1.
Marine Raiders (film)
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Produced by Robert Fellows, and directed by Harold D. Schuster, it stars Pat OBrien, Robert Ryan, and Ruth Hussey. Major Lockhart, his commander, criticises Craig for his disgraceful conduct that has no place in combat. The only thing saving Craig from being relieved of his command is the Japanese night attack that is beaten off during a night of hard fighting, the depleted units go for rest and recreation in Australia. The troubled Craig meets a knowledgeable and sympathetic Flight Officer Ellen Foster of the Womens Auxiliary Australian Air Force who has two serving in North Africa. The two fall in love and wish to be married but Craig is wounded in a Japanese air attack, when Lockhart visits Craig in the hospital he finds out that he wishes to marry Ellen. Thinking Craig out of his mind, Lockhart transfers him back to the United States. The recovered Craig and Lockhart are bitter enemies as they report to Camp Elliott, both are shocked that so many men are being trained as Marines compared to the pre-war size of their highly selective Corps. When told how many men the Corps has recruited, Lockhart exclaims that there arent that many potential Marines in the entire country, the film shows its audience views of actual training of Marines filmed at the base. Lockhart ends up defending Craig when he is unstable and presses for his return to active service. Preparing for an invasion of an unnamed South Pacific island whilst back in Australia, Lockhart changes his mind on marriage when meeting her and all are reconciled. In a fictional assault that a map identifies as Bougainville, Craigs Paramarines jump behind Japanese lines to relieve pressure on a beachhead where Lockharts Raiders, Ellen proudly hears the news of their exploits on radio in Australia. Pat OBrien as Maj. Steve Lockhart Robert Ryan as Capt. Dan Craig Ruth Hussey as Ellen Foster Frank McHugh as Sgt. Louis Leary Barton MacLane as Sgt. Maguire Richard Martin as Pfc. OBrien was impressed by the newcomer Ryan who he worked with, ryans performance was noticed by a reviewer of the Nation who compared him to Gary Cooper. The film was made at the Marine base at Camp Elliott near San Diego with Captain Clay Boyd as the technical advisor, Robert Wise directed pick up and additional scenes. Nicholas Musuraca, famed for his cinematography on many Val Lewton horror films, roy Webbs score includes Bless Em All as a theme for the Australian locales. Marine Raiders at the Internet Movie Database
2.
Marine Raider Regiment
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The Marine Raiders, a component of the United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command is a special operations force of the United States Marine Corps. Todays Raiders can trace their roots back to their World War II predecessors the Marine Raiders, todays Marine Raiders first saw the light through a pilot program called The Marine Corps Special Operations Command Detachment One. In 2006 it was disbanded and succeeded by the permanent United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, det One deployed to Iraq with Navy SEALs from Naval Special Warfare Group 1 in 2004, Marines from the detachment took part in the Second Battle of Fallujah. In February 2006, the Marine Corps Special Operations Command was created at Camp Lejeune North Carolina, the 1st and 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalions were created along with the Marine Special Operations Advisor Group. The majority of the personnel assigned to the two battalions were drawn from the Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance community. Each battalion consists of four companies and each consists of four fourteen-man Marine Special Operations Teams. The base unit of the Raiders is the fourteen-man Marine Special Operations Team, each 14-man MSOT is organized into three elements, a Headquarters and two identical Tactical Squads. The HQ element consists of a Special Operations Officer Team Leader, Team Chief, Operations SNCO, each Tactical Element consists of an Element Leader, three Critical Skills Operators, and a Navy Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman. The organization allows a Team to operate on its own if needed, in 2014, it was announced that the Marine Special Operations Regiment and its subordinate units would be renamed Marine Raiders. However, due to delays the renaming did not become official until June 19,2015. The first deployment for Marine Raiders was in Afghanistan in 2007 and this initial deployment was marked with controversy when elements from Fox Company, 2nd MSOB were involved in the shooting incident. The Marines were later found by a tribunal to be cleared of wrongdoing. Shortly after a deal was struck to send 2nd MSOB to Helmand province in lieu of the provinces, in late 2007. In September 2009 the 1st MSOB returned to Afghanistan, this time in command of a joint special task force in the northwest of the country. On November 10,2009, a Marine from 1st MSOB was awarded a Bronze Star with “V” device for his actions during a battle in Farah province. When the remote weapon on his vehicle was destroyed, he climbed on top to man its MK19 grenade launcher, as enemy rounds whipped by, Price stayed put — holding his position for four hours and killing “numerous” insurgents in the process. In March 2012, Marine Raiders suffered several casualties to Green on Blue attacks, after evacuating the wounded to an emergency HLZ from where they were safely medevaced, they returned to firefight and assaulted the enemy positions in a fierce close-quarter battle. Whilst throwing grenades down the chimney of a building, they were struck and killed by PKM fire
3.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
4.
