11th Marine Regiment
11th Marine Regiment | |
---|---|
1st Marine Division | |
Garrison/HQ | Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms |
Nickname(s) | The Cannon Cockers |
Engagements |
|
Commanders | |
Current commander | Colonel Patrick F. Eldridge |
Notable commanders | Pedro del Valle Robert H. Pepper William H. Harrison William T. Fairbourn Lewis J. Fields Carl A. Youngdale |
The 11th Marine Regiment is an
Current units
- 1st Battalion, 11th Marines (1/11th Marines)
- 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines (2/11th Marines)
- 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines (3/11th Marines)
- 5th Battalion, 11th Marines (5/11th Marines; will deactivate on 29 March 2024)[1]
- Battery A, 11th Marines (A/11th Marines)[2]
Note: a "4th Battalion" of the 11th Marines was present in World War II, Korean War and Vietnam.
History
Early years
The 11th Marine Regiment was activated during World War I on 3 January 1918. Originally planned as a light artillery regiment, it was converted to an infantry unit and went to France as part of the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade in the waning days of the war. It did not see combat, but served as base guard troops and returned home to be disbanded on 11 August 1919.[3]
On 9 May 1927, another 11th Regiment was activated from troops in
World War II
With the approach of World War II and the consequent expansion of the Marine Corps, an 11th Marines (Artillery) was activated at
The 11th Marines participated in the
For the first two weeks after the initial landing on 15 September 1944, the regiment took part in the Battle of Peleliu under Colonel William H. Harrison. All artillery support was handled both novelly and conventionally, providing massed preparatory, harassing, and interdicting fire. Later, the artillery was used to fire directly into the mouths of enemy caves. In March 1945, the 11th Marines participated in the Battle of Okinawa, its final combat operation of World War II. There the regiment played an important defensive role with effective counter-battery fire, and steadily suppressed enemy attempts to counter-attack objectives already won by U.S. forces. With the war won, in the fall of 1945 the 11th Marines moved to Tianjin in North China as an element of Operation Beleaguer. There it was soon involved in trying to keep peace in the midst of the increasing conflict between rival Chinese factions. Early in 1947, the regiment returned to the United States to be reduced virtually to a battalion-sized unit.[3]
Korean War
Three years later
One of the more famous engagements of the regiment during the Korean War came on 7 December 1950 during the breakout from the Chosin Reservoir. George and How Batteries of 2nd Battalion were halted along the main road by heavy machine gun fire. The ensuing fight would pit two artillery batteries against a battalion of Chinese infantry in broad daylight and at close range. The guns were laid level due to the proximity of the Chinese forces and the Marines braced their bodies against the guns because there was no time to dig them in. When it was over the Marines counted over 500 enemy dead on the field and had expended over 600 rounds of ammunition. One Marine officer was quoted at the time as saying, "Has field artillery ever had a grander hour?"[4]
The 11th Marines participated in continued heavy action on the East Central Front throughout 1951, (such as the Battle of the Punchbowl) and in March 1952, moved to the Western Front, (Battle of Bunker Hill near Panmunjom). The 11th was finally able to sail from Korea for the United States and Camp Pendleton on 7 March 1955.[3]
Vietnam War
The years between 1955 and 1965 were spent in continued training to maintain a constant state of readiness. During the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962, the 11th Marines played a role in the task force ordered to impose a naval quarantine against arms shipments to Cuba.[3]
A new era opened on 8 March 1965 when the Marines were committed to ground action in South Vietnam. Beginning on 16 August 1965, the regiment was gradually deployed to South Vietnam. The transfer was completed by the arrival of the 2d Battalion on 27 May 1966. The nature of the war required the artillerymen to defend their own positions against numerous enemy probes and brought about a vastly increased employment of artillery by helicopters, both for displacement and resupply.[3]
The regimental history in Vietnam was characterized by fighting as detachments in dispersed areas.
During the next decade, the 11th Marines experienced a high level of activity, participating in many training and support exercises. In 1975 the regiment provided support for Operation New Arrivals and the Vietnamese refugees. The 11th Marines participated in numerous training exercises throughout the 1980s to maintain the regiments high level of operational readiness.[3]
The Gulf War and the 1990s
The regiment's ability to respond quickly to a crisis was put to the test in August 1990, when
Upon 28 February 1991 ceasefire which ended the fighting, the 11th Marines prepared to leave the Persian Gulf for home. The regiment's seven-month deployment and the Gulf War came to an end on 5 April with a much-deserved welcome at Camp Pendleton, California.[3]
Throughout the remaining years of the decade, elements of the 11th Marines participated in
Global War on Terrorism
The terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 marked the start of the global war on terror. The Cannon Cockers were ready when the order was given to deploy. Beginning in 2003, the 11th Marine Regiment actively participated in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. This included deploying as a regiment to Kuwait and Iraq in January–May 2003. From 2004 to 2009, elements from the Regiment deployed in support of all major contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2009, the world's focus shifted towards the Afghanistan area of operations. From 2009 to present day, Cannon Cocker batteries have supported Operation Enduring Freedom without any lapse in coverage.[3] Most recently, elements of the 11th Marine Regiment participated in the fight against the Islamic State in Syria as a part of Operation Inherent Resolve.
