1st Battalion 2nd Marines

1st Battalion, 2nd Marines "Typhoon"
1st Battalion, 2nd Marines insignia
Active	June 1, 1933 – November 1947 October 1949 – present
Country	United States
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Infantry
Role	Offense/Defense/Sustainment, Amphibious Operations
Part of	2nd Marine Regiment 2nd Marine Division
Garrison/HQ	Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
Motto(s)	"Others will follow"
Engagements	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 Operation Enduring Freedom
Commanders
Current commander	Lt Col Eric A. Reid

1st Battalion, 2nd Marines (1/2) (pronounced "one-two") is an Infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina consisting of approximately 900 Marines and sailors. They belong to the 2nd Marine Regiment as a part of the 2nd Marine Division.

Subordinate units

Headquarters and Service (H&S) Company
Alpha Company
Bravo Company
Charlie Company
Weapons Company

History

Early years

1/2 was activated on January 1, 1933 at Cap Haitien, Haiti and spent the next year and a half in Haiti until its deactivation in 1934.

World War II

1/2 was reactivated in June 1942 deployed to the Pacific theater of World War II. While there, the unit participated in the bloody "island hopping" campaign, fighting at Guadalcanal(where they were the first Marines ashore), Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian, and Okinawa. After the war, 1/2 spent a brief period on occupation duty in Japan, including Nagasaki, before returning to Camp Lejeune where it stood down in November 1947.

1950s–1990s

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 (1987 and 1988), Eastern Exit (Somalia evacuation, 1991), Desert Shield and Desert Storm (1990–91), Haitian refugee (1992), Somalia (1993), and Cuba (1994), Operation Noble Obelisk-Freetown, Sierra Leone (1997). The unit has also deployed with the Unit Deployment Program and Camp Lejeune-based MEUs.

Global War on Terror

In December 2001, the Marines of Bravo Company were recalled off of Christmas leave after completing their six-month Unit Deployment Program (UDP) to Okinawa. The Marines were sent to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba to provide security for the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, including Camp X-Ray.

Marine CPL's David J. Docimo, Austin Quehl and Dustin Bray with Bravo Company 1/2, raise the US Flag for the 1st time over "Freedom Heights" Camp X-Ray Cuba 2002

A Marine from 1st Battalion clears a building in Iraq

Marines climb a rocky outcrop along the Euphrates River during Operation Koa Canyon in 2006

Operation Iraqi Freedom

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, having combat operations in Iskandariyah, Musayyib, Haswa, and Jurf Al Sakhar, located in the Babil province. In the summer of 2006, the battalion completed their third tour in Iraq as part of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit in Hīt located within the Al Anbar province. In March 2007 the battalion on its 4th combat deployment operated in Kahn ar Bagdadi, Ar Rutbah, Albu Hyatt and Anah, located in Al Anbar province. From July 2008 through February 2009 the battalion deployed to Al Habbaniyah in the Al Anbar province. The battalion also spent a portion of its 5th deployment to Iraq in Sinjar, located in the Ninawa province.^[1]

Operation Enduring Freedom

The battalion deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in March 2010. Their area of operations (AO) included Now Zad, Salaam Bazaar, Karimanda, Kunjak, Musa Qal'eh, Allahu Akbar, and the Musa Qal'eh Wadi down to Sangin. The battalion took heavy casualties but was able to push out a large portion of the Taliban in the AO and double the size of the AO that they were responsible for. For their exceptional actions, First Battalion Second Marines, along with several attachments were awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation. 1/2 came home in late September 2010 when they were relieved by 1st Battalion 8th Marines.

1/2 deployed again in support of OEF in April 2014. The Marines and Sailors patrolled the surrounding area of the Bastion-Leatherneck complex to ensure the safety of coalition forces operating on the bases until full security responsibility of the area was transferred to the Afghan National Security Forces in October 2014. 1/2 was the last U.S. ground combat unit on Camp Leatherneck, flying out on helicopters hours after control of the base was transferred to ANSF.^[2]

Marines and Sailors with Bravo Company, 1st Bn, 2nd Marines, conduct a security patrol near Camp Leatherneck in Helmand province, Afghanistan, August 23, 2014.

Notable former members

Justin LeHew, recipient of the Navy Cross for action during the Battle of Nasiriyah in 2003, and the Bronze Star for heroic actions during the Battle of Najaf in 2004.

References

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

Notes

Web

1/2 Official Website

United States Marine Corps

Leadership	Secretary of the Navy Under Secretary of the Navy Commandant of the Marine Corps Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Marine Corps generals United States Congress House Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Senate Subcommittee on Seapower

Major commands	Organization of the Marine Corps Headquarters Marine Corps Marine Forces Command II Marine Expeditionary Force Marine Forces Pacific I Marine Expeditionary Force III Marine Expeditionary Force Marine Forces Reserve Fleet Marine Force Atlantic Pacific

Structure	Marine Air-Ground Task Force Bases Battalions Regiments Brigades Divisions MEF/Corps Marine aviation Marine expeditionary unit Special Operations Marine Raider Regiment Recon Force Division

Personnel and training	Personnel Rank insignia MOS Notable Marines Historical Marines Criminal Investigation Division Judge Advocate Division Chaplain of the Marine Corps Hispanic Marines Associated organizations Training Recruit Training School of Infantry Officer Candidates School The Basic School Martial Arts Program

Uniforms and equipment	Uniforms Awards Badges Weapons Vehicles and aircraft Individual equipment

History and traditions	History Culture Acronyms and terms Birthday Ball Eagle, Globe, and Anchor Marine Band Drum and Bugle Corps Service Numbers Marine Corps War Memorial Flag Marine One Marines' Hymn National Museum Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima Rifleman's Creed Semper Fidelis Silent Drill Platoon History of Hispanics in the USMC Toys for Tots

Portal:United States Marine Corps Category:United States Marine Corps

2nd Marine Division

2nd Marines	1st Battalion 2nd Battalion 3rd Battalion 3rd Battalion 9th Marines

6th Marines	1st Battalion 2nd Battalion 3rd Battalion 2nd Battalion 9th Marines

8th Marines	1st Battalion 2nd Battalion 3rd Battalion 1st Battalion, 9th Marines

10th Marines	1st Battalion 2nd Battalion 3rd Battalion 5th Battalion

Other Battalions	2nd Combat Engineer 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance 2nd Reconnaissance 2nd Tank 2nd Assault Amphibian

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, April 29, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.