The 7th Marine Regiment was formed during World War I on 14 August 1917 at Philadelphia, PA and immediately deployed to participate in the occupation of Cuba from August 1917 to August 1919. They returned to Philadelphia in August 1919 and were deactivated on 6 September in the demobilization that followed the war. When the Marine Corps was called upon to provide peacekeepers in the Caribbean, elements of the Regiment were reactivated on 6 September 1933 at Quantico, VA and deployed on Naval ships off the Cuban coast. At the end of the crisis, 7th Marines was again deactivated on 17 January 1934.
With the cloud of World War II on the horizon, the nation expanded the size of the Corps and on 1 January 1941 the 7th Marine Regiment was reactivated in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and assigned to the 1st Marine Brigade. The Regiment moved to Parris Island, SC before settling in New River, NC. On 2 April 1942, the Magnificent 7th embarked for the Pacific to reinforce units already there to stem the Japanese march towards Australia. On 18 September 1942, after training in jungle warfare in the Samoa Islands, the Regiment landed in the Solomon Islands on Guadalcanal. For four long months the Regiment relentlessly attacked the Japanese defenders and repulsed their Banzai charges and suicidal attacks. Over the course of a hundred fights, the Regiment earned a reputation for courage and daring. On Guadalcanal the heroism of Medal of Honor winners Manila John Basilone and Mitchell Paige, and Navy Cross winner "Chesty" Puller, represented the actions of the Marines of the 7th Marine Regiment.
Arriving in Australia in January 1943, the vast majority of the Regiment suffered from malaria, wounds, or just plain fatigue; but they had accomplished their mission. Though the Regiment went to Australia to train and refit for the coming battles and not for liberty, a grateful population gave them a tumultuous welcome. Again and again the Regiment was called upon to storm the Japanese-held islands in the Pacific. The 7th Marine Regiment fought in such places as Eastern New Guinea, New Britain, Peleliu, and the island fortress of Okinawa. From Guadalcanal to Okinawa, the Regiment had written a history of courage and ferocity in combat.
In the years after the war, 7th Marines continued to serve on far off shores, occupying North China from 1945-1947 and disarming the Japanese troops still stationed in that country and keeping the peace in a China torn by civil war. Upon returning to Camp Pendleton, CA from China in January 1947, the Regiment was deactivated yet again on 6 March only to be reactivated on 1 October. The reactivation was short lived, however, and 7th Marines was deactivated on 1 October 1949.
On 17 August 1950 the Regiment was reactivated, and on 21 September 1950 the Regiment landed as part of the 1st Marine Division in General MacArthur's brilliant stroke to stem the North Korean tide at Inchon, South Korea. The Marines of the Regiment fought in Korea with the same tenacity and bravery that their predecessors had shown on the battlefields of World War II. From Inchon to the Yalu River, at the "Frozen Chosin" Reservoir, and in the long defense of South Korea until the armistice in 1955, Marines of the Regiment wrote further glorious chapters in their unit's history. The Korean War, however, was only the prelude to the long Cold War period that would hold the world on the brink of nuclear confrontation for the next 40 years.
In November 1962, substantial parts of the Regiment embarked for the Caribbean and possible action in Cuba, aimed at forcing the removal of Soviet nuclear missiles pointed at the heart of America. As the crisis subsided, 7th Marines returned to Camp Pendleton, CA. The confrontation with Communism, however, was not finished with the removal of Soviet missiles from Cuba.
In July 1965, the Regiment went into action against the foes of freedom. This time the battleground was Vietnam. On thousands of squad sized patrols, in scores of Battalion and Regimental sized operations, and in fierce Division sized battles such as the TET Offensive, the Marines of the Magnificent 7th proved that they were worthy successors to those who had gone before them. Whether in armed action against the enemy in places like Chu Lai, Da Nang, and Duc Pho, or in civic action with the local populace, the Marines of the Regiment performed magnificently. Through the long course of the war in Vietnam, until they left as part of the American withdrawal, the Marines and Sailors of 7th Marines never wavered from their duty. As the Regiment sailed for the United States in September of 1970, the members of the Regiment were proud of their role fighting against Communist aggression.
During the 1970s and 1980s, the Leathernecks of 7th Marines trained in every clime and place preparing for the moment when they would once again be called to fight the Nation's battles. In August of 1990, shortly after shifting the home of the Regimental colors from Camp Pendleton, CA to Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, CA, the Marines and Sailors of the Regiment deployed to Saudi Arabia to halt Iraqi aggression against its neighbors in Operation DESERT STORM and Operation DESERT SHIELD. Manning the "Line in the Sand", the Regiment faced the Iraqi invaders. For the attack into Kuwait, the Regiment fought with skill and aggressiveness, overwhelming the enemy. After their victory, they returned to Twentynine Palms in March 1991 with the knowledge they were warriors shaped in the mold of those who had served their Country and Corps before them as members of this elite Regiment.
