5th Marine Regiment
5th Marine Regiment/"5th Marines" | |
---|---|
1st Marine Division I Marine Expeditionary Force | |
Garrison/HQ | MCB Camp Pendleton |
Nickname(s) | "The Fighting Fifth" |
Engagements |
|
Commanders | |
Commander | Colonel Chris Steele |
Notable commanders | Kenneth R. Kassner [2] |
The 5th Marine Regiment (also referred to as "5th Marines") is an infantry
Current Units
The Regiment comprises four infantry battalions and one headquarters company:
- Headquarters Company 5th Marines (HQ/5th Marines)
- 1st Battalion, 5th Marines (1/5)
- 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines (2/5)
- 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines (3/5)
- 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines (2/4) – (assigned to the 5th Marine Regiment for the purpose of facilitating 4th Marines as a "host" regimental headquarters for battalions on unit deployment program assignments to 3rd MARDIV in Okinawa.)
History
World War I
The unit was activated on 8 June 1917, in
In spring 1918, the regiment, commanded by Colonel
The Fifth subsequently participated in the offensive campaigns at
The regiment's actions in France earned them the right to wear the
Three Marines of the regiment were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during the war. Sergeant
Inter-war years
Unit was reactivated on 8 July 1920. Elements of the regiment participated in mail guard duty in the eastern United States from November 1921 through May 1922 and once again from October 1926 through February 1927.
They then deployed to Nicaragua from January 1927. They continuously fought Nicaraguan rebels until they were again inactivated on 11 April 1930.
5th Marines was reactivated for the last time on 1 September 1934, at
World War II
After the outbreak of war, the 5th Marines deployed to
Korean War and early 1950s
On 5 August 1950, 5th Marines were deployed to the
Vietnam War
On 5 March 1966, 5th Marines deployed to the
Post-war years through 1990s
Elements of the regiments participated in
Global War on Terrorism
On 5 February 2003, 5th Marines deployed to
On 21 March, the regiment became the first unit to cross into Iraq[
From October 2004 to March 2005 the regimental headquarters staff, led by Colonel Stuart Navarre, was deployed to Iraq in order to take over the role of the Iraqi Security Forces training directorate in support of 1st Marine Division at Camp Blue Diamond. Because the regiment wasn't deployed as a regimental combat team the headquarters staff took on the responsibility of working with the
Fallujah Deployment, 2006–2007
In February 2006, the regiment deployed as Regimental Combat Team 5 to the Al Anbar Province, Iraq and assumed control of the greater
As of December 2007, the 5th Marine Regiment had lost 221 members during combat operations in Iraq. This includes members of the regiment and of other battalions that served under 5th Marines.[9]
In early December 2007, 5th Marines dedicated a memorial for the 221 men killed in Iraq. The names include those of seven Army soldiers attached to the regiment. A group of Orange County residents formed a group called the 5th Marine Regiment Memorial fund in early 2007 and raised more than $72,000 to pay for the memorial. Modeled after barriers in Iraq to help prevent car and truck bombings, the memorial carries an inscription at the top reading "Fallen and Never Forgotten," and one at the bottom reading "Freedom Fighter Fallen Warrior." [10]
Al Asad Deployment, 2008–2009
In late December 2007 and early January 2008, the regiment deployed again as Regimental Combat Team 5 (RCT-5) to the Al Anbar Province, Iraq and assumed control of the greater Al Asad area and western portion of the province from the 2nd Marine Regiment (RCT-2). They conducted combat operations, which included the training and advising of Iraqi forces, and along with RCT-1 and Multi National Forces-West (MNF-W), oversaw Anbar's pacification and eventual transfer to provincial Iraqi control. RCT-5 also participated in the initial stage of the retrograde of thousands of pieces of equipment out of Iraq. RCT-5 was in Camp Ripper, Al Asad, under the command of I Marine Expeditionary Force (Fwd) and led by Colonel Patrick J. Malay. In January 2009, RCT-5 was relieved in place by the 8th Marine Regiment (RCT-8). Throughout the deployment, RCT-5 lost one Marine and one Soldier who served in units under the regiment while conducting combat operations.
In early 2009, 5th Marines was designated as a contingency force due to back-to-back 13 month deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). The regiment continued to participate in exercises and contingency deployments with the 1st Marine Division and prepared forces for deployment.
Afghanistan Deployment, 2011–2012
In August 2011, 5th Marines deployed as Regimental Combat Team 5 (RCT-5), for the first time to
In August 2012, LtCol Jason Bohm was selected to be the next regimental commander.
