3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines

3rd Battalion 3rd Marines
The official emblem for 3/3 during the Global War on Terror
Active	June 1, 1942–December 20, 1945 August 1, 1951-June 1, 1974 October 1, 1975–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Light infantry
Role	Locate, close with and destroy the enemy with fire and maneuver
Size	~800
Part of	3rd Marine Regiment 3rd Marine Division
Garrison/HQ	Marine Corps Base Hawaii
Nickname(s)	"America's Battalion"
Motto(s)	"Fortuna Fortes Juvat" "Fortune Favors the Brave"
Anniversaries	June 1 - Battalion Birthday
Engagements	World War II *Bougainville campaign *Battle of Guam *Battle of Iwo Jima Vietnam War *Operation Starlite *Battle of Hill 881 *Tet Offensive *Operation Taylor Common Gulf War *Battle of Khafji Afghan War *Korangal Valley Iraq War *Haditha *Al-Karmah
Commanders
Current commander	Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey C. Holt
Notable commanders	Norman Cooling Ralph Houser Charles Krulak Joseph Muir

3rd Battalion 3rd Marines (3/3) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps, based out of Kāne'ohe, Hawai'i, and consisting of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors. Known as "America's Battalion", the unit falls under the 3rd Marine Regiment of the 3rd Marine Division. The battalion was originally at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina in 1942 and saw action on both Bougainville and Guam during World War II. Following the war, it was disbanded until 1951, when it was reformed in California. The battalion was alerted for possible deployment during the 1956 Suez War and the 1958 intervention in Lebanon. In 1965, the Marines of 3rd Battalion were deployed to Vietnam and participated in Operation Starlite, the first major Marine engagement of that conflict. The battalion continued to see major action through the Vietnam War and was rotated back to the United States in 1969. Around the end of the Vietnam War, 3rd Battalion was deactivated for a second time in 1974.

In 1975, 3rd Battalion was reformed for the third (and last) time at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. During this time, the battalion conducted numerous deployments in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. In 1983, 3rd Battalion deployed off the coast of Lebanon for several weeks during a particularly tense period in the civil war. It deployed again in 1990 as part of Operation Desert Shield and saw action at the Battle of Khafji and again during the liberation of Kuwait. In the first decade of the 21st century the battalion deployed once overseas in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and three times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq.

Marines from 3rd Battalion have distinguished themselves in battle and in Marine Corps service—among 3/3 Marines are a Commandant of the Marine Corps, four Medal of Honor recipients, and over twenty Navy Cross winners. The battalion itself has been awarded two Presidential Unit Citations for "gallantry, determination, and esprit de corps in accomplishing its mission under extremely difficult and hazardous conditions" and five Navy Unit Commendations for "outstanding service."

Organization

3/3 in 2009

Like many infantry battalions in the Marine Corps, 3/3 consists of five companies: three rifle companies, a Headquarters and Services (H&S) company, and a weapons company. The three rifle companies have traditionally been I Company, K Company, and L Company. Because the Marine Corps uses the NATO phonetic alphabet, these companies are commonly known as India, Kilo, and Lima. Prior to 1956, under the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet, they were known as Item, King, and Love. A fourth rifle company, M ("Mike") Company was attached to the battalion during the Vietnam War. The H&S company consists of the battalion staff, and Weapons Company provides fire support coordination, medium mortars, anti-armor weapons, and heavy machine gun support for the rifle companies.

History

World War II

The 3rd Marine Division shoulder patch from World War II.

3rd Battalion 3rd Marines was activated on June 1, 1942 at New River, North Carolina as the 5th Training Battalion, Division Special Troops, 1st Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force. On June 16, they were redesignated as the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, Fleet Marine Force. In August to September 1942, 3/3 deployed to Tutuila, American Samoa and was reassigned to the 2nd Marine Brigade. In 1943, they were reassigned to the Fleet Marine Force. In May 1943, they redeployed to Auckland, New Zealand and in June, were reassigned to the 3rd Marine Division. In July to August 1943, they redeployed to Guadalcanal to begin training in preparation for the invasion of Bougainville in November. After Bougainville, 3/3 conducted numerous training exercises on Guadalcanal from January to May 1944 in preparation for the invasion of Kavieng in April (which was cancelled) and the Marianas in June. While 3rd Marines was designated as the floating reserve for the initial invasion of Saipan, they were ultimately not landed and returned to Eniwetok for a three week stay prior to the invasion of Guam. During the interlude, the Marines of 3/3 were primarily confined to their transport ship, the USS Warren.

