| 5th Marine Regiment | |
|---|---|
5th Marine Regiment Insignia |
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| Active | June 8, 1917–present |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Type | Light infantry |
| Role | Locate, close with and destroy the enemy with fire and maneuver |
| Size | 4,800 |
| Part of | 1st Marine Division I Marine Expeditionary Force |
| Garrison/HQ | Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton |
| Nickname | The Fighting Fifth |
| Engagements | World War I |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Colonel Roger Turner |
| Notable commanders |
LeRoy P. Hunt Merritt A. Edson Oliver P. Smith Lewis W. Walt Larry Nicholson |
The 5th Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the most highly decorated regiment in the Marine Corps and falls under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF).
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The Regiment comprises four infantry battalions and one headquarters company:
The unit was activated on June 8, 1917, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the 5th Regiment of Marines. They immediately deployed to France and were assigned to the 1st Infantry Division of the United States Army. Later that year, in October, they were reassigned to 4th Brigade of Marines under the 2nd Infantry Division.
In spring the regiment was involved in the fierce battle of Belleau Wood, gaining the respect even of the hardened German veteran front troops.
The Fifth subsequently participated in the offensive campaigns at Aisne, Battle of Saint-Mihiel and in the Meuse-Argonne offensive. They also participated in the defensive campaigns at Toulon-Troyon, Château-Thierry, Marbache and Limey. From 1918 until 1919 the regiment participated in the occupation of the German Rhineland. In August 1919 they relocated back to Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. They were deactivated on August 13, 1919.
The regiment's actions in France earned them the right to wear the Fourragère (seen in the outline of the unit's logo), one of only two in the Marine Corps (the other being the 6th Marine Regiment). The award was a result of being the only regiments in the American Expeditionary Force to receive three Croix de guerre citations: two in the order of the army and one in the order of the corps — Fourragère and Croix de guerre with two Palms and Gilt Star. The Fourragère became part of the uniform of the unit, and all members of the organization are authorized to wear the decoration on the left shoulder of the uniform as long as they remain members of the organization.
Three Marines of the regiment were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during the war. Sergeant Louis Cukela, Gunnery Sergeant Ernest A. Janson, and Sergeant Matej Kocak each received two Medals of Honor (one from the Navy and one from the Army) for a single action, making them three of only nineteen double recipients of the medal. In addition, two U.S. Navy officers attached the 5th Marines received the Medal of Honor: Lieutenant Commander Alexander Gordon Lyle of the Navy Dental Corps and Lieutenant Orlando H. Petty of the Medical Corps.[1]
Unit was Reactivated on July 8, 1920. Elements of the Regiment participated in mail guard duty in the Eastern United States from November 1921 through May 1922 and once again from October 1926 through February 1927.
They then deployed to Nicaragua from January 1927. They continuously fought Nicaraguan Rebels until they were again deactivated on April 11, 1930.
5th Marines was reactivated for the last time on September 1, 1934 at Quantico, Virginia and were assigned to the 1st Marine Brigade. In 1940 they were deployed to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba and reassigned to the 1st Marine Division in February 1941. They were garrisoned at New River, North Carolina.
After the outbreak of war, 5th Marines deployed to Wellington, New Zealand in June 1942. During World War II they fought on Guadalcanal, New Britain, Eastern New Guinea, Peleliu and Okinawa. Immediately following the war in September 1945 they deployed to Tientsin, China and participated in the occupation of North China until May 1947. They were redeployed to Guam in May 1947 and reassigned to the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade. In 1949 they were relocated to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
On August 5, 1950, 5th Marines were deployed to the Pusan Perimeter as part of the Provisional Marine Brigade. From there they participated in the Inchon Landing, Battle of Chosin Reservoir and fighting on the East-Central Front and Western Front until the end of hostilities. Immediately after the war they participated in the defense of the Korean Demilitarized Zone from July 1953 until February 1955. The regiment returned to Camp Pendleton in March 1955.
On March 5, 1966, 5th Marines once again answered the call and deployed to the Republic of Vietnam. They remained in Vietnam for the next 5 years fighting at Rung Sat, Chu Lai, Phu Loc, Hue, Que Son Valley, An Hoa, Tam Ky and Da Nang. The 5th Marines finally left Vietnam in April 1971. and then there was peace
Elements of the regiments participated in Operation New Arrivals which was the relocation of Vietnamese refugees to Camp Pendleton, California from July through December 1975. Their next major action was Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm from August 1990 through April 1991. Combat operations in Southwest Asia were quickly followed by Operation Sea Angel in Bangladesh in May-June 1991.