Exercise Desert Scimitar, spring 2013
In April through early May 2013, 5th Marines participated in Exercise Desert Scimitar at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, 29 Palms, California. The purpose of the exercise was to command and control a Marine air ground task force (MAGTF) as part of the Marine Corps' shift from counterinsurgency back to conventional, linear warfare in light of the war in Afghanistan winding down. The training exercise included units from ground combat, aviation and logistics elements. Fifth Marine Regiment formed as a regimental combat team, focusing on practicing traditional warfare command and control tactics directing infantry, artillery and armored assets. The regiment practiced direct small and medium arms fire with infantrymen serving with 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, and 1st Bn, 7th Marines; high-explosive indirect fires with the artillery of 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines; armored support assets of 1st Tank Battalion; and 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion during the exercise.[11]
In late May 2013, Marines of 5th Marine Regiment participated in a training exhibition with the French 21st Marine Infantry Regiment in Frejus, France. The Marines learned about and fired French weapons systems, including the FAMAS G2 assault rifle. They also used kayaks to venture into the Mediterranean Sea, providing the Marines with an opportunity to learn about the French Marines' reconnaissance tactics.[12]
In June 2013, Marines serving with 5th Marine Regiment gathered for the regiment's Operation Enduring Freedom Memorial Dedication ceremony. More than a hundred Marines, veterans and Gold Star Mothers gathered at the San Mateo Memorial Garden to join the regiment at the ceremony. The names of the Marines and sailors who fought and died serving with a 5th Marines battalion or under Regimental Combat Team 5 in Afghanistan are etched into the 7-ton, granite memorial. The 7-foot tall, 8-foot, 4-inch wide memorial was created in Barre, Vt., and traveled to Camp Pendleton in a 10-day journey where it was escorted every mile of the trip by Patriot Guard Riders, a motorcycle club that strongly supports service members by welcoming them home from deployments. Etched into the bottom of the memorial stone are the words, "FALLEN BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN."[13]
Special purpose marine air-ground task force, May 2014 – December 2016
In May 2014, 5th Marine Regiment was named the Headquarters Element of a Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force (SP-MAGTF).[14] The SP-MAGTF will act as CENTCOM's crisis response unit with Colonel Jason Bohm commanding it. It will also prove CENTCOM's ability to support theater security cooperation events such as exercises as well as respond to contingencies. The task force will be located in Kuwait, but will eventually operate from several different locations in the Middle East. The SP-MAGTF is composed of 2,300 Marines from Headquarters Company, 5th Marine Regiment, Camp Pendleton, California, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, Twentynine Palms, Calif., Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 363, Miramar, Calif. and Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 234, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas. Most units will be deployed for six or seven months, although the regimental headquarters may see a longer rotation.[15]
By January 2015, the SPMAGTF was operating in six countries within CENTCOM. For security concerns and out of deference to foreign partners in the region, it was not given a proper name. The task force flew both kinetic and non-kinetic missions daily in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led intervention against ISIS. The Marine Corps forces used existing infrastructure to create a partnership capacity site in Iraq designed to increase the capabilities of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF). In addition, the SPMAGTF took advantage of bilateral training opportunities in theater. The unit participated in Exercise Red Reef with Navy, Marine Corps, and Royal Saudi Navy forces.[16]
On 30 March 2015, the Advance Party (ADVON) returned to Camp Pendleton, California. On 12 April 2015, the main body returned.
In April 2016, 5th Marines again led the command element for the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force–Crisis Response–Central Command on a 9-month deployment into harm's way. The SPMAGTF conducted combat operations against ISIS in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, with lines of effort focused on conducting theater security cooperation, contingency operations, crisis response, and advancing the force in the Central Command area of operations, returning in December 2016 after a successful deployment
March 2017 to present
On 2 March 2017, Colonel George C. Schreffler III took command of
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 5th Marine Regiment has been presented with the following awards:
Streamer | Award | Year(s) | Additional Info |
---|---|---|---|
Presidential Unit Citation Streamer with two Silver Stars | 1942, 1944, 1945, 1950, 1950, 1950, 1951, 1966–1967, 1967, 1967–1968, 2003 | Guadalcanal, Peleliu-Ngesebus, Okinawa, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq | |
Joint Meritorious Unit Award Streamer | 1991 | Bangladesh | |
Navy Unit Commendation Streamer with four bronze stars | 1952–1953, 1968–1969, 1990–1991, 2006–2007, 2010-2011 | Korea, Vietnam, Southwest Asia, Iraq, Afghanistan | |
Meritorious Unit Commendation Streamer | 1968 | Vietnam | |
World War I Victory Streamer | |||
Army of Occupation of Germany Medal | |||
Second Nicaraguan Campaign Medal | |||
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
|
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 | |
Vietnam Service Streamer with two Silver and three Bronze Stars | July 1965 – April 1971, April–December 1975 | Chu Lai, Da Nang, Dong Ha, Qui Nhon, Huế, Phu Bai, Quang Tri, Operation New Arrival | |
Southwest Asia Service Streamer with three Bronze Stars | |||
Afghanistan Campaign Streamer with one bronze star | |||
Iraq Campaign Streamer with three Bronze Stars | |||
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Streamer | March–May 2003 | ||
Global War on Terrorism Service Streamer | 2001–present | ||
Croix de Guerre Streamer with two Palms and one Gilt Star | 1918 | World War I | |
Korea Presidential Unit Citation Streamer
|
|||
Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Streamer
|
|||
Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation Civil Actions Streamer
|
Notable former members
- 2nd Battalion during World War I.