Marines from 3rd Battalion securing the town of Agana on Guam on July 31, 1944.

Following the invasion of Guam, 3rd Battalion spent two months conducting mopping up operations on the island until November, when it received orders to prepare for action at Iwo Jima. From November until February 1945, they took part in a training regimen so serious that a fellow battalion later reported at least 20% of its members were incapacitated due to foot and heat injuries. During the Battle of Iwo Jima, 3rd Battalion, as part of 3rd Marines, was kept offshore as the Expeditionary Troops reserve. However, despite numerous requests from other Marine officers, the 3rd Marines spent its time at Iwo Jima sitting in its transport ships. On March 5, 1945, the 3rd Marines were ordered to return to Guam. Back on Guam, 3rd Battalion began training for a landing on Miyako Jima, an island just south of Okinawa. Those orders were eventually cancelled, but the battalion still saw minor combat in 1945, participating in two operations on Guam designed to capture Japanese soldiers still holding out in the hills. These sweeps took place in April and December 1945. 3/3 also began preparing for Operation Olympic, where as part of V Amphibious Corps, it would have landed at Kushikino, Kagoshima on Kyūshū. After the dropping of the atomic bombs in August 1945, and Japan's surrender, 3rd Battalion was detached from the 3rd Marine Division in November 1945 and deactivated the following month on December 12, 1945. Shortly before it was deactivated, the Battalion suffered the dubious honor of having the last American killed in World War II, when PFC W.C. Patrick Bates of Company K was shot by a Japanese sniper on December 14 during a mopping up operation on Guam.

Invasion of Bougainville

See also: Bougainville campaign

On November 1, 1943, 3rd Battalion landed at Cape Torokina with the rest of 3rd Marines, just east of the Koromokina River. While resistance was extremely light, the rough surf and dense jungle (which in many places extended all the way to the water) resulted in numerous landing craft being lost or damaged beyond repair. For the next three weeks, 3/3 slowly advanced down the Numa Numa Trail until it was ordered to dig in near Piva Forks on November 17. From November 18–24 it took part in the destruction of the Japanese 23rd Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Piva Forks, which earned the Marines from 3/3 four Navy Crosses. Two days later, 3rd Battalion was moved over to a relatively quiet sector on the 3rd Division's flank where it remained for the remainder of the operation.

In December, the 3rd Marine Division was relieved by the Americal Division and 3/3 left Bougainville for Guadalcanal on Christmas Day, 1943. They left behind 36 of their comrades, including Corporal John Logan Jr. and Captain Robert Turnbull (Lima Company), who both won Navy Crosses during the Battle of Piva Forks. 165 other Marines from 3rd Battalion became casualties during the campaign.

Invasion of Guam

3rd Battalion Marines engaging Japanese positions on Guam with a flamethrower.

See also: Battle of Guam (1944)

On July 21, 1944, around 0830, 3rd Battalion hit the beaches on the extreme left of the entire 3rd Marine Division. Their mission was to take Chonito Cliff and Adelup Point, which marked the left flank of the division. Supported by half-tracks and armor from the 3rd Tank Battalion, 3rd Battalion fought a bloody three hour battle up the side of Chonito Cliff and became the only unit in 3rd Marines to accomplish its objectives by the end of W-Day. During the first night, a mortarman with Kilo Company, Private First Class Luther Skaggs, Jr., was critically wounded in the leg by a Japanese grenade. After applying a tourniquet, Skaggs continued to fight for another eight hours before moving unassisted to the rear where most of his leg was amputated. For this he became the first Marine from 3rd Battalion to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Two other Marines from 3/3, including the battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Houser, won the Navy Cross that day.

After securing Adelup Point, 3rd Battalion provided flank security for the rest of 3rd Marines during the Battle for Bundschu Ridge, the counterattack on the 25th which broke the back of Japanese resistance, and the assault on Fonte Plateau. During these actions Lieutenant Colonel Houser was seriously wounded and the Executive Officer, Major Royal R. Bastian, Jr., took command. On July 31, 3rd Battalion proceeded east on the Mt. Tenjo road towards the island capital of Agana, which it liberated the same day after token resistance. For the remaining ten days of the campaign, the battalion marched northeast up the coast, encountering occasional enemy resistance, until the island was declared secure on August 10. Casualties for the 3rd Battalion were twice as great as on Bougainville, with 300 wounded and 97 killed.

