3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines
3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines (3/2) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based in Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Comprising approximately 1000 marines and sailors and nicknamed the "Betio Bastards", they fall under the command of the 2nd Marine Regiment of the 2nd Marine Division.
3/2 Insignia
Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines patrolling through an Iraqi city in August 2005
Task Force Tarawa (TFT) was the name given to the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It was a Marine Air-Ground Task Force commanded by Brigadier General Richard F. Natonski that was attached to the I Marine Expeditionary Force during the course of the invasion and was most notable for its participation in the heavy fighting in the city of an-Nāṣiriyyah. During its time supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, the task force suffered 23 Marines killed in action.
Insignia of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade