1st Marine Regiment
1st Marine Regiment | |
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Active |
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Country | 1st Marine Division I Marine Expeditionary Force |
Garrison/HQ | MCB Camp Pendleton |
Nickname(s) | "Inchon" |
Motto(s) | Ready To Fight |
March | Waltzing Matilda[2] |
Engagements |
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Commanders | |
Current commander | Col Brandon W. Graham |
Notable commanders | Clifton B. Cates William J. Whaling Chesty Puller Francis M. McAlister Arthur T. Mason Ormond R. Simpson Carl W. Hoffman Herbert L. Wilkerson Paul X. Kelley Clifford L. Stanley Stanley S. Hughes Daniel J. O'Donohue |
The 1st Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the
Subordinate units
The regiment comprises four infantry battalions and one headquarters company:
- Headquarters Company 1st Marines
- 1st Battalion, 1st Marines (1/1)
- 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines (2/1)
- 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines (3/1)
- 1st Battalion, 4th Marines (1/4) – (1/4 is assigned to the 1st Marine Regiment for the purpose of facilitating 4th Marines as a "host" regimental headquarters for battalions on unit deployment program assignments to 3rd Marine Division on Okinawa.)
History
The 1st Marines were activated in
They next participated in the
Following its second Dominican tour of duty, it was deactivated; but it was subsequently reactivated at Quantico, Virginia on 15 March 1925. The Regiment received its present designation of 1st Marines on 10 July 1930. The 1930s was a period of inactivity in the 1st Marines' history, as the unit was in a deactivated status during most of this time. World War II was the occasion for the next reactivation of the Regiment on 1 February 1941 at Culebra, Puerto Rico as part of the 1st Marine Division.
World War II
The 1st Marines stood at a low state of readiness at the beginning of the war, having just been reconstituted from cadre status; however, the regiment did possess very strong leadership at the higher levels.
Some of the heaviest action the regiment saw on Guadalcanal took place on August 21, 1942, during the Battle of the Tenaru, which was the first Japanese counter-attack of the campaign.[6][7] Following their first campaign, the regiment was sent to Melbourne, Australia to rest and refit. During their stay, there they were billeted in the Melbourne Cricket Ground until leaving in September 1943.[8]
The 1st Marines' next action was Operation Cartwheel, which was the codename for the campaigns in Eastern New Guinea and New Britain. The regiment was the first ashore at the Battle of Cape Gloucester on December 26, 1943; and continued fighting on the island, at such places as Suicide Creek and Ajar Ridge, until February 1944.[9]
The 1st Marines next battle was its bloodiest yet – the Battle of Peleliu. The regiment landed on September 15, 1944, as part of the 1st Marine Division's assault on the island. The division's commanding general, Major General William H. Rupertus had predicted the fighting would be, "...tough but short. It'll be over in three of four days – a fight like Tarawa. Rough but fast. Then we can go back to a rest area.".[10]During the Battle of Peleliu, the regiment was decimated by heavy artillery and accurate small arms fire in the vicinity of Bloody Nose Ridge. Repeated frontal assaults with fixed bayonets failed to unseat the Japanese defenders from the 14th Division (Imperial Japanese Army).[11] The 1st Marines fought on Peleliu for 10 days before being pulled off the lines after suffering 58% casualties and no longer being combat effective.[12] Ten days of fighting on Peleliu cost the 1st Marine Regiment 1,749 casualties.[13]
The last World War II engagement for the regiment was the Battle of Okinawa under the command of Colonel Arthur T. Mason.
In September 1945, the 1st Marines deployed to North China to take part in the garrisoning of the area and in the repatriation of former enemy personnel. It remained in China until February 1949. It is also likely that they were stationed in North China to bolster the Chinese Nationalists defense against the Chinese Communists. The presence of the 1st Marines was used as leverage by George C. Marshall in 1945–46 to attempt to moderate a settlement to the impending Chinese Civil War. The regiment returned to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and was deactivated on October 1, 1949.
Korean War
The Korean War prompted an expansion of the Marine Corps. As a result, the regiment was brought back into existence on 4 August 1950. On 15 September, the 1st Marine Division, including the 1st Marines, assaulted the beaches of Inchon.
The regiment then went on to take part in the liberation of
Vietnam War
With the intensification of the American involvement in the war in Vietnam in 1965, the 1st Marine Regiment was quickly deployed to the region. By January 1966, the entire regiment had completed its move to Vietnam. The first major operation in the war for a battalion of the 1st Marines was Operation Harvest Moon in December 1965.
By fall of 1967, the 1st Marines were operating permanently in the northern sector of the
Post Vietnam era
In the spring of 1975, the 1st Marines provided primary support to the Marine Corps Base at Camp Pendleton for preparation of a camp to house Vietnamese refugees during Operation New Arrivals. In 1983, 1st Marines were assigned responsibility to provide the Ground Combat Element for the WESTPAC MAU. Since the inception of the special operations capable (SOC) marine expeditionary units (MEUs) in support of contingency operations in the Western Pacific, the 1st Marine Regiment has been the SOC regiment of the 1st Marine Division.