1951–1965

3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines arriving in Hawaii, 1953.

3rd Battalion 3rd Marines was reactivated at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in August 1951 as part of the 3rd Marine Brigade. In February 1952, it took part in Lex-Baker-1, which was the first full-scale Marine-Navy exercise held on the West Coast since 1949. In May, India Company participated in the ground portion of the Operation Buster-Jangle atomic bomb tests in Nevada. In August, part of the Battalion took part in an amphibious landing on Lake Washington as part of Seattle's "Seafair." Then in December, 3rd Battalion took part in one of the first exercises at Twentynine Palms, California. The entire 3rd Marine Division, including 3/3, was transported more than 280 miles (451 km) by truck between Pendleton and Twenty-nine Palms. During the exercise, Third Battalion made a night airlift using over sixty helicopters.

In January 1953, the unit deployed to the Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station on Oahu for six months of training, after which 3/3 returned to Pendleton. In August 1953, 3/3 deployed to Japan for training operations at Kin Beach, Okinawa and Iwo Jima. In 1956, 3rd Battalion was cruising in the Indian Ocean when the Suez War broke out. Though alerted for possible action in Egypt and the surrounding region, the crisis was ultimately resolved. During this cruise, 3/3 visited Brunei Bay, Bombay, Karachi, and Singapore, before returning to Japan. In December 1956, the entire 3rd Marine Regiment was deployed off of Indonesia because of civil strife in that country. In 1958, 3/3 was alerted for possible deployment to Lebanon, but its transports were turned back in the Indian Ocean to Okinawa. Four years later, in 1962, the battalion deployed on the USS Bayfield to the Chinese coast to guard the Taiwanese islands of Quemoy Matsu.

Vietnam War

The official emblem for 3/3 in Vietnam. The 3/3/3 comes from 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division.

In January 1965, the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California deployed for a tour on Okinawa, Japan, where they were redesignated the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines. At the time the Marines of 3rd Battalion expected a typical 13-month deployment followed by a quick return to the states. However 3/3 found itself caught up in the initial deployment of Marine units to Vietnam, and landed on May 12 along the coast south of Danang at an airfield called Chu Lai.

The battalion's first major operation in the Vietnam War was Operation Starlite, which was also the first major American action in the war. Starlite was an attempt by three Marine battalions, including 3/3, to clear the area just south of Chu Lai of the 1st VC Regiment. The fighting began on August 18 when Third Battalion conducted an amphibious landing just east of the VC positions. At first the attack was slowed by effective VC delaying tactics. However, 3rd Battalion eventually advanced to the outskirts of the village of An Cuong 2. While attempting to clear the village, India Company came under intense fire from VC defending the village. When one squad under Corporal Robert E. O'Malley was ambushed, O'Malley jumped into a VC trench and personally killed eight Viet Cong. Wounded three times, O'Malley refused to be evacuated until all his men were safe and was later awarded the Medal of Honor. The rest of India Company managed to rout the VC in the village. However, during the fighting Captain Bruce Webb was killed when a supposedly-dead VC threw a grenade into the India Company command group. India then had to fight its way back to the rest of the battalion through other Viet Cong units still operating in the area.

Around 1200, an H&S supply convoy bound for India Company was ambushed and pinned down. A force sent to relieve them was also pinned down. During the afternoon 3rd Battalion 7th Marines was airlifted ashore to help India Company and managed to stabilize this situation for the rest of the day. During the night, the Viet Cong retreated, resulting in a tactical American victory. The United States lost 52 Marines in the operation, 15 of which came from 3rd Battalion. Three Navy Crosses were awarded to 3/3 Marines, including Captain Webb (posthumously), the battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Muir, and Sergeant James Mulloy.

A Medevac while operating along the DMZ, 1968.

