (United States)

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4th Marine Regiment

4th Marine's insignia
Active
Country United States
Allegiance United States of America
Branch United States Marine Corps
Type Infantry regiment
Role Locate close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver
Nickname The Oldest and the Proudest/"China Marines
Motto Hold High the Torch
Engagements Banana Wars
*Occupation of Vera Cruz
*Occupation of the Dominican Republic
World War II
*Battle of Corregidor
*Battle of Guam
*Battle of Okinawa
Vietnam War
Operation Desert Storm

The 4th Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. Based at Camp Schwab in Okinawa, Japan, it is part of the 3rd Marine Division of the III Marine Expeditionary Force.

Contents

[edit] Mission

Locate and destroy the enemy within the Pacific Theater, and provide a means of force projection. However it is not limited to this theater, that is its main area of operations. 4th Marines also lends humanitarian aid where directed.

[edit] Current units

Currently each of the Regiment's three battalions are part of other Marine infantry regiments in the 1st Marine Division. The regiment in turn hosts battalions stationed in the United States and Hawaii for training in jungle warfare.

  • Headquarters Company

[edit] History

[edit] Early years

The 4th Marine Regiment was first activated on April 16, 1914, in Puget Sound, Washington, under the command of Colonel Joseph Henry Pendleton. This activation was a direct result of deteriorating relations between the United States and Mexico. On April 21, President Woodrow Wilson ordered U.S. Naval Forces to Vera Cruz. Shortly after activation, 4th Marines embarked upon the USS South Dakota (ACR-9) headed for San Francisco. Upon their arrival they received four companies (the 31st, 32nd, 34th and 35th) which were become attached to the regiment. The regiment then sailed for Mexico.

On April 28, 4th Marines arrived in Acapulco harbor. Reinforcements subsequently arrived in Mzatlan a week and half later. The regiment continued to maintain a presence in Mexican waters patrolling the shore through May and June. However by the end of June no landing had been deemed necessary and tensions had eased between Mexico and the United States. Shortly thereafter 4th Marines withdrew from Mexican waters and concluded their first Latin American expedition. The regiment returned to San Diego, California to establish its new home base. Between this time and February of 1916 the regiment conducted several missions of force projection off the coast of Mexico. None had required the Marines to actually disembark as diplomatic relations were subsequently smoothed over upon their arrival or shortly thereafter.

The Dominican Republic broke out in civil war in the spring of 1916. American forces were sent to quell the danger posed to Americans and other foreigners there. As the Americans came ashore the rebels withdrew from Santo Domingo, the capital, to Santiago where they had established another rival government. American forces called for reinforcements and 4th Marines was called into action. They left San Diego on June 6 for New Orleans. Three days later they boarded the USS Hancock for the Dominican Republic.

[edit] World War II

The 4th Marines had been stationed in North China in the late 1930's, evacuating from Shanghai to Manila on 30 November 1941. With its 3rd Battalion inactivated in China in 1934, and further reduced by unreplaced separations from the service, it consisted of only two battalions, each with only two rifle companies of two platoons each and one machinegun company. The 4th Marines absorbed the Marine Barracks Olongapo on 22 December 1941 to fill out the 1st and 2nd Battalions to three rifle companies of three platoons each, then added the 1st Separate Battalion Cavite to create the 3rd Battalion.

The 4th Marines then were moved to Corregidor where on 10 April 1942 it added the 4th Provisional Battalion composed of U.S. Navy personnel that had previously served during the Battle of Bataan as the Provisional Naval Battalion. After the fall of Bataan, approximately 1,500 U.S. Army and Philippine Scouts personnel reinforced the regiment during the defense of Corregidor, designated the Reserve Battalion. Nearly 4,000 strong, the regiment was composed of troops from 142 different U.S. and Filipino organizations.

Prior to the "old" 4th being captured when Corregidor fell, the unit burned its colors.

In 1944 the four battalions of Marine Raiders were amalgamated into a new "4th Marine Regiment" which was assigned to the 6th Marine Division, and fought at Guam and Okinawa. Postwar the new "4th" combined with the 22nd Marine Regiment and the 29th Marine Regiments of the 6th Division and then deactivated. In 1951 the 4th Marines were reactivated carrying the honor and lineage of both the old and new 4th Regiments, and later served in Vietnam from 1965 to 1969 as part of the 3rd Marine Division.

[edit] Honors and Awards

Battle of Okinawa - 1945; Vietnam War - 1965-1967
Battle of the Philippines (1941-42)
Battle of Guam - 1944; Southeast Asia Evacuations - 1975  ; Southwest Asia - 1990-1991

[edit] See also

United States Marine Corps Portal

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the United States Marine Corps.
Bibliography
  • Condit, Kenneth W.; Turnbladh, Edwin T. (1960). Hold High the Torch - A History of the 4th Marines. Washington D.C.: Historical Branch, Headquarters Marine Corps. 
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