| 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines | |
|---|---|
2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines insignia |
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| Active | May 1, 1942 - December 31, 1945 July 20, 1951 - 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 | "Island Warriors" |
| Motto | "Fortuna Fortes Juvat" "Fortune Favors the Brave" |
| Engagements | World War II *Battle of Bougainville *Battle of Guam Vietnam War Operation Desert Storm Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
LtCol Dunn |
2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines (2/3) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii consisting of approximately 1000 Marines and sailors. The battalion falls under the command of the 3rd Marine Regiment and the 3rd Marine Division.
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The 3rd Training Battalion, Division Special Troops, 1st Marine Division was activated on May 1, 1942 at New River, North Carolina. On June 17 of that same year, they were redesignated the "2d Training Battalion, 3rd Marines" and in September were deployed to Tutuila, American Samoa and reassigned to the 2d Marine Brigade. They remained there until they moved to Auckland, New Zealand in May 1943. In June of that year, they were reassigned to the 3d Marine Division and were again moved to Guadalcanal in July.
2/3 participated in the following World War II campaigns:
2/3 deployed to Da Nang in the Republic of Vietnam in April 1965. They fought in Vietnam from April 1965 until October 1969, operating from DaNang, Camp Carroll, Quang Tri, Cam Lo, the A Shau Valley and Khe Sahn. The battalion made a night helicopter assault in the Elephant Valley south of Da Nang on 12 August 1965, shortly after Marine ground troops arrived in country. In October 1969, the battalion relocated to MCB Camp Pendleton.
In January 1991, 2d Battalion, 3d Marines deployed to Saudi Arabia and participated in Operation Desert Storm and the Liberation of Kuwait. The battalion was deployed to Southwest Asia from January to April 1991, when 2/3 returned to Kaneohe Bay.
The battalion deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in the Konar and Laghman regions in north eastern Afghanistan in 2005-2006. 2/3 suffered 4 KIAs. 2/3 deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Haditha region of Al Anbar Province in western Iraq in 2006-2007.[1] In February 2008, the battalion again deployed to Iraq, operating in the vicinity of Fallujah. On June 26, 2008, the commanding officer of 2/3, LtCol Max Galeai and two other Marines (Captain Philip J. Dykeman and Cpl. Marcus W. Preudhomme) from the battalion were killed when a suicide bomber dressed as an Iraqi policeman detonated an explosive vest at a meeting of tribal sheiks in the town of Karmah.[2] The battalion returned from this deployment in late August/early September 2008.[3] 2/3 Deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 as part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade.[4] They were part of the 17,000 troop increase announced by President Obama in mid-February.[5]
2/3 returned to Marine Corps Base Hawaii late 2009, and redeployed to Afghanistan in November 2010 to Hemand province to the Nawa district. During this deployment Fox Company was attached to 3rd battalion 9th Marines in Marjah, during less than 6 months the Company found over 270+ weapons caches, more then the rest of RCT 1 combined during the same time period.
2/3 returned from Afghanistan in June 2011.
During World War II, PFC Leonard F. Mason, serving with the 2/3, despite being mortally wounded, single-handedly destroyed an enemy machine gun position during the Battle of Guam. Mason was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
During the Vietnam War, PFC Bruce W. Carter threw himself on a grenade to save the lives of fellow Marines. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
During the Vietnam War, Staff Sergeant Peter S. Connor was awarded the MOH (posthumously) for actions on 25 February 1966.
During the Vietnam War, Private First Class James Anderson, Jr. was awarded the MOH (posthumously) for actions on 28 February 1967.
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