2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment is a reserve infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps , currently headquartered in Garden City, New York, with its subordinate units located throughout the Mid-Atlantic States. The battalion falls under the command of the 25th Marine Regiment and the 4th Marine Division.
The battalion was first activated on 01 May, 1943 at the new Marine Corps Base of Camp Lejeune, New River, North Carolina. In August and September, 1943, they were relocated to Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, California to complete their training. In January 1944, they were deployed to the Marshall Islands in the Central Pacific and participated in the first of their WWII combat actions on several islets of Kwajalein Atoll in support of the 4th Marine Division's primary mission of securing the largest connecting islets of Roi and Namur at the north end of Kwajalein Atoll.
There soon followed actions on Saipan (15 Jun-09 Jul, 1944) and Tinian (24 Jul-09 Aug, 1944) in the Northern Marianas Islands, for which the 4th Marine Division received the Navy Presidential Unit Citation. In February 1945, the battalion landed with other units of the 4th Marine Division on the island of Iwo Jima in the Bonin 'Volcano' Islands of Japan. The resulting battle was the bloodiest for the United States Marine Corps in WWII and resulted in a second Navy Presidential Unit Citation for the 4th Marine Division.
In October 1945, the 25th Marine Regiment and the entire 4th Marine Division were relocated to Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, California and were subsequently de-activated on 31 October, 1945.
On 01 July, 1962, 2/25 was re-activated and assigned to the 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve. The battalion has since participated, in whole or in part in the First Gulf War (1990-1991) and the Global War on Terror (2001-Present) as well as making some deployments to African nations like Senegal and Mozambique. In addition, 2/25 has been deployed to such diverse locations as Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Lithuania, Romania and Norway to participate in training activities.
Details behind Award: THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION to Assault Troops of the Fifth Amphibious Corps, Reinforced United States Fleet Marine Force for service as set forth in the following CITATION: "For extraordinary heroism in action during the seizure of enemy Japanese-held Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, February 19 to 28, 1945. Landing against resistance which rapidly increased in fury as the Japanese pounded the beaches with artillery, rocket and mortar fire, the Assault Troops of the FIFTH Amphibious Corps inched ahead through shifting black volcanic sands, over heavily mined terrain, toward a garrison of jagged cliffs, pillboxes and blockhouses commanding all approaches. Often driven back with terrific losses in fierce hand-to-hand combat, the Assault Troops repeatedly hurled back the enemy's counterattacks to regain and hold lost positions, and continued the unrelenting drive to high ground and Motoyama Airfield No.1, captured by the end of the second day. By their individual acts of heroism and their unfailing teamwork, these gallant officers and men fought against their own battle-fatigue and shock to advance in the face of the enemy's fanatical resistance; they charged each strongpoint, one by one, blasting out the hidden Japanese troops or sealing them in; within four days they had occupied the southern part of Motoyama Airfield No. 2; simultaneously they stormed the steep slopes of Mount Suribachi to raise the United States Flag; and they seized the strongly defended hills to silence guns commanding the beaches and insure the conquest of Iwo Jima, a vital inner defense of the Japanese Empire."
For the President, John L. Sullivan Secretary of the Navy
Last Updated: Jul 11, 2017
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