United States Armed Forces
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The United States Armed Forces are the federal armed forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, from the time of its inception, the military played a decisive role in the history of the United States. A sense of unity and identity was forged as a result of victory in the First Barbary War. Even so, the Founders were suspicious of a permanent military force and it played an important role in the American Civil War, where leading generals on both sides were picked from members of the United States military. Not until the outbreak of World War II did a standing army become officially established. The National Security Act of 1947, adopted following World War II and during the Cold Wars onset, the U. S. military is one of the largest militaries in terms of number of personnel. It draws its personnel from a pool of paid volunteers. As of 2016, the United States spends about $580.3 billion annually to fund its military forces, put together, the United States constitutes roughly 40 percent of the worlds military expenditures. For the period 2010–14, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute found that the United States was the worlds largest exporter of major arms, the United States was also the worlds eighth largest importer of major weapons for the same period. The history of the U. S. military dates to 1775 and these forces demobilized in 1784 after the Treaty of Paris ended the War for Independence. All three services trace their origins to the founding of the Continental Army, the Continental Navy, the United States President is the U. S. militarys commander-in-chief. Rising tensions at various times with Britain and France and the ensuing Quasi-War and War of 1812 quickened the development of the U. S. Navy, the reserve branches formed a military strategic reserve during the Cold War, to be called into service in case of war. Time magazines Mark Thompson has suggested that with the War on Terror, Command over the armed forces is established in the United States Constitution. The sole power of command is vested in the President by Article II as Commander-in-Chief, the Constitution also allows for the creation of executive Departments headed principal officers whose opinion the President can require. This allowance in the Constitution formed the basis for creation of the Department of Defense in 1947 by the National Security Act, the Defense Department is headed by the Secretary of Defense, who is a civilian and member of the Cabinet. The Defense Secretary is second in the chain of command, just below the President. Together, the President and the Secretary of Defense comprise the National Command Authority, to coordinate military strategy with political affairs, the President has a National Security Council headed by the National Security Advisor. The collective body has only power to the President
5.
United States Marine Corps
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The U. S. Marine Corps is one of the four armed service branches in the U. S. Department of Defense and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the military officer in the U. S. Armed Forces, is a Marine Corps general, the Marine Corps has been a component of the U. S. Department of the Navy since 30 June 1834, working closely with naval forces for training, transportation, and logistics. The USMC operates posts on land and aboard sea-going amphibious warfare ships around the world, two battalions of Continental Marines were formed on 10 November 1775 in Philadelphia as a service branch of infantry troops capable of fighting for independence both at sea and on shore. The role of the Corps has since grown and evolved, expanding to aerial warfare and earning popular titles such as, Americas third air force, and, second land army. By the mid-20th century, the U. S. Marine Corps had become a major theorist of and its ability to rapidly respond on short notice to expeditionary crises gives it a strong role in the implementation and execution of American foreign policy. As of 2016, the USMC has around 182,000 active duty members and it is the smallest of the U. S. The USMC serves as an expeditionary force-in-readiness and this last clause, while seemingly redundant given the Presidents position as Commander-in-chief, is a codification of the expeditionary responsibilities of the Marine Corps. It derives from similar language in the Congressional acts For the Better Organization of the Marine Corps of 1834, in 1951, the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee called the clause one of the most important statutory – and traditional – functions of the Marine Corps. In addition to its duties, the Marine