3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion

3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion
1st Marine Division I Marine Expeditionary Force
Garrison/HQ	Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California
Nickname(s)	3rd Tracks
Patron	Archangel Michael
Mascot(s)	Gator
Engagements	World War II Battle of Bougainville Battle of Guam Battle of Iwo Jima Vietnam War Operation Desert Storm Operation Iraqi Freedom 2003 invasion of Iraq
Commanders
Current commander	LtCol Daniel R. Petronzio

3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion (3rd AABn) is one of two active duty assault amphibian battalions in the

.

Mission

Land the surface assault element of the landing force and their equipment in a single lift from assault shipping during amphibious operations to inland objectives; to conduct mechanized operations and related combat support in subsequent operations ashore. The specific Mission Essential Tasks List (METL) includes:

• Preparing combat ready units for deployment and operations in support of the
  1st Marine Division
• Preparing combat ready units for deployment and operations in support of Maritime Pre-Positioned Forces (MPF) to any AOR as directed.
• Providing sustained amphibious and ground mechanized support to the assault elements of the 1st Marine Division as well as other combat support as directed during subsequent operations ashore.
• Providing support to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion and other 1st Marine Division units in the clearing of lanes through minefields and other obstacles during amphibious operations and in support of subsequent operations ashore.
• Preparing combat ready units for deployment with designated Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU) and deployment to Okinawa as part of the Unit Deployment Program (UDP) in support of 3rd Marine Division

Subordinate units

The 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion is currently composed of a Headquarters and Service Company, 3 companies located at

.

Name	Location
Alpha Company	Camp Pendleton
Bravo Company	Camp Pendleton
Charlie Company	Camp Pendleton
Delta Company (REIN) (retired 2021)	Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms
Echo Company(retired 2015)	Camp Pendleton
Fox Company (retired 2012)	Camp Pendleton
Headquarters & Services Company	Camp Pendleton

History

World War II

3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion was originally activated 16 September 1942 at San Diego, California, as 3rd Amphibian Tractor (Amtrac) Battalion and assigned to the

in preparation for combat in the Pacific theater.

During World War II, the battalion was primarily armed with Landing Vehicle Tracked (LVT), specifically the LVT-2 also known as "WATER BUFFALOS".

The battalion fought in the following combat actions:

• Bougainville
  with 124 LVT-1s
• Guam with 193 LVT-2s and LVT-4s
• Iwo Jima with 90 LVT-2s
  

  

For its actions in World War II, 3rd Amphibian Tractor Battalion was awarded the

Streamer.

At the conclusion of World War II the battalion redeployed in March 1945 to Maui, territory of Hawaii and then relocated during February 1946 back to Camp Pendleton, California. It was deactivated several months later on 1 May 1946.

1952 - 1966

3rd Amphibian Tractor Battalion was reactivated 1 April 1952 at Camp Pendleton, California, and assigned to

, October–December 1962

During this period the battalion was still armed with LVTs - transitioning primarily to the

LVT-5

in the late 1950s.

Vietnam War and 1970s

3rd Amphibian Tractor Battalion deployed during February 1965 to

from June 1966 - January 1970. During this conflict the battalion distinguished itself at:

• Chu Lai
• Da Nang
• An Hoa
• Hoi An

Throughout Vietnam the battalion was armed with variants of the

.

For its actions in Vietnam, 3rd Amtrac Battalion was awarded the

Unit Citation Streamer.

The battalion relocated during February 1970 to Camp Pendleton, California, and was reassigned to the 5th

. It was again reassigned in August 1970 to the 5th Marine Amphibious Brigade. Subsequently, in April 1971 the battalion was reassigned to the 1st Marine Division with whom it remains to this day.

In the early 1970s the battalion transitioned from the

.

On 30 December 1976 the battalion was re-designated from 3rd Amphibian Tractor Battalion to 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion (written as 3rd AABn). The battalion participated in numerous training exercises throughout the remainder of the 1970s.

1980s

Throughout the 1980s, 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion deployed companies on its regular schedule of six month deployments to the forward units in

. It shared personnel and vehicles with the 1st Armored Assault Battalion as part of the Unit Deployment Program.

In the early 1980s the battalion's LVT-7s underwent a Service Life Extension Program (SLEP), which converted the LVT-7 vehicles to the improved

(MCAGCC) in July 1979. Of the two platoons formed from Camp Pendleton, one went to Company A, 3d Tank Battalion, and the other platoon went to Company B, 3d Tank Battalion.

The two platoons later merged and became Company D, 3rd Tank Battalion in September 1980. Two additional platoons from 3d Assault Amphibian Battalion in Hawaii arrived on board the MCAGCC in December 1981. A redesignation ceremony was held on 18 January 1982 in which the colors of Company D, 3rd Tank Battalion were formally retired and replaced with the new colors of Company D (Rein), 3d Assault Amphibian Battalion. The company was instrumental in training Marines in desert warfare as they rotated in and out of the live-fire desert training area, a key to the Marine Corp's success in the 1991 Gulf War.

For its superior performance from 1983 to 1985, the battalion was awarded a

.

Desert Shield/Storm

In August 1990, 3rd AABn received orders to prepare for an overseas deployment to

to augment its current vehicle ranks.

During this time the battalion began upgrading its AAVP-7A1s to carry the UGWS (UpGunned Weapons Station), which mounts a .50 cal (12.7 mm)

.

In preparation for the assault into Kuwait, the battalion divided into two main mechanized infantry task forces, along with 1st and 3rd Tank Battalions, to form Task Force Ripper and Task Force Papa Bear respectively. The units trained and patrolled the Saudi frontier with Kuwait until the start of the ground war in February 1991.

After five days of combat the two task forces, along with other Marine task forces, British and Pan-Arab units, captured

in March 1991.

For its actions during the Gulf War, the battalion was awarded a { Presidential Unit Citation } Streamer.Navy Unit Commendation Streamer, National Defense Service Medal Streamer, and the Southwest Asia Service Medal Streamer With Two Bronze Stars.

Restore Hope

On 9 December 1992, elements of 3rd AABn attached to the

.

Elements of 3rd AABn served in Somalia or off the coast aboard

Streamer.

Global War on Terror

In 2003, 3rd AABn participated in

(MNF-W). In the Al Anbar province they conduct all manner of operations ranging from traditional infantry mechanized assault support to acting independently as motorized forces patrolling vast urban and desert areas.

In 2010, the battalion was deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan. During that deployment the battalion suffered a casualty; Corporal Julio Vargas, who was killed by an IED on July 20.^[1]

Awards

To date, the battalion's actions in support of the Global War on Terror have earned it a

Streamer.

Notable former members

• Navy Cross for action during the Battle of Nasiriyah in 2003. Recipient of the Bronze Star Medal
  with combat "V" for actions during the battle of Najaf 2004.

Unit honors

3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion's unit awards include:

Presidential Unit Citation Streamer With Three Bronze Stars

Joint Meritorious Unit Award Steamer

Navy Unit Commendation Streamer

Streamer With Two Bronze Stars

Streamer With Four Bronze Stars

World War II Victory Medal Streamer

National Defense Service Medal Streamer With Two Bronze Stars

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Streamer

Vietnam Service Medal Streamer With Two Silver Stars

Southwest Asia Service Medal Streamer With Two Bronze Stars

Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Streamer

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Streamer

Unit Citation with Palm Streamer

Unit Citation Streamer

See also

• List of United States Marine Corps battalions
• WWII/Korea LVT Museum
• Organization of the United States Marine Corps

Notes

References

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

Web