3/3 did not see major action again until the fall of 1966 when it moved north to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). However, during this period the battalion continued to conduct regular sweeps and low-level (i.e. small unit) combat operations against the enemy. Among the casualties suffered during this period was Lieutenant Colonel Joe Muir, who was killed when he stepped on an IED. In October 1966, 3rd Battalion was deployed to combat the threat from the North Vietnamese Army in Quang Tri province. While deployed in Quang Tri, 3/3 fought in such places as the Rockpile, Cam Lo, A-3, Gio Linh, Khe Sanh, and Con Thien.

Gio Linh Marine Outpost, March 1968.

In December the battalion suffered from a tragic case of friendly fire when two F-4 Phantoms dropped several bombs in the middle of Mike Company, killed seventeen Marines and wounding a dozen others. Corpsman Donald Rion won a posthumous Silver Star for his efforts to treat the wounded, despite suffering a mortal wound himself. In the spring of 1967, 3rd Battalion participated in a series of bloody engagements near Khe Sanh known as the Hill fights, culminating in the Battle of Hill 881, where 46 Marines from 3/3 were killed. The violence in the area continued to increase throughout 1967, culminating in 1968's Tet Offensive

3/3's command group at Vandegrift Combat Base, 1969.

In early 1969, 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines was sent south for several months to join Task Force Yankee in Operation Taylor Common near An Hoa. This three-month operation focused on destroying the primary base for North Vietnamese Army forces operating across several provinces and 3/3 was awarded a Navy Unit Commendation for its actions during the operation. Ten Marines from 3/3 were killed during the operation (out of 183 total US fatalities), and American forces captured numerous quantities of North Vietnamese armies and supplies. While 3/3 returned to the DMZ for the summer of 1969, it was ordered back to the United States in the fall. The battalion began to depart on October 1 and had arrived at Camp Pendleton by the end of 1969. 3rd Battalion spent over 1600 days in Vietnam and conducted 48 combat operations, the most of any Marine battalion in the conflict. 547 3/3 Marines lost their lives during the Vietnam War; an additional 103 Marines who served with 3/3 were killed while operating with other units. Nearly 2,800 others were wounded.

1969–1990

The battalion relocated during October to November 1969 to MCB Camp Pendleton and was reassigned to the 5th Marine Amphibious Brigade. They were again reassigned in April 1971 to the 1st Marine Division. The battalion was deactivated June 1, 1974. 3/3 was reactivated on October 1, 1975 at MCB Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, and assigned to the 3rd Marine Division. Elements of the battalion deployed to the Western Pacific at various times during the 1970s and 1980s. In February 1980, following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the battalion was deployed to the Persian Gulf onboard the USS Okinawa and was also the back-up force during Operation Eagle Claw. This deployment made 3rd Battalion the first American ground unit to enter the region since World War II.

In the summer of 1983, the battalion was in Mombassa, Kenya as part of the 31st MAU when the Joint Chiefs of Staff ordered it to the Mediterranean in support of the Multinational Force in Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War. It arrived on September 12 and spent three weeks off the coast as a reserve force for the 24th MAU on the USS Tarawa, before departing on October 9 for the Indian Ocean because of a crisis near the Strait of Hormuz.

Desert Shield/Desert Storm

The official emblem for 3/3 during the 1980s and 1990s.

In 1990, 3rd Battalion was finishing up a deployment at Camp Hansen on Okinawa when on August 2 at 0200 the commanding officer of the 9th Marine Regiment notified the battalion to be prepared to immediately redeploy to Saudi Arabia as a response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. No sooner had the battalion returned to Hawaii, then it was shipped out again to Saudi Arabia as part of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade. India Company deployed first on August 15 to Singapore to provide onboard security for the Maritime Prepositioning ships bound for the port of Al Jubayl. On September 1, the rest of the battalion arrived in Dahran.

As one of the first Marine units in country, 3/3 found itself defending a key position at Cement Ridge, about 90 kilometers away from the Kuwaiti border. With orders to hold against any Iraqi attack, 3rd battalion spent most of the months of August and September digging defensive positions. In October, 3/3 and 2/3 were designated "Task Force Taro" and moved to the extreme right flank of the Marine sector, bordering the Saudi Arabian King Abdul Aziz Brigade. Because of their close proximity, Taro was ordered by Major General James M. Myatt (Commanding General, 1st Marine Division) to begin cross-training with the Saudi forces. This cross-training continued through January, when 3/3 was moved forward to defend Al Mish'ab along the Saudi coast and became the northernmost Marine combat force in Saudi Arabia. Tragically during this time the battalion lost one Marine, James Cunningham, who was accidentally shot on November 9.