On January 5, 2003, 5th Marines deployed to Kuwait with it's 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions (1/5, 2/5, 3/5) as part of the force that would be part of the invasion of Iraq. They were supported by elements of the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Tank Battalion, various firing batteries of the 11th Marines, 2nd and 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalions, Company B from the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, and Combat Service Support Company 115 (CSSC–115). These attachments brought regimental strength up to more than 6,000 personnel on any given day. This was the largest the regiment had been in its history.[2]
On March 21, the regiment became the first unit to cross into Iraq as it moved to seize the Rumayllah Oilfields. For the drive north, RCT-5 would advance up a four-lane highway before swinging east toward the Tigris River until the 1st Marine Division reunited to push into the red zone that encompassed Baghdad and its suburbs. After all objectives had been secured, the Marines occupied assigned security sectors and conducted follow-on combat operations. During much of the attack north, the Regiment led the 1st Marine Division in the deepest attack in Marine Corps history. The regiment suffered 12 killed and 126 seriously wounded in 33 days of combat.
From October 2004 to March 2005 the regimental headquarters staff, led by Colonel Stuart Navarre, was deployed to Iraq in order to take over the role of the Iraqi Security Forces training directorate in support of 1st Marine Division at Camp Blue Diamond. Because the regiment wasn't deployed as a regimental combat team the headquarters staff took on the responsibility of working with the Al Anbar Iraqi National Guard (ING) and the Iraqi Police in Ramadi.
In February 2006, the regiment deployed as Regimental Combat Team 5 to the Al Anbar Province, Iraq and assumed control of the greater Fallujah area from the 8th Marine Regiment. They conducted combat operations, which included the training and advising of Iraqi forces in conjunction with Military Transition Teams (MiTT) and Police Transition Teams (PiTT). RCT-5 was camped in Camp Fallujah under the command of I Marine Expeditionary Force(Fwd) until January 2007 when they were relieved in place by the 6th Marine Regiment (RCT 6).[3]
As of December 2007, the 5th Marine Regiment had lost 221 members during combat operations in Iraq. This includes members of the regiment and of other battalions that served under 5th Marines.[4]
In late December 2007 and early January 2008, the Regiment deployed again as Regimental Combat Team 5 (RCT-5) to the Al Anbar Province, Iraq and assumed control of the greater Al Asad area and western portion of the province from the 2nd Marine Regiment (RCT-2). They conducted combat operations, which included the training and advising of Iraqi forces, and along with RCT-1 and Multi National Forces-West (MNF-W), oversaw Anbar's pacification and eventual transfer to Provincial Iraqi Control. RCT-5 was in Camp Ripper, Al Asad, under the command of I Marine Expeditionary Force (Fwd) and led by Colonel Patrick J. Malay until January 2009 when they were relieved in place by the 8th Marine Regiment (RCT-8). Throughout the deployment, RCT-5 lost one Marine and one Soldier who served in units under the Regiment while conducting combat operations.
In early 2009, 5th Marines was designated as a contingency force due to back-to-back 13 month deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). The Regiment continues to participate in exercises and contingency deployments with the 1st Marine Division, and to prepare forces for deployment.
In mid-August 2011, 5th Marines deployed as Regimental Combat Team 5 (RCT-5), this time to Helmand province, Afghanistan. They conducted a Relief-In-Place with the 1st Marine Regiment (RCT-1) and assumed control of their area of operations of Marjah, Garmsir and Nawa districts. RCT-5 is based out of Camp Dwyer. Their focus is on developing local defense forces in Garmsir and Nawa, mentoring and expanding the police force across southern Helmand and providing further training to the Afghan National Army.
A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited. Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the awarded unit citation. The 5th Marine Regiment has been presented with the following awards:
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Presidential Unit Citation with two silver stars |
| Joint Meritorious Unit Award | |
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Navy Unit Commendation with two bronze stars |
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Meritorious Unit Commendation with one bronze star |
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World War I Victory Medal with one silver star |
| Army of Occupation of Germany Medal | |
| Second Nicaraguan Campaign Medal | |
| American Defense Service Medal | |
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Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one silver and one bronze star |
| World War II Victory Medal | |
| Navy Occupation Service Medal | |
| China Service Medal | |
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National Defense Service Medal (with two bronze stars) |
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Korean Service Medal with two silver stars |
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Vietnam Service Medal with two silver stars and two bronze stars |
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Southwest Asia Service Medal with three bronze stars |
| Iraq Campaign Medal with three bronze stars | |
| Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal | |
| Croix de guerre | |
| Korean Presidential Unit Citation | |
| Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm Streamer | |
| Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation Civil Action Medal |
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