1st Battalion, 1st Marines

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1st Battalion 1st Marines
Austin C. Shofner
William C. Chip

1st Battalion, 1st Marines (1/1) is an

1st Marine Division
, they are commonly referred to as "The first of the First".

Organization

1/1st Marines is a battalion-level infantry unit composed of infantry Marines and support personnel.

The battalion has been organized around fire and maneuver warfare in tropical, woodland, desert, or Arctic environments. From at least 1989, the units were organized as such:

Variations

Since 2003, after the fall of Saddam Hussein's government, the strategic operations

three block war). Some of these operations have demanded reconfiguring the battalion's organization in order to conduct missions which are not included in traditional maneuver warfare
(such as fire-team rushing, and anti-armor tactics).

Military transition teams

division
would often rotate into the battalion for a deployment in order to supplement the various companies' rosters.

Infantry company reorganization

In addition, the various companies were redrawn in order to reflect their new duties. Normal training was complemented with responsibilities befitting an urban environment:

1/1 in a MEU (SOC)

When trained as a battalion landing team, the battalion can attach to a

ground combat element. This designation gives the battalion a much broader role in its employment with the Navy
, including non-combatant evacuation operations (NEO), humanitarian assistance operations (HAO), and ship-to-shore deployment (via air and sea).

History

1st Marine Battalion raising the United States flag at the Battle of Guantánamo Bay on June 10, 1898.

World War II

Lt Col Richard P. Ross, commander of 1st Battalion, 1st Marines braves sniper fire to place the division's colors on a parapet of Shuri Castle on May 30, 1945. This flag was first raised over Cape Gloucester and then Peleliu.

1st Battalion 1st Marines was activated on March 1, 1941, at

Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. A month later they redeployed to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina
, but were quickly deactivated on June 18, 1941.

1/1 was reactivated on February 7, 1942, at

the battalion fought in the following campaigns:

Following the end of the war 1/1 returned to MCB Camp Pendleton in September 1945 and were deactivated on October 31, 1947.

Korean War

Following the outbreak of the

amphibious landing during the Battle of Inchon. In October, the Marines were withdrawn from the Seoul area and moved to the east coast of Korea landing at Wosnan in late October. From there 1st Battalion 1st Marines participated in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir
. They pushed as far north as Koto-ri, spending much of the battle defending their perimeter in this vicinity.

The battalion spent much of the remainder of the war defending the thirty-eighth parallel.[2] All told, it fought in the Korean War from September 1950 through July 1953.

Following the war, the battalion participated in the defense of the Korean Demilitarized Zone from July 1953 to April 1955.

Vietnam War

1/1 deployed to

Republic of Vietnam in August 1965, under the command of LtCol Donald V. McCloskey, and were reassigned to the 3rd Marine Division. They remained in Vietnam until May 1971, serving in or around Da Nang, Đông Hà, Con Thien, Quảng Trị, Huế, Phu Bai and Khe Sanh
. They returned to Camp Pendleton, California, in May 1971. They were again deactivated on May 28, 1974, but quickly reinstated on October 15, 1975.

Persian Gulf War and the 1990s

The 1st Battalion, 1st Marines deployed from

OV-10
reconnaissance aircraft on March 10, the battalion backloaded on April 24 to Camp Pendleton.

Global War on Terror

On September 11, 2001, the Marines of 1/1 were deployed on a WestPac (a deployment in an

26th MEU would join them and assist in Operation Enduring Freedom
.

Afghanistan invasion

Marines from Battalion Landing Team 1/1 of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit raise the first U.S. flag at Camp Rhino during Operation Enduring Freedom, 25 November 2001

Among 1/1's missions in

Northern Alliance's removal of the Taliban from power. The battalion also performed operations in Northern Pakistan.[5]
The Marines returned to the United States in early March 2002. 1/1 also deployed to Afghanistan in July 2012 until December 8 in which they operated throughout Helmand Province. Following the attack on Camp Leatherneck they were extend until December 8, 2012, when they returned to Camp Pendleton.

Operation Iraqi Freedom

The unit deployed in support of OIF I, assisted the local police and performed security operations in southern Iraq, mainly Um Qasar and Basra, co-located with British units there.[6] After 2 weeks, the unit left the country, finished their West-PAC deployment and returned to Camp Pendleton.

Later, as part of the

Camp Falcon near Al-Mahmoudiyah and they spent 1 month there. The combat units performed continuous foot and vehicle patrols in the area, finding weapons caches and unearthing IEDs
. One Marine was wounded in action during this deployment.