Corps conducts Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure operations, as well as missions in direct support of the White House. The Marine Band, dubbed the Presidents Own by Thomas Jefferson, Marines from Ceremonial Companies A & B, quartered in Marine Barracks, Washington, D. C. The Executive Flight Detachment also provides transport to Cabinet members. The relationship between the Department of State and the U. S. Marine Corps is nearly as old as the corps itself, for over 200 years, Marines have served at the request of various Secretaries of State. After World War II, an alert, disciplined force was needed to protect American embassies, consulates, in 1947, a proposal was made that the Department of War furnish Marine Corps personnel for Foreign Service guard duty under the provisions of the Foreign Service Act of 1946. A formal Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the Department of State and the Secretary of the Navy on December 15,1948, during the first year of the MSG program,36 detachments were deployed worldwide. Continental Marines manned raiding parties, both at sea and ashore, the Advanced Base Doctrine of the early 20th century codified their combat duties ashore, outlining the use of Marines in the seizure of bases and other duties on land to support naval campaigns. Throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries, Marine detachments served aboard Navy cruisers, battleships, Marine detachments served in their traditional duties as a ships landing force, manning the ships weapons and providing shipboard security. Marines would develop tactics and techniques of amphibious assault on defended coastlines in time for use in World War II, during World War II, Marines continued to serve on capital ships
6.
Light infantry
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Light infantry are soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry, heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight formations that were the core of large battles. Heavy infantry originally had heavier arms and more armour than light infantry, as with so called light infantry of later periods, the term more adequately describes the role of such infantry rather than the actual weight of their equipment. Peltast equipment, for example, grew steadily heavier at the time as hoplite equipment grew lighter. It was the fact that peltasts fought in order as skirmishers that made them light infantry. Early regular armies of the era frequently relied on irregulars to perform the duties of light infantry skirmishers. In the 18th and 19th centuries most infantry regiments or battalions had a company as an integral part of its composition. Its members were often smaller, more men with high shooting ability and capability of using initiative. They did not usually fight in disciplined ranks as did the infantry but often in widely dispersed groups. They were expected to avoid melee engagements unless necessary, and would fight ahead of the line to harass the enemy before falling back to the main position. Light infantry sometimes carried lighter muskets than ordinary infantrymen while others carried rifles and these became designated as rifle regiments in Britain and Jäger regiments in German speaking Europe. In France, during the Napoleonic Wars, light infantry were called voltigeurs and chasseurs, the Austrian army had Grenzer regiments from the middle of the 18th century, who originally served as irregular militia skirmishers recruited from mountainous frontier areas. Light infantry officers sometimes carried muskets or rifles, rather than pistols, orders were sent by bugle or whistle instead of drum. Some armies, including the British and French, recruited whole regiments of light infantry, by the late 19th century the concept of fighting in formation was on the wane due to advancements in weaponry and the distinctions between light and heavy infantry began to disappear. Essentially, all infantry became light infantry in operational practice, some regiments retained the name and customs, but there was in effect little difference between them and other infantry regiments. On the eve of World War I the British Army included seven light infantry regiments, today the term light denotes, in the United States table of organization and equipment, units lacking heavy weapons and armor or with a reduced vehicle footprint. At its height, this included the 6th Infantry Division, 7th Infantry Division, 10th Mountain Division, 25th Infantry Division, operation Just Cause is often cited as proof of concept. Almost 30,000 U. S. Forces, mostly light, during the 1990s, the concept of purely light forces in the US military came under scrutiny due to their decreased lethality and survivability
7.