In August of 1991, 7th Marine Regiment became Regimental Combat Team Seven (RCT-7) due to unique organizational changes that occurred with the addition of 3rd Light Armored Infantry (LAI) Battalion, 1st Tank Battalion and Delta Company, 3rd Amphibious Assault (AA) Battalion. In December 1992, RCT-7 deployed on Operation RESTORE HOPE to relieve famine and return order to Somalia. Over a five month period the Marines and Sailors paid in blood as they worked tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of the Somalian people and to restore order to their ravaged nation. On 13 August 1993, on the eve of the Regiment's 76th anniversary, the Regiment formally marked the return to its original designation by changing from RCT-7 to 7th Marines (Reinforced).
On 8 October 1994 the action cycle began again for 7th Marines (Reinforced) when a crisis situation in Southwest Asia forced the decision to terminate a combined arms exercise in order to prepare for a Maritime Prepositioning Force (MPF) deployment. This high paced contingency operation was titled Operation VIGILANT WARRIOR. Although the National Command Authority did not give the order to deploy the entire Regiment, its advanced elements moved into the Arabian Gulf in response to Iraqi troop movements toward Kuwait. In Operation VIGILANT SENTINEL, from August to November 1995, this sequence was repeated.
In August of 1996, organizational changes designated 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (formerly LAI Bn) and 1st Tank Battalion as separate battalions in direct support of the 7th Marines' MPF mission along with Delta Company, 3rd AA Battalion, who returned to their parent unit.
In the intervening years of relative calm, the 7th Marine Regiment continued to maintain a high state of readiness by continual and rigorous training evolutions. The calm was shattered on 11 September 2001 by a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and an unknown target that resulted in a plane crash in Pennsylvania. With the Nation suddenly involved in the Global War On Terrorism, 7th Marines prepared for its duty. In January 2003, the Regiment deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF) and was instrumental in the "March to Baghdad" with 1st Marine Division in March 2003. Over the next six years, RCT-7 would deploy to OIF five additional times and fight in towns like Ramadi, Fallujah, Al Qiam and Hit in Al Anbar province. Through each deployment, the Marine of the Regiment could proudly display the earned nickname of the Magnificent 7th.
Concurrently, the United States was fighting battles in Afghanistan as part of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF). Though subordinate battalions of 7th Marines had a near continual presence in the Helmand River valley, the Regimental Headquarters deployed as RCT-7 three times starting in March 2008. Cities such as Marjeh, Sangin, and Lashkar Gah, where some of the heaviest fighting in the country took place, were all under the command of RCT-7. On 31 July 2013, RCT-7 furled its colors as the final RCT to serve in OEF.
Description
In June 2004, under the auspices of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1546 the Coalition transferred limited sovereignty to a caretaker government, whose first act was to begin the trial of Saddam Hussein. The government began the process of moving towards elections, though the insurgency, and the lack of cohesion within the government itself, led to repeated delays.
Militia leader Muqtada al-Sadr used his grass-roots organization and Mahdi Militia of over a thousand armed men to take control of the streets of Baghdad. The CPA soon realized it had lost control and closed down his popular newspaper. This resulted in mass anti-American demonstrations. The CPA then attempted to arrest al-Sadr on murder charges. He defied the American military by taking refuge in the Holy City of Najaf.
Through the months of July and August, a series of skirmishes in and around Najaf culminated with the Imman Ali Mosque itself under siege, only to have a peace deal brokered by al-Sistani in late August. Al-Sadr then declared a national cease fire, and opened negotiations with the American and government forces. His militia was incorporated into the Iraqi security forces and al-Sadr is now a special envoy. This incident was the turning point in the failed American efforts to install Ahmed Chalabi as leader of the interim government. The CPA then put Iyad Allawi in power; ultimately he was only marginally more popular than Chalabi.
The Allawi government, with significant numbers of holdovers from the Coalition Provisional Authority, began to engage in attempts to secure control of the oil infrastructure, the source of Iraq's foreign currency, and control of the major cities of Iraq. The continuing insurgencies, poor state of the Iraqi Army, disorganized condition of police and security forces, as well as the lack of revenue hampered their efforts to assert control. In addition, both former Ba'athist elements and militant Shia groups engaged in sabotage, terrorism, open rebellion, and establishing their own security zones in all or part of a dozen cities. The Allawi government vowed to crush resistance, using U.S. troops, but at the same time negotiated with Muqtada al-Sadr.