Marines of 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines searching Khafji for Iraqi stragglers following the battle in the painting “Cleaning up Khafji”.

Operation Desert Storm began on January 17, 1991, but for the first two weeks 3/3 only conducted sporadic engagements with its Iraqi counterparts across the border. That all changed on January 29, when several Iraqi divisions unexpectedly crossed the border and seized the Saudi town of Khafji, less than 15 kilometers north of 3rd Battalion's position. During the attack, Major Craig Huddleston, the Executive Officer, along with the Battalion Sergeant Major and several other non-commissioned officers, drove into the town on a rescue mission, looking for two Army soldiers who had accidentally driven right into the Iraqi positions and been captured. Although they were unable to find the soldiers, the Marines from 3rd Battalion did blunder into an Iraqi patrol and exchanged rounds with them before making their own escape. While Saudi and Qatari units ultimately retook the town, 3rd Battalion played a vital role in both coordinating the attack and blocking further Iraqi advances southward. In addition, several heavy machine guns and forward air controllers from the battalion were shifted over to the Saudis and took place in the assault.

Members of India Company during the Desert Shield/Desert Storm deployment

From February 19–21, 3/3 moved from Al Mish'ab to the forward assembly areas that it would be using to launch its attack into Kuwait. It was also during this period that 3/3 was given its assignment for the ground offensive. Lacking heavy armor or motorized transport, the battalion (along with 2/3) would infiltrate Iraqi positions along the Saudi border and provide flank security for the rest of the 1st Division to make its assault into Kuwait. As TF Taro's commander recalled: "We were encouraged by MajGen Myatt's confidence in assigning us such a critical task with minimum notice and accepted our supporting attack role with the understanding that we would have no armor, no assault amphibious vehicles, no major mechanical or explosive breaching assets. We would simply infiltrate at night on foot, with bayonets and rifles as our principal weapons." An NCO with 3rd Marines, Corporal Eroshevich, said the reaction among the enlisted Marines was less optimistic: "We all looked at each other and said, `Well, it was nice knowing you...'"

Other Marines from 3rd Battalion wondered if they'd been given the mission because several days earlier they had shot at the 1st Marine Division commander while he was conducting forward reconnaissance. On the night of February 22, 3rd Battalion crossed the border into Kuwait, infiltrating past Iraqi minefields, tank traps, and other obstacles. Like many American units, 3/3 encountered no Iraqi resistance and the biggest threat to the Marines came from friendly fire. Throughout the ground war, the battalion advanced steadily northwards, encountering no resistance but taking plenty of prisoners, and arrived outside the Kuwait International Airport around February 27 where a SCUD missile landed near the battalion's command post. Several months later, 3rd Battalion returned to Hawaii, having suffered no combat casualties.

1991–2004

Marines from 3/3 Weapons Company practice engaging an enemy force while at Camp Fuji, Japan in 1996.

The majority of information in this section was taken from plaques on wall of Battalion Headquarters and 3/3 Command Chronologies from 1991-2004.
Between its participation in Desert Storm and the Afghan War, 3rd Battalion conducted multiple deployments around the Pacific Rim. In August 1991 the battalion participated in Operation Tafakula in Tonga, an international exercise involving elements of the French military and the Tongan defense services. In 1992 3/3 conducted a Unit Deployment Program (UDP) to Okinawa. In 1993 India company participated in Operation Golden Eagle in Australia. In 1994 the battalion conducted another UDP to both Camp Hansen on Okinawa and to Camp Fuji in Japan. On June 8 India Company participated in the 50th Anniversary of the Invasion of Saipan. In October 1994 3/3 was reassigned to the 3rd Marine Division. In 1995 the battalion went to Fort Wainwright, Alaska for Operation Northern Edge, then spent the latter part of the year training at Camp Fuji and Okinawa. In 1997 3/3 conducted another UDP to Okinawa and Pohang, Korea. During that time Weapons Company participated in Exercise Kennel Bear on Guam. Lima Company took part in Operation Valiant Mark with 1st Guards Battalion of Singapore. In 1998 the battalion participated in Operation Southern Frontier in Australia, Kennel Bear in Okinawa, Forest Eagle/Freedom Banner in Korea, Forest Light on Kyushu, Japan, and Fuji '99.

3rd Battalion Marines disembark AAVs on Marine Corps Base Hawaii during RIMPAC 2004.

From 1999-2002 3/3 conducted operations Crocodile '99 and Tandem Thrust '01 in Queensland and Townsend, Australia, Operation Tafakula in Tonga, and then conducted UDPs to Okinawa in 2000 and 2002. In 2002 the battalion participated in Operation Millenium Edge on Tinian and Guam, then Balikatan 02-2 in the Philippines, Borneo, Brunei, Korea, Australia, and Japan. In 2003 3rd Battalion became BLT 3/3 on the 31st MEU for the second half of the year. Based on the USS Essex, USS Fort McHenry, and USS Harper’s Ferry, 3/3 participated in ARGEX-03 in the Philippines, provided security for President George W. Bush on Bali, Indonesia, and also visited Japan, Australia, East Timor, and Hong Kong. In May and June 2004 Lima Company participated in Operation Cobra Gold II at Khorat, Thailand and other parts of the battalion participated in Operation Northern Edge JTF-510 in Alaska. In July the battalion took part in the annual exercise of RIMPAC in Hawaii.

Afghanistan (I)

A 3/3 Corpsman in Afghanistan, 2005.

In late 2004, 3rd Battalion was given its marching orders for war. On October 31, the first Marines left Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii for an eight month deployment to eastern Afghanistan. The rest of the battalion arrived throughout November. While serving in Afghanistan, 3/3 conducted Operation Spurs in February 2005, where they were inserted into the Korangal valley and conducted both counterinsurgency and humanitarian operations. In March 3/3 launched a similar sweep called Operation Mavericks.

During their time in Afghanistan, the Marines from 3/3 engaged the Taliban in 22 firefights. In one of them the battalion suffered its only fatalities for the deployment when Lance Corporal Nicholas Kirven and Corporal Richard Schoener were killed during a three-hour firefight in Alishang which also resulted in twenty-three Taliban killed. During the fighting, Lieutenant Stephen Boada was awarded the Silver Star for calmly directing bombing runs on Taliban positions, despite having been wounded several times. In May the battalion launched one final operation, Operation Celtics, in the Tora Bora region. The operation was for the most part uneventful, although NBC news journalist Ron Allen was almost killed while traveling with Kilo Company when his Humvee ran over an IED. Following a turnover of operations to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Battalion returned to the US on June 21, 2005.

Iraq

3rd Battalion Marines patrolling the Haditha Triad in Iraq, 2006.

In March 2006, 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines deployed to western Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. They relieved in place the 3rd Battalion 1st Marines in the Haditha area and were based out of the Haditha Dam. This deployment was particularly sensitive, coming around the same time that news of the Haditha killings broke in the United States. Once it arrived in Iraq, 3rd Battalion was given the mission of "fighting insurgents, working with locals to improve local economy and quality of life, and training Iraqi soldiers." The Battalion was also partnered up with the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade of the 7th Iraqi Army Division. 3rd Battalion attempted to secure Haditha by using an approach of "constant presence". The battalion operated from a series of forward operating bases in the local cities of Haditha, Barwanah, Haqlaniyah, and Baghdadi from which the rifle and weapons companies sent out constant patrols to keep the insurgent groups off balance. However, the battalion was unable to create a working local police force, due to the overwhelming intimidation by insurgent groups. One group of 15 police volunteers was murdered by insurgents in Baghdadi in May. To make matters worse, in June a Marine mistook a local tribal leader driving near a convoy in Haqlaniyah for a possible suicide bomber and killed him. At the same time, however, another groups of Marines in the same city cornered a band of insurgents in the Haqlaniyah Hotel and blew it up. By June, attacks against Marines in Haqlaniyah had become common, with their base getting mortared about twice a week and some insurgents getting close enough to throw grenades over the wall into the base. On June 3 three insurgents opened fire on Marines working in front of the Haqlaniyah base, but were quickly killed after another group of Marines led by Gunnery Sgt. Jim Lanham launched a hasty counterattack. In early September, 3/3 launched a second effort to recruit police called Operation Guardian Tiger IV. This recruitment drive was more successful than its predecessors and also detained 30 suspected insurgents. In late September 3/3 was again relieved by 2/3. During their time in Haditha the Marines from 3/3 conducted more than 8,000 patrols, located 54 weapons caches and detained more than 800 suspected insurgents. The battalion had eleven Marines killed and eighty-five wounded. On October 6, 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines returned to Kaneohe Bay.