Special operations
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Special operations may be performed independently of or in conjunction with, conventional military operations. The primary goal is to achieve a political or military objective where a conventional force requirement does not exist or might adversely affect the strategic outcome. Special operations are conducted in a low-profile manner that aims to achieve the advantages of speed, surprise. Special operations are implemented through specific, tailored intelligence. The decade 2003–2012 saw U. S. national security strategy rely on special operations to an unprecedented degree, identifying, hunting, and killing terrorists became a central task in the Global War on Terrorism. Linda Robinson, Adjunct Senior Fellow for U. S, Special Operations appropriations are costly, Its budget went from $2.3 billion in 2001 to $10.5 billion in 2012. Some experts argued the investment was worthwhile, pointing to the raid in May 2011 that killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, others claimed that the emphasis on Special Operations precipitated a misconception that it was a substitute for prolonged conflict. Raids and drone strikes are tactics that are decisive and often incur significant political. Although raids and drone strikes are necessary to disrupt dire and imminent threats…special operations leaders readily admit that they should not be the pillar of U. S. military strategy. Instead, Special Operations commanders stated that grand strategy should include their indirect approach, Special operations forces is a term primarily used in the West. It is an all encompassing term that defines a nation’s specialized units, the term special forces is also used by countries around the world to describe their specialized unit, however. Examples of special operations include, special reconnaissance/military intelligence, unconventional warfare, psyops, Special operations are sometimes associated with unconventional warfare, counter-insurgency, operations against guerrillas or irregular forces, low-intensity operations, and foreign internal defense. They are sometimes referred to as forces, commandos. This is known in the special operations community as foreign internal defense, recently the 82nd Airborne Division has also been conducting special operations in Iraq. The 82nd Airborne has been assigned to advise and assist Iraqi Security Forces, in March 2015, a 173rd Airborne battalion of around 600 American paratroopers headed to Ukraine to train Ukrainian national guard troops. The training took place at the Yavoriv training center near the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, the 173rd Airborne paratroopers trained the Ukrainians on how to better defend themselves against Russian and rebel artillery and rockets. Training also included securing roads, bridges, and other infrastructure and this program was known as Fearless Guardian which was congressionally approved under the Global Contingency Security Fund. Under the program, the United States trained three battalions of Ukrainian troops over a six-month period, list of US Special Operations Forces
8.
World War II
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World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although related conflicts began earlier. It involved the vast majority of the worlds countries—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing alliances, the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, and directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. Marked by mass deaths of civilians, including the Holocaust and the bombing of industrial and population centres. These made World War II the deadliest conflict in human history, from late 1939 to early 1941, in a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany conquered or controlled much of continental Europe, and formed the Axis alliance with Italy and Japan. Under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union partitioned and annexed territories of their European neighbours, Poland, Finland, Romania and the Baltic states. In December 1941, Japan attacked the United States and European colonies in the Pacific Ocean, and quickly conquered much of the Western Pacific. The Axis advance halted in 1942 when Japan lost the critical Battle of Midway, near Hawaii, in 1944, the Western Allies invaded German-occupied France, while the Soviet Union regained all of its territorial losses and invaded Germany and its allies. During 1944 and 1945 the Japanese suffered major reverses in mainland Asia in South Central China and Burma, while the Allies crippled the Japanese Navy, thus ended the war in Asia, cementing the total victory of the Allies. World War II altered the political alignment and social structure of the world, the United Nations was established to foster international co-operation and prevent future conflicts. The victorious great powers—the United States, the Soviet Union, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next 46 years. Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers waned, while the decolonisation of Asia, most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. Political integration, especially in Europe, emerged as an effort to end pre-war enmities, the start of the war in Europe is generally held to be 1 September 1939, beginning with the German invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. The dates for the beginning of war in the Pacific include the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War on 7 July 1937, or even the Japanese invasion of Manchuria on 19 September 1931. Others follow the British historian A. J. P. Taylor, who held that the Sino-Japanese War and war in Europe and its colonies occurred simultaneously and this article uses the conventional dating. Other starting dates sometimes used for World War II include the Italian invasion of Abyssinia on 3 October 1935. The British historian Antony Beevor views the beginning of World War II as the Battles of Khalkhin Gol fought between Japan and the forces of Mongolia and the Soviet Union from May to September 1939, the exact date of the wars end is also not universally agreed upon. It was generally accepted at the time that the war ended with the armistice of 14 August 1945, rather than the formal surrender of Japan