Offensives and counteroffensives
Beginning 8 November, American and Iraqi forces invaded the militant stronghold of Fallujah in Operation Phantom Fury, killing and capturing many insurgents. Many rebels were thought to have fled the city before the invasion. U.S.-backed figures put insurgency losses at over 2,000. It was the bloodiest single battle for the U.S. in the war, with 92 Americans dead and several hundred wounded. A video showing the killing of at least one unarmed and wounded man by an American serviceman surfaced, throwing renewed doubt and outrage at the efficiency of the U.S. occupation. The Marine was later cleared of any wrongdoing because the Marines had been warned that the enemy would sometimes feign death and booby-trap bodies as a tactic to lure Marines to their deaths. November was the deadliest month of the occupation for coalition troops, surpassing April.
Another offensive was launched by insurgents during the month of November in Mosul. U.S. forces backed by peshmerga fighters launched a counteroffensive which resulted in the Battle of Mosul (2004). The fighting in Mosul occurred concurrently with the fighting in Fallujah and attributed to the high number of American casualties taken that month.
In December, 14 American soldiers were killed and over a hundred injured when an explosion struck an open-tent mess hall in Mosul, where President Bush had spent Thanksgiving with troops the year before. The explosion is believed to have come from a suicide bomber.
After a review of the military strategy in the end of 2004, then commanding general of the MNF-I, General George W. Casey, Jr. directed the Coalition forces to shift their focus from fighting insurgents to training Iraqis. At the time, the Iraqi insurgency was mainly directed against the occupation and it was believed that if the Coalition would reduce its presence then the insurgency would diminish. Military planners hoped that national elections would change the perception of being under occupation, stabilize the situation and allow the Coalition to reduce its presence.
2005
Iraqi elections and aftermath
Voters in the 2005 Iraqi legislative election
Main article: Iraqi legislative election, January 2005
On 30 January, an election for a government to draft a permanent constitution took place. Although some violence and lack of widespread Sunni Arab participation marred the event, most of the eligible Kurd and Shia populace participated. On 4 February, Paul Wolfowitz announced that 15,000 U.S. troops whose tours of duty had been extended in order to provide election security would be pulled out of Iraq by the next month.[18] February, March and April proved to be relatively peaceful months compared to the carnage of November and January, with insurgent attacks averaging 30 a day from the average 70.
Hopes for a quick end to an insurgency and a withdrawal of U.S. troops were dashed at the advent of May, Iraq's bloodiest month since the invasion of U.S. forces in March and April 2003. Suicide bombers, believed to be mainly disheartened Iraqi Sunni Arabs, Syrians and Saudis, tore through Iraq. Their targets were often Shia gatherings or civilian concentrations mainly of Shias. As a result, over 700 Iraqi civilians died in that month, as well as 79 U.S. soldiers.
A large weapons cache in New Ubaydi is destroyed
During early and mid-May, the U.S. also launched Operation Matador, an assault by around 1,000 Marines in the ungoverned region of western Iraq. Its goal was the closing of suspected insurgent supply routes of volunteers and material from Syria, and with the fight they received their assumption proved correct. Fighters armed with flak jackets (unseen in the insurgency by this time) and sporting sophisticated tactics met the Marines, eventually inflicting 30 U.S. casualties by the operation's end, and suffering 125 casualties themselves.
The Marines succeeded, recapturing the whole region and even fighting insurgents all the way to the Syrian border, where they were forced to stop (Syrian residents living near the border heard the American bombs very clearly during the operation). The vast majority of these armed and trained insurgents quickly dispersed before the U.S. could bring the full force of its firepower on them, as it did in Fallujah.
Announcements and renewed fighting
On 14 August 2005 the Washington Post quoted one anonymous U.S. senior official expressing that "the United States no longer expects to see a model new democracy, a self-supporting oil industry or a society in which the majority of people are free from serious security or economic challenges... 'What we expected to achieve was never realistic given the timetable or what unfolded on the ground'".
On 22 September 2005, Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, said he had warned the Bush administration that Iraq was hurtling toward disintegration, and that the election planned for December was unlikely to make any difference. U.S. officials immediately made statements rejecting this view.
Constitutional ratification and elections
The National Assembly elected in January had drafted a new constitution to be ratified in a national referendum on 15 October 2005. For ratification, the constitution required a majority of national vote, and could be blocked by a two thirds "no" vote in each of at least three of the 18 governorates. In the actual vote, 79% of the voters voted in favor, and there was a two thirds "no" vote in only two governorates, both predominantly Sunni. The new Constitution of Iraq was ratified and took effect. Sunni turnout was substantially heavier than for the January elections, but insufficient to block ratification.
Elections for a new Iraqi National Assembly were held under the new constitution on 15 December 2005. This election used a proportional system, with approximately 25% of the seats required to be filled by women. After the election, a coalition government was formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, with Jalal Talabani as president.
