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
On 23 June 1951 Jacob Malik, Deputy Foreign Minister of the U.S.S.R., made a statement in a recorded broadcast in New York implying Chinese and North Korean willingness to discuss armistice terms to end the Korean War. When Communist China indicated that it also desired peace, President Truman authorized General Ridgway to arrange for an armistice conference with the North Korean commander. Both aides agreed to begin negotiations at Kaesong on 10 July 1951. The chief delegate for the U.N. at the conference was Vice Admiral C. Turner Joy. The enemy delegation was led by Lt. Gen. Nam Il.
It was agreed at the first meeting that military operations would continue until an armistice agreement was signed. However, neither aide was willing to start any large-scale offensive while peace talks were in progress. U.N. military action in this period was limited to combat patrolling, artillery and air bombardment, and the repulsing of enemy attacks.
In August of 1951 the strength of all U.N. ground forces under Eighth Army command totaled 549,224. This included 248,320 U.S. ground troops, Army and Marines, 268,320 in the ROK Army, and 32,874 in the ground units of the seventeen other United Nations.
Truce negotiations were broken off by the Communists on 22 August. Van Fleet then launched a series of limited-objective attacks to improve the Eighth Army's defensive positions. The U.S. X and ROK I Corps in east-central Korea fought for terrain objectives five to seven miles above Line KANSAS, among them Bloody and Heartbreak Ridges, to drive enemy forces from positions that favored an attack on Line KANSAS. By the last week in October these objectives had been secured.
Along the western portion of the front, action in September was characterized by local attacks, counterattacks, and combat patrols. By 12 October five divisions of the I Corps had advanced the front three to four miles to a new Line JAMESTOWN to protect the Ch'orwon-Seoul railroad. The IX Corps followed with aggressive patrolling toward Kumsong. On 21 October it seized the commanding heights just south of the city.
On 25 October armistice negotiations were resumed at the new site of Panmunjom.