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Amphibious warfare
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Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conducted using ships boats as the method of delivering troops to shore. Amphibious warfare includes operations defined by their type, purpose, scale, all armed forces that employ troops with special training and equipment for conducting landings from naval vessels to shore agree to this definition. Since the 20th century an amphibious landing of troops on a beachhead is acknowledged as the most complex of all military maneuvers, an amphibious operation is both similar and different in many ways to both land, naval and air operations. Historically, within the scope of these phases a vital part of success was based on the military logistics, naval gunfire. Another factor is the variety and quantity of specialised vehicles and equipment used by the force that are designed for the specific needs of this type of operation. The purpose of operations is always offensive, but limited by the plan. Landings on islands less than 5,000 km2 in size are tactical, usually with the objectives of neutralising enemy defenders. Such an operation may be prepared and planned in days or weeks, a strategic landing operation requires a major commitment of forces to invade a national territory in the archipelagic, such as the Battle of Leyte, or continental, such as Operation Neptune. Such an operation may require multiple naval and air fleets to support the landings, although most amphibious operations are thought of primarily as beach landings, they can take exploit available shore infrastructure to land troops directly into an urban environment if unopposed. In this case non-specialised ships can offload troops, vehicles and cargo using organic or facility wharf-side equipment, tactical landings in the past have utilised small boats, small craft, small ships and civilian vessels converted for the mission to deliver troops to the waters edge. Preparation and planning the naval landing operation requires the assembly of vessels with sufficient capacity to lift necessary troops employing combat loading, the military intelligence services produce a briefing on the expected opponent which guides the organisation and equipping of the embarked force. First specially designed landing craft were used for the Gallipoli landings, helicopters were first used to support beach landings during Operation Musketeer. Hovercraft have been in use for naval landings by military forces since the 1960s, recorded amphibious warfare goes back to ancient times. The Sea Peoples menaced the Egyptians from the reign of Akhenaten as captured on the reliefs at Medinet Habu, the Hellenic city states routinely resorted to opposed assaults upon each others shores, which they reflected upon in their plays and other expressions of art. In 1565, the island of Malta was invaded by the Ottoman Turks during the Great Siege of Malta, forcing its defenders to retreat to the fortified cities. A strategic choke point in the Mediterranean Sea, its loss would have been so menacing for the Western European kingdoms that forces were raised in order to relieve the island. But it took four months to train, arm, and move a 5, then, Philip II, King of Spain decided to train and assign amphibious-assault skilled units to the Royal Armada
10.
Inflatable boat
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An inflatable boat is a lightweight boat constructed with its sides and bow made of flexible tubes containing pressurised gas. Often the transom is rigid, providing a location and structure for mounting an outboard motor, some inflatable boats have been designed to be disassembled and packed into a small volume, so that they can be easily stored and transported to water when needed. The boat, when inflated, is kept rigid crossways by a removable thwart. This feature allows such boats to be used as liferafts for larger boats or aircraft, the most common term for inflatable boats is rubber boat although rubber is usually no longer used in their construction. Other terms used include inflatable dinghy, rubber dinghy, inflatable, inflatable rescue boat, there are ancient carved images of animal skins filled with air being used as one-man floats to cross rivers. These floats were inflated by mouth, sometimes, these images have been wrongly described as ancient scuba. The discovery of the process to vulcanize rubber was made by Charles Goodyear in 1838, in late 1843, Thomas Hancock filed for a UK patent, which was also granted in 1844, after the Goodyear patent had been granted. In 1852, while traveling in England, Charles Goodyear discovered that Thomas Hancocks company was producing vulcanized rubber, the last of the suits were settled in 1855. Vulcanization stabilized the rubber allowing it to be durable and flexible. Shortly thereafter, several people expanded on experimentation of rubber coated fabrics, in 1839 the Duke of Wellington tested the first inflatable pontoons. Lieutenant Peter Halkett, an officer in the Royal Navy designed the Halkett boat in 1845 as the first successful inflatable boat and his first design was made of rubber-impregnated Mackintosh cloth. The boat cloak served as a poncho or cloak until inflated. A special pocket held bellows for inflation, and a blade to turn a walking stick into a paddle, a special umbrella could double as a sail. Although the Admiralty saw no use to which Halketts designs could be put in general naval service, John Franklin bought one to take on the ill-fated 1845 expedition in which the entire expedition party of 129 men and two ships vanished. In his explorations along the Oregon Trail, and the tributaries and forks of the Platte River during the years 1842 and 1843, frémont recorded what may have been the first use of an inflatable rubber boat for travel down rivers and rapids in the Rocky Mountains. The sides were formed by two cylinders, eighteen inches in diameter, connected with others forming the bow and stern. By 1855 there were numerous types of rubber boats in use, some made by Goodyear in the U. S. In 1866, four men crossed the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Britain on a three-tube raft called Nonpareil, from 1900 to 1910, the development of rubber manufacturing enabled attempts at producing circular rubber inflatable boats, similar to modern coracles
11.