1/1 handed off the territory to

PBS documentary on the unit, Warriors, by Ed Robbins, documents this unit's deployment.[7]

The unit returned to Camp Pendleton in mid-2005 and prepared again to deploy in 6 months. They departed Camp Pendleton beginning on January 21, 2006. They were operating in

Camp Pendleton
in mid-August 2006. 1/1 suffered 11 KIA'S on this deployment and more than 50 wounded.

1/1 deployed back to

Al Anbar Province in mid-July 2007 to areas around Habbaniyah, Iraq.[11] They were relieved by 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines on 6 February 2008.[12]

Operation Enduring Freedom; Return to Afghanistan

In June 2012, after 11 years, 1/1 returned to Afghanistan to operate in Helmand Province as part of Regimental Combat Team 6 as part of the counter insurgency effort operating around the town of Agha Ahmad, Khanashin, Kajaki, and the Nawa district and around Camp Leatherneck.[13][14][15]

Notable former members

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 awarded citation. 1/1 has been presented with the following awards:

Ribbon Unit Award & Campaign Streamers
Silver star
Silver star
Silver Stars
Bronze star
Bronze Star
Meritorious Unit Commendation
Bronze star
World War I Victory Medal with one Bronze Star
Bronze star
American Defense Service Medal with one Bronze Star
Bronze star
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
with one Bronze Star
World War II Victory Medal
Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia clasp
China Service Medal
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
National Defense Service Medal with three Bronze Stars
Silver star
Silver star
Korean Service Medal with two Silver Stars
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Silver star
Silver star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Vietnam Service Medal with two Silver Stars and three Bronze Stars
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Southwest Asia Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Iraq Campaign Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korean Presidential unit Citation
Vietnam Cross of Gallantry
with Palm Streamer
Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation Civil Action Medal

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Warfare. 1997. pp. 28–29.
  2. ^ Martin Russ, The Last Parallel, p. 54.
  3. ^ Summary of Action for Operation Desert Storm 24–27 February 1991 (Report). United States Marine Corps Declassified Documents. Archived from the original on 1 September 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2007.
  4. ^ "Global War on Terrorism Chronology, 2001-2005". Campaign Chronologies of the United States Marine Corps. History Division, United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on February 19, 2007. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
  5. ^ "History of the 15th MEU". 15th MEU. Archived from the original on 12 August 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2007.
  6. ^ "13th MEU Provides Assistance in Southern Iraq". Navy Newsstand. Public Affairs, Expeditionary Strike Group 1. October 28, 2003. Story Number: NNS031028-13. Retrieved 2007-12-26 – via GlobalSecurity.org.
  7. ^ ""What is it really like to be a soldier in Iraq?" in Warriors". America at a Crossroads. PBS. 2005. Archived from the original on 25 June 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2007.
  8. ^ Skelton, William (March 25, 2006). "Marines patrol Army territory near Abu Ghraib". Marine Corps Times. Story ID#: 20063291594. Archived from the original on 1 April 2006. Retrieved 29 March 2006.
  9. ^ Skelton, William (April 20, 2006). "Marines in Iraq thwart insurgency". Marine Corps Times. Story ID#: 200642661121. Archived from the original on 1 May 2006. Retrieved 26 April 2006.
  10. ^ Skelton, William (May 5, 2006). "Marines, Iraqi police patrol Khandari". Marine Corps Times. Story ID#: 2006595250. Archived from the original on 9 May 2006. Retrieved 10 May 2006.
  11. ^ Muhlenberg, Bryce (2006-12-12). "2d Marine Division". Marine Corps News. Retrieved 2007-12-12.
  12. ^ Murphy, Jerry (2008-02-06). "Marines from the Heartland storm into Iraq, relieving 1/1". Marine Corps News. Archived from the original on 15 August 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
  13. ^ Ward Jr., Anthony (24 August 2012). "'Sailor of the Sands' provides care in Afghanistan". I Marine Expeditionary Force. Archived from the original on 2014-08-13.
  14. ^ Lamothe, Dan (24 August 2012). "Current phase of Marine drawdown in Afghanistan nears completion". Battle Rattle. Archived from the original on 2014-08-13.
  15. ^ "Night Patrol". Time. 11 September 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2016.

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.
Bibliography
  • Warfare (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Headquarters Marine Corps, United States Marine Corps. June 20, 1997. Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication 1 (MCDP-1). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-11-22. Retrieved 2007-12-25. This publication, Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication 1, supersedes Fleet Marine Force Manual 1. Available online from the Joint Electronic Library, Defense Technical Information Center, U.S. Department of Defense.
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