Activated 1 August 1922 at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, as the 2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment and assigned to the 2nd Brigade.
Participated in the occupation of the Dominican Republic, Deactivated 20 July 1924
1941 - 1947
Reactivated 1 March 1941 at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines and assigned to the 1st Marine Division, fleet Marine Force
Deployed during April 1941 to Parris Island, SC
Deactivated 14 June 1941
Reactivated 11 February 1942 at New River, NC, and assigned to the 1st Marines Division, Fleet Marine Force
Deployed during July 1942 to Wellington, New Zealand
Participated in the following World War II campaigns
* Guadalcanal
* Finschhafen
* New Britain
* Peleliu
* Okinawa
Redeployed during September 1945 to Tiensin, China
Participated in the occupation of North China, September 1945-October 1947
1950 - 1964
Reactivated 4 August 1950 at Camp Lejuene, North Carolina, and assigned to the 1st Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force
Deployed during August 1950 to Kobe, Japan
Participated in the Korean War, September 1950-July 1953, Operating from
* Inchon-Seoul
* Chosin Reservoir
* East Central
* Western Front
Participated in the defense of the Korean demilitarized zone July 1953 - April 1955
Relocated to Camp Pendleton, CA in April 1955
Participated in the Battalion transplacement system between the 1st Marine Division and the 3rd Marine Division during June 1959 - July 1960
Participated in the Cuban Missile Crisis, October-December 1962
1965 - 1974
Deployed during November 1965 to the Republic of Vietnam, and assigned to the 3rd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force
Participated in the War in Vietnam, November 1965-May 1971, Operating from
* Hue/Phu Bai
* Da Nang
* Quang Tri
* Thua Thien
* Quang Nam
Detached during April 1971 from the 1st Marine Division, and reassigned to the 3rd Marine Amphibious Brigade, Fleet Marine Force
Relocated during June 1971 to Camp Pendleton, CA, and reassigned to the 1st Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force
1975 - 1994
Participated during April - May 1975 in Operation New Arrival, the relocation of refugees from Indochina
Participated in numerous training exercises during the 1970's and 1980's
Participated in the Battalion rotation between the 3rd Marine Division on Okinawa and Divisions stationed in the United States during the 1980's
Deactivated 24 January 1989
Reactivated 9 September 1994 at Camp Pendleton, CA, and assigned to the 1st Marine Division
2003 - 2006
Participated from January to June 2003 in Operation Enduring Freedom I with the 15th MEU.
Participated from February to October 2004 in Operation Iraqi Freedom II wi 1st Marine Division.
Participated from October 2005 to December 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom 04-06 with 2nd Marine Division and the 13th MEU.
Notable Persons
Medal Honor - Vietnam -
PFC DeWayne Thomas Williams
Private First Class Dewayne Thomas Williams (MCSN: 2420506), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 18 September 1968, while serving as a rifleman with the First Platoon, Company H, Second Battalion, First Marines, FIRST Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, in action against communist insurgent forces in Quang Nam Province, Republic of Vietnam.
Medal Honor - Vietnam -
LCpl Emillio A De La Garza, Jr.
Lance Corporal Emilio Albert De La Garza, Jr., United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 11 April 1970, while serving as a machine gunner with Company E, Second Battalion, First Marines, FIRST Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, near DaNang, Republic of Vietnam
Medal Honor - Vietnam -
PFC Gary Wayne Martini
Private First Class Gary Wayne Martini (MCSN: 2217825), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company F, Second Battalion, First Marines, FIRST Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, in action against enemy forces near Binh Son, Republic of Vietnam.
Description
The first United States occupation of the Dominican Republic lasted from 1916 to 1924. It was one of the many interventions in Latin America undertaken by the military forces of the United States in the 20th century. Marines claimed to have restored order throughout most of the republic, with the exception of the eastern region, but resistance continued widespread in both, direct and indirect forms in every place. The US occupation administration, however, measured its success through these standards: the country's budget was balanced, its debt was diminished, economic growth directed now toward the US; infrastructure projects produced new roads that allowed the movement of military personnel across all the country's regions for the first time in history; a professional military organization that took away the power from local elites and made soldiers more loyal to the national government, the Dominican Constabulary Guard, replaced the former partisan forces responsible for the civil war with groups less hostile to the US occupation.
Most Dominicans, however, greatly resented the loss of their sovereignty to foreigners, few of whom spoke Spanish or displayed much real concern for the welfare of the republic. A guerrilla movement, known as the gavilleros, with leaders such as General Ramon Natera, enjoyed considerable support from the population in the eastern provinces of El Seibo and San Pedro de Macorís. Having knowledge of the local terrain, they fought against the United States occupation from 1917 to 1921. The fighting in the countryside ended in a stalemate, and the guerrillas agreed to a conditional surrender.
Withdrawal
After World War I, public opinion in the United States began to run against the occupation. Warren G. Harding, who succeeded Wilson in March 1921, had campaigned against the occupations of both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In June 1921, United States representatives presented a withdrawal proposal, known as the Harding Plan, which called for Dominican ratification of all acts of the military government, approval of a loan of US$2.5 million for public works and other expenses, the acceptance of United States officers for the constabulary—now known as the National Guard (Guardia Nacional)—and the holding of elections under United States supervision. Popular reaction to the plan was overwhelmingly negative.[2] Moderate Dominican leaders, however, used the plan as the basis for further negotiations that resulted in an agreement between U.S. Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes and Dominican Ambassador to the United States Francisco J. Peynado on June 30, 1922, allowing for the selection of a provisional president to rule until elections could be organized. Under the supervision of High Commissioner Sumner Welles, Juan Bautista Vicini Burgos assumed the provisional presidency on October 21, 1922. In the presidential election of March 15, 1924, Horacio Vásquez Lajara, an American ally who cooperated with the United States government, handily defeated Peynado. Vásquez's Alliance Party (Partido Alianza) also won a comfortable majority in both houses of Congress. With his inauguration on July 13, control of the republic returned to Dominican hands.
AftermathDespite the withdrawal, there were still concerns regarding the collection and application of the country's custom revenues. To address this problem, representatives of the United States and the Dominican Republic governments met at a convention and signed a treaty, on December 27, 1924, which gave the United States control over the country's custom revenues. In 1941, the treaty was officially repealed and control over the country's custom revenues was again returned to the government of the Dominican Republic. However this treaty created lasting resentment of the United States among the people of the Dominican Republic.