Merritt A. Edson
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Major General Merritt Austin Edson, known as Red Mike, was a general in the United States Marine Corps. Among the decorations he received were the Medal of Honor, two Navy Crosses, the Silver Star, and two Legions of Merit and he is best known by Marines for the defense of Lunga Ridge during the Guadalcanal Campaign in World War II. He received a commission as a lieutenant in the Marines in October 1917. After the war he held positions until going to flight school in 1922. After graduating flight school and being designated a Naval Aviator, he performed several assignments in Central America and it was in Central America where he received his first Navy Cross and the Nicaraguan Medal of Merit with Silver Star. When World War II started Edson was sent as the Commanding officer of the Marine Raiders, when his unit was sent to fight on Guadalcanal, Edson led his men in fighting for which he would later receive the Medal of Honor. After World War II Edson held several commands until retiring from the Marine Corps August 1,1947, after retirement he had several jobs including the Director of the National Rifle Association. Edson was born in Rutland, Vermont but grew up in Chester, Vermont, on June 27,1916 he left college as a member of the First Vermont National Guard Regiment and was sent to Eagle Pass, Texas, for duty on the Mexican border. He returned to the University in September 1916, but joined the Marine Corps Reserve on June 26 and he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps on October 9,1917 and in September of the next year he sailed for France with the 11th Marines. Owing to the failure of the United States to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, following the end of World War I, he was assigned to several positions that would qualify him for the high commands he was to hold in later years. His interest in military aviation prompted him to apply for training at NAS Pensacola, Florida. Soon after, he was ordered to the Marine Air Station at Guam where he had his introduction to the islands of the Marianas with which his name was later to become so closely linked. He graduated with the highest grades ever attained by any student up to that time, for physical reasons, however, he had to give up his flying status in 1927 and continue his career as a ground officer. He was then assigned to duty as Ordnance Officer at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, late in the same year, he was ordered to sea duty as Commanding Officer of the Marine Detachment on the USS Denver and was promoted to captain on December 21,1927. During service in Central American waters, his detachment was ashore in Nicaragua during the period February 1928 -1929. In command of 160 hand picked and specially trained Marines, he fought twelve separate engagements with the Sandino-led bandits and denied them the use of the Poteca, from a grateful Nicaraguan government, he was also awarded the Nicaraguan Medal of Merit with Silver Star. In September 1929, he returned to the United States and was assigned as instructor to fledgling Marine lieutenants at The Basic School in Philadelphia. Upon detachment from that duty, he became Ordnance and War Plans Officer at the Philadelphia Depot of Supplies for the four years
12.