LtCol Nathan Nastase with members of the Karmah City council in Iraq, 2007. Many of these individuals would be killed in June 2008 when a suicide bomber attacked the council.

The following year in August the battalion made its second Iraq deployment, this time to the Fallujah area in eastern Anbar province where they served under the Regimental Combat Team 6 during the closing phases of Operation Alljah. Their mission was to complete the Clear Hold Build operation in the areas of Karmah and Zaidon which 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines had begun two months earlier. In early September, Kilo Company moved into a cluster of villages northeast of Karmah that was the last major insurgent staging ground in Anbar. The insurgents fled without firing a shot. For the first few months the Marines took small-arms and mortar fire nightly. However kinetic activity dropped to almost nothing after a 20-minute attack on October 5 against the Iraqi Police station in Karmah was repulsed by now-1st Sergeant Lanham. After that, the Marines frequently found themselves mediating between sheiks, assisting locals with reconstruction projects, and mentoring the Iraqi police units in the area. One Captain complained that, "On one end I’m fighting, and on the other end I’m disputing between tribal leaders. The other part (is) trying to stimulate the economy. So, it’s a three-block war here and it’s very, very dynamic." The battalion spent more than one million dollars on Karmah, including a city council and a medical clinic. On December 1, 3/3 staged an elaborate reopening of “Victory Circle”, or "The Lollipop", the marketplace in the center of Karmah which had earlier been the scene of fierce fighting between Marines and insurgents. In February 2008 the battalion was once again relieved by 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines and rotated back to the United States without suffering a single casualty.

3rd Battalion Humvees staged at Al Asad Airbase as part of Task Force MP.

In April 2009 3/3 deployed for a third time to Iraq, this time to Al Asad in Anbar Province. On that deployment, they made up "Task Force Military Police" in MNF-W, relieving the artillery battalion 1st Battalion, 12th Marines. Task Force Military Police (TFMP) was a support unit fulfilling security responsibilities through Anbar Province, including conducting convoy security missions (sometimes military, sometimes contractor) and detainee releases, running regional detention facilities, and also managing the military working dogs in MNF-W. In addition, since November 2008 it had been tasked with securing Combat Outpost Heider in Rabiah in support of Operation Defeat Al Qaeda in the North. The parts of the battalion based out of COP Heider helped choke off both enemy weapons and money traveling from Syria to Iraq, as well as detaining any persons of interest they found. In late July Marines from the battalion operating as Task Force Personnel Recovery participated in the search and eventual recovery of Navy Captain Scott Speicher. The deployment was mostly uneventful and 3/3 was ultimately relieved by the reservists from 3rd Battalion, 24th Marines. However en route back to the United States one of the companies was detained in India for two days. The battalion lost one Marine, Lance Corporal Ray Spencer, who died in a nonhostile incident.

Afghanistan (II)

In December 2009 I MEF announced that 3/3 would be deploying to Afghanistan sometime in 2010.