- Joseph M. Baker, Private in 67th Company, recipient of the Army Distinguished Service Cross and the Navy Cross during the Battle of Belleau Wood
- 1st Battalion during Battle of Peleliu
- 1st Battalion during World War I.
- Robert D. Bohn, major general, USMC. Commanded 5th Marines during the Vietnam War.
- 2nd Battalion during World War I.
- 2nd Battalion during World War I.
- Alphonse DeCarre, major general, USMC. Commanded the Headquarters Company during World War I.
- 2nd Battalionin 1922.
- .
- 2nd Battalion during World War I.
- William S. Fellers, major general, USMC. Served as regiment's executive officer during World War II.
- 3rd Battalion during World War I.
- Julian N. Frisbie, brigadier general, USMC. Commanded 5th Marines during the occupation of North China in 1945.
- 1st Battalion during World War I.
- 2nd Battalion during World War I.
- 2nd Battalion during World War I.
- Matthew H. Kingman, brigadier general, USMC. Served as regiment's executive officer in 1935-1937
- 3rd Battalion during World War I.
- August Larson, major general, USMC. Commanded the regiment in 1946.
- 3rd Battalion during Korean War.
- 1st Battalion during Korean War.
- Bennet Puryear Jr., major general, USMC. Served as regimental supply officer during World War I.
- 1st Battalion during World War I.
- 1st Battalion during World War I.
- Fleet Problem III.
- 3rd Battalion during World War I.
- 2nd Battalion during World War I.
- 1st Battalion during World War I.
- 3rd Battalion during World War I.
- 3rd Battalion during World War II.
- Laurence Stallings, platoon commander with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines during the fighting at Château-Thierry during World War I. Playwright, author, screenwriter.
- 2nd Battalion during World War I.
- 2nd Battalion during World War I.
- Richard G. Weede, lieutenant general, USMC. Commanded the regiment during Korean War.
- Charles F. Widdecke, major general, USMC. Commanded the regiment in 1965 in the early phase of Vietnam War.
- 1st Battalion during World War I.
- 2nd Battalion during World War I.
- Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., general, USMC. Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Commanded 5th Marine Regiment during 2003 invasion of Iraq.
- Sergeant Reckless
See also
- With the Old Breed
- History of the United States Marine Corps
- List of United States Marine Corps regiments
References
- Citations
- This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.
- ^ Crawford, Danny J.; Aquilina, Robert V.; Ferrante, Ann A.; Gramblin, Shelia P. (1999). The 1st Marine Division and its Regiments (PDF). Washington, DC: History and Museums Division, United States Marine Corps. pp. 39–41. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
- ^ "Colonel Kenneth Kassner". marines.mil. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
- OCLC 46462729.
- ^ "Medal of Honor Recipients - World War I". Medal of Honor Citations. United States Army Center of Military History. 3 August 2009. Archived from the original on 7 June 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
- ^ "World: The 13-cent Killers". TIME. 27 October 1967. Archived from the original on 15 December 2008.
- ISBN 0-345-45914-8.
- ^ Brown, Ronald J. (2005). "A Proud Legacy Continues: The Fighting 5th Marines in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM". Marine Corps Gazette. Marine Corps Association. Archived from the original on 6 January 2006.
- ^ Braden, Nathan (7 March 2006). "RCT-5 partners with Iraqi brigade". Marine Corps News. 1st Marine Division, United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
- ^ Coolman, Shawn (11 December 2007). "RCT-5 remembers fallen". Marine Corps News. 1st Marine Division, United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on 23 January 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
- ^ "Memorial pays tribute to 5th Marine Regiment troops killed in battle". U-T San Diego.
- ^ Lopez, Alfred V. (8 May 2013). "Fighting Fifth conducts command, control tactics training during Exercise Desert Scimitar". United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on 26 June 2013.
- ^ "5th Marines trains with French Marines on the Mediterranean Sea > II Marine Expeditionary Force > News Article". Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
- ^ "5th Marines dedicate memorial to their fallen > 1st Marine Division > News Article Display". Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- ^ a b "Kassner assumes command of 5th Marine Regiment > 1st Marine Division > News Article Display". marines.mil.
- ^ "5th Marine Regiment will lead new crisis response unit in Middle East". Marine Corps Times. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ^ Hope Hodge Seck (2 January 2015). "New Marine crisis response force training Iraqis to fight Islamic State". Marine Corps Times.
- ^ "SPMAGTF-CR-CC Main Body 1 Return from Deployment". Facebook.[unreliable source?]
- ^ "SP-MAGTF Commander Details ISIL Strikes; Notes 1st Marines 'Could Clear' Iraq". Breaking Defense. 20 May 2015.
- Bibliography
- Eugene Sledge (1990) [1981]. .
- Bill Sloan (2005). Brotherhood of Heroes: The Marines at Peleliu, 1944: The Bloodiest Battle of the Pacific War. New York: Simon & Schuster. OCLC 57236282.
- Web
- "5th Marine Regiment". United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
- Official RCT-5 website from Iraq