The Commanding Officer of 11th Marines is Colonel Patrick F. Eldridge.[5]
Unit awards
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 appropriate ribbon of the awarded unit citation. 11th Marine Regiment has been awarded the following:
Streamer | Award | Year(s) | Additional Info |
---|---|---|---|
Presidential Unit Citation Streamer with one silver and four bronze stars | 1942, 1944, 1945, 1950, 1951, 1966–1967, 1967–1968, 1968, 2003 | Guadalcanal, Peleliu, Okinawa, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq (OIF) | |
Navy Unit Commendation Streamer with two bronze stars | 1943–1944, 1953, 1990–1991 | New Britain, Korea, Iraq (Desert Shield/Desert Storm) | |
Meritorious Unit Commendation with one bronze star | 1968, 1994 | Vietnam, Western US (Taskforce Wildfire) | |
World War I Victory Streamer with bronze Maltese Cross | 1918 | France | |
Second Nicaraguan Campaign Streamer | 1927, 1928–1929 | Nicaragua | |
American Defense Service Streamer with one star | 1941 | Cuba | |
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Streamer with one silver and one bronze star | 1942, 1942–1943, 1943, 1943–1944, 1944, 1945 | Guadalcanal – Tulagi Landings, Capture and defense of Guadalcanal, New Guinea, New Britain, Capture and Occupation of Palau Islands, Assault and Occupation of Okinawa | |
World War II Victory Streamer | 1941–1945 | Pacific War | |
Navy Occupation Service Streamer with Asia Clasp | 1945 | Okinawa | |
China Service Streamer | 1945–1947 | North China | |
National Defense Service Streamer with three stars | 1950–1954, 1961–1974, 1990–1995, 2001–present | United States | |
Korean Service Streamer with two silver stars | 1950, 1950, 1950–1951, 1951, 1951, 1951, 1951–1952, 1952, 1952–1953, 1953 | North Korean Aggression, Inchon Landing, Communist Chinese Aggression, First UN Counteroffensive, Communist China Spring Offensive, UN Summer-Fall Offensive, Second Korean Winter, Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952, Third Korean Winter, Korea Summer-Fall 1953 | |
Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamer | 1962 | Cuba (Cuban Missile Crisis) | |
Vietnam Service Streamer with two silver and two bronze stars | 1966, 1966–1967, 1967–1968, 1968, 1968, 1968, 1968–1969, 1969, 1969, 1969–1970, 1970, 1970–1971 | Vietnamese Counteroffensive Campaign, Phase II, Phase III, Tet Offensive, Vietnamese Counteroffensive Phase IV, Phase V, Phase VI, Tet 60/Counteroffensive, Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969, Sanctuary Counteroffensive, Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase VIII | |
Southwest Asia Service Streamer with two bronze stars | 1990–1991, 1991 | Iraq (Desert Shield/Desert Storm) | |
Afghanistan Campaign Streamer with one bronze star | 2009–2014 | Afghanistan (Elements) | |
Iraq Campaign Streamer with two bronze stars | 2004–2009 | Iraq (Elements) | |
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Streamer | 2003 | Iraq | |
Global War on Terrorism Service Streamer | 2001–present | United States | |
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation Streamer
|
1950, 1950, 1953 | Korea | |
Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Streamer
|
1961–1969 | Vietnam | |
Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation Civil Actions Streamer | 1969–1971 | Vietnam |
See also
References
- Notes
- This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.
- ^ Loewenson, Irene. "Marine HIMARS battalion to fold amid overhaul of Corps artillery". Marine Corps Times. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ Trevithick, Joseph (7 June 2023). "First Marine Corps Tomahawk Cruise Missile Unit Has Stood Up". The Drive. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "11th Marine Regiment "Cannon Cockers" Official History". US Marine Corps. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ISBN 0-14-029259-4.
- ^ "11TH Marine Regt". US Marine Corps. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
- Bibliography
- Web
- 11th Marines official website
- Emmet, Robert (1968). Marine Corps Historical Branch (ed.). A Brief History of the 11th Marines. Washington D.C.: United States Marine Corps. 19000318600. Retrieved 12 December 2008.