Unit awards

Since the beginning of World War II, the United States military has honored various units for extraordinary heroism or outstanding non-combat service. This information is compiled by the United States Marine Corps History Division and is certified by the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Streamer	Award	Year(s)	Additional Info
	Presidential Unit Citation Streamer with one Bronze Star	1944, 1965–1967	Battle of Guam (Citation), Vietnam War (Citation)
	Navy Unit Commendation Streamer with four Bronze Stars	1943, 1965, 1968–1969, 1990–1991, 2006	Battle of Bougainville (Citation), Operation Starlite (Citation), Operation Taylor Common (Citation), Desert Storm (Citation), Iraq War (Citation)
	Meritorious Unit Commendation Streamer with three Bronze Stars	1967–1968, 1968, 1983, 2004–2005	Cam Lộ District (Citation), Quảng Trị Province (Citation), Lebanon, Afghan War (Citation)
File:Marine Corps Expeditionary Streamer.jpg	Marine Corps Expeditionary Streamer	1983	Lebanon
	Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Streamer with four Bronze Stars	1943–1945	Treasury-Bougainville Operation, Consolidation of Solomon Islands, Marianas Operation, Iwo Jima Operation
	World War II Victory Streamer	1942–1945	Pacific War
	National Defense Service Streamer with three Bronze Stars	1951–1954, 1961–1974, 1990–1995, 2001–present	Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, War on Terrorism
File:Korean Service Streamer.jpg	Korean Service Streamer	1953-1954	3/3 never actually fought in Korea, but was stationed in Japan through most of the Korean War as a reserve force.
	Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamer	1962	Quemoy and Matsu Islands
	Vietnam Service Streamer with two Silver Stars	1965–1969	Vietnam Defense Campaign, Vietnam Counteroffensive, Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase II, Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase III, Tet Counteroffensive, Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase IV, Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase V, Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase VI, Tet 69/Counteroffensive, Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969
	Southwest Asia Service Streamer with two Bronze Stars	1990–1991	Defense of Saudi Arabia, Liberation and Defense of Kuwait
	Afghanistan Campaign Streamer	2004–2005	Jalalabad Airport
File:Iraq Campaign Streamer.jpg	Iraq Campaign Streamer	2006, 2007–2008, 2009	Haditha Dam, Camp Fallujah, Al Asad Airbase
File:GWOT Streamer.jpg	Global War on Terrorism Service Streamer	2001–present
	Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Streamer	1965–1969

"America's Battalion"

According to research by the Marine Corps' History and Museum Division, the name "America's Battalion" originated in the mid-1980s when Lieutenant Colonel Charles Krulak was the battalion's commanding officer. It comes from the nickname "America's Team", which was used by the Dallas Cowboys. Krulak, who was a big Cowboys fan, modified the nickname to apply to 3rd Battalion. According to Krulak, at one point a friend of his sent him a letter addressed to the "Commanding Officer, America's Battalion". With nothing else on the envelope, the United States Postal Service still managed to deliver the letter properly. Krulak commented that "if the U.S. Postal Service recognized 3/3 as 'America's Battalion,' then they certainly must be. So from then on he considered it 'official'." 3rd Battalion is one of two battalions to have the nickname "America's Battalion", the other being 2nd Battalion 8th Marines based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.

Notable 3/3 Marines

Colonel John Ripley commanded Lima Company during the Vietnam War.

Main article: List of decorated Marines from 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines

Among the many decorations for valor and bravery awarded to Marines from 3rd Battalion, four Medals of Honor and over twenty Navy Crosses have been awarded. In 1965, Corporal Robert O'Malley from India Company became the first Marine in the Vietnam War to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Two other Marines from 3/3, Robert J. Modrzejewski (1958–1959) and Howard V. Lee (1959–1960), would later be awarded the Medal of Honor in Vietnam while serving with other units. Colonel John Ripley (hero of the bridge at Dong Ha) was in command of Lima Company in 1967, and the company was frequently referred to as "Ripley's Raiders". Oliver North served as a platoon commander in Kilo Company from 1968–1969 and Frank Tejeda, a Congressman from Texas, was a Kilo NCO for the same period. In more recent years, General Charles Krulak, the 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps served as Battalion Commander from 1983–1985 and is credited with giving 3/3 the nickname "America's Battalion"

See also

• List of United States Marine Corps battalions
• Organization of the United States Marine Corps

References

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

• "Third Marine Regiment - 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines". United States Marine Corps. Retrieved 2006-03-20. (3/3's official website)

• "3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines — "America's Battalion"". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2006-11-22.

• "3rd Marine Regiment". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2006-11-24.

• "3rd Marine Division". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2006-11-24.

• Huddleston, Craig S (1 January 1991). "Commentary on Desert Shield". Marine Corps Gazette. Marine Corps Association: 32. Retrieved 2006-11-23.

• Otto J. Lehrack (2005). America’s Battalion: Marines in the First Gulf War. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press.

• "Mike Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines". MikeCompany33.com. Retrieved 2006-11-24. Includes a history of Mike Company during the Vietnam War.

• "The locator site of 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines RVN (Vietnam era)". ThirdMarines.net. Retrieved 2007-02-24.

• "3rd Marines in Vietnam". 133namvets.com. Retrieved 2007-02-24.