Operation Desert Storm and LA riots
In August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait and 1st Marines deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield. On 30 December 1990, 1st Marines was designated as Task Force Papa Bear. The task force attacked into Kuwait on 23 February and continued its march to the vicinity of Kuwait International Airport, where hostilities ceased on 27 February.
From 1 to 11 May 1992, elements of the regiment deployed to perform riot control operations as part of the Joint Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force Los Angeles. They assumed a prominent role in quelling the urban unrest in South Central Los Angeles.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
In January 2003, 1st Marines deployed for
In February 2004, 1st Marines deployed to the
The RCT's area of operation consisted of numerous cities, most important of which was
Throughout September and October 2004, insurgent presence increased in Fallujah. Led by the 1st Marine Division,
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 unit citation. The 1st Marine Regiment has been presented with the following awards:[1]
Streamer | Award | Year(s) | Additional Info |
---|---|---|---|
Presidential Unit Citation Streamer with two Silver Stars & one Bronze Star | 1942, 1944, 1945, 1950, 1950, 1951, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–1968, 1968, 1968, 2003 | Guadalcanal, Peleliu-Ngesebus, Okinawa, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq | |
Navy Unit Commendation Streamer with four bronze stars | 1952–1953, 1990–91, 2004–05, 2008–09, 2010–11 | Korea, Vietnam, Southwest Asia, Iraq, Afghanistan | |
Meritorious Unit Commendation Streamer | 1971 | ||
Mexican Service Streamer | |||
Haitian Campaign Streamer | |||
Marine Corps Expeditionary Streamer with two Bronze Stars | |||
Dominican Campaign Streamer | |||
World War I Victory Streamer | |||
American Defense Service Streamer with one Bronze Star | 1941 | World War II | |
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Streamer with one Silver and one Bronze Star
|
Guadalcanal, Eastern New Guinea, New Britain, Peleliu, Okinawa | ||
World War II Victory Streamer
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1941–1945 | Pacific War | |
Navy Occupation Service Streamer with "ASIA" | |||
China Service Streamer | North China | ||
National Defense Service Streamer with three Bronze Stars | 1950–1954, 1961–1974, 1990–1995, 2001–present | War on Terrorism
| |
Korean Service Streamer with two Silver Stars | 1950–1953 | Inchon-Seoul, Chosin Reservoir, East-Central Front, Western Front | |
Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamer | |||
Vietnam Service Streamer with two Silver and three Bronze Stars | August 1965 – April 1971 | ||
Southwest Asia Service Streamer with three Bronze Stars | |||
Afghanistan Campaign Streamer with two Bronze Stars | |||
Iraq Campaign Streamer with four Bronze Stars | |||
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Streamer | March–May 2003 | ||
Global War on Terrorism Service Streamer | 2001–present | ||
Korea Presidential Unit Citation Streamer
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Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Streamer
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Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation Civil Actions Streamer
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Medal of Honor recipients
Nineteen Marines from the 1st Marines have been awarded the Medal of Honor: 7 during World War II, 10 during the Korean War, and three during the Vietnam War.[a]
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See also
References
- ^ a b "Lineage and Honors of the 1st Marine Regiment" (PDF). 28 April 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- ^ "1st Marine Division, United States Marine Corps (USMC), "The Old Breed" in Australia during WW2". www.ozatwar.com.
- ^ Frank 1990, p. 47.
- ^ Frank 1990, p. 48.
- ^ Frank 1990, p. 522.
- ^ Frank 1990, pp. 150–158.
- ^ Cronin 1951, p. 47.
- ^ Leckie 2001, pp. 147–208.
- ^ Turner 1997, pp. 25–26.
- ^ Sloan 2005, p. 65.
- ^ Sledge 1990, p. 95.
- ^ Sledge 1990, p. 96.
- ^ Sledge 1990, p. 155.
- ^ Ricks 2003, p. A01.
- ^ Tyler, Patrick E. (5 April 2003). "U.S. Squeezes Baghdad and Readies Next Step". New York Times. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ "Hall of Valor: Alfredo "Freddy" Gonzalez". Military Times. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
Sources
- Cronin, Francis D. (1951). Under the Southern Cross – The Saga of the Americal Division. Washington D.C.: Combat Forces Press.
- ISBN 0-394-58875-4.
- Leckie, Robert (2001). Helmet for my Pillow. Simon & Schuster Inc. ISBN 0-7434-1307-5.
- Ricks, Thomas E. (5 April 2003). "Key Marine Commander Is Removed". The Washington Post. pp. A01. Archived from the original on 18 November 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
- Sledge, Eugene B. (1990). With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-506714-2.
- Sloan, Bill (2005). Brotherhood of Heroes: The Marines at Peleliu, 1944: The Bloodiest Battle of the Pacific War. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-6009-0.
- Turner, David (1997). First Marine Division. Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing Company. ISBN 1-56311-244-2.
Notes
- ^ The Alfredo C. Gonzalez Medal of Honor action occurred after the publication of Johnstone (1968)'s work.
External links
- "Official Website of the 1st Marine Regiment". Archived from the original on 31 October 2006. Retrieved 29 October 2006.
- "1st Marine Regiment: History". Official Website of the 1st Marine Regiment. Retrieved 29 October 2006.
- Johnstone, John H. (1968). "A Brief History of the 1st Marines". Historical Branch, United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original (TXT) on 10 February 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2006.