Evans Carlson
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He is renowned for the Makin Island raid in 1942, and their Long Patrol behind Japanese lines on Guadalcanal, in which 488 Japanese were killed. Carlson is also credited with introducing the term Gung-ho into the Marine Corps, Evans Carlson was born on 26 February 1896 in Sidney, New York, the son of a Congregationalist minister. He ran away from his home in Vermont in 1910 and two years later disguised his age to enter the United States Army, during his first enlistment in the Army, he served in the Philippines and Hawaii. He was discharged in 1916 as a top or first sergeant, less than a year later, he returned to the Army and participated in the Mexican punitive expedition. World War I During World War I, he saw action in France and he was commissioned a second lieutenant in May 1917, and made captain of field artillery in December 1917. He served in Germany with the Army of Occupation and he was discharged from the Army in 1921. Carlsons career as a Marine started in 1922 when he enlisted as a private, in 1923, he was again commissioned a second lieutenant. After duty at MCB Quantico, Virginia, he sailed for Culebra, Puerto Rico in 1924, applying for aviation training in 1925, he went to Naval Aeronautical Station Pensacola, Florida, for instruction, but was subsequently returned to duty with ground units. He served another tour of shore duty from 1927 to 1929 at Shanghai. Nicaragua Carlson was ordered to Nicaragua in 1930 as an officer in the Guardia Nacional, a first lieutenant at the time, he earned his first Navy Cross for leading 12 Marines against 100 bandits in a night attack to break up a threat to his garrison. He was also commended for his actions following the 1931 earthquake at Managua, Second and third China tours After his Warm Springs tour Carlson was posted to the 4th Marines in Shanghai. Shortly afterward he was transferred to the Marine Detachment, American Legation, Peiping, China, in 1936, he returned to the United States via Japan. At home he served at Quantico while attending Marine Corps Schools and he went back to China for the third time in 1937 as an official student of the Chinese language and as a military observer with Chinese forces. There he was afforded the opportunity to learn the tactics of the Japanese soldier and he met Edgar Snow in China and read Snows Red Star Over China. This encounter led him to visit the Chinese communist troop headquarters in northern China, traveling thousands of miles through the interior of China with the communist guerrillas, often on foot and horseback over the most hazardous terrain, he lived under the same primitive conditions. He was impressed by the used by Chinese Communist guerrillas to fight Japanese troops. Carlson often had political views, prompting General David M. Shoup to say of him, He may be red. When Carlson left China in 1938, he was commended by the Commander in Chief of the Asiatic Fleet for his services
13.
United States special operations forces
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United States Special Operations Forces are components of the Department of Defenses United States Special Operations Command. The definition in the DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms references Joint Publication 3-05.1 - Joint Special Operations Task Force Operations as its source, US DOD Dictionary of Military Terms, Joint Acronyms and Abbreviations. Inside Delta Force, The Story of Americas Elite Counterterrorist Unit, masters of Chaos, The Secret History of the Special Forces. Black Hawk Down, A Story of Modern Warfare, not a Good Day to Die, The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda. David Ignatius, Learning to Fight a War - Washington Post, 2008-02-10 US Special Operation Forces –2009 SOCOM Factbook American Special Operations Forces
14.
Battalion
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A battalion is a military unit. The use of the term varies by nationality and branch of service. Typically a battalion consists of 300 to 800 soldiers and is divided into a number of companies, a battalion is typically commanded by a lieutenant colonel. In some countries the word battalion is associated with the infantry, the term was first used in Italian as battaglione no later than the 16th century. It derived from the Italian word for battle, battaglia, the first use of battalion in English was in the 1580s, and the first use to mean part of a regiment is from 1708. The battalion must, of course, have a source of re-supply to enable it to sustain operations for more than a few days, the battalion is usually part of a regiment, brigade, or group, depending on the organizational model used by that service. The bulk of a battalions companies are often homogeneous with respect to type, a battalion includes a headquarters company and some sort of combat service support, typically organized within a combat support company. The term battalion is used in the British Army Infantry and some including the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. It was formerly used in the Royal Engineers, and was used in the now defunct Royal Army Ordnance Corps. Other corps usually use the term regiment instead, an infantry battalion is numbered ordinarily within its regiment. It normally has a company, support company, and three rifle companies. Each company is commanded by a major, the officer commanding, the HQ company contains signals, quartermaster, catering, intelligence, administration, pay, training, operations and medical elements. The support company usually contains anti-tank, machine gun, mortar, pioneer, mechanised units usually have an attached light aid detachment of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers to perform field repairs on vehicles and equipment. A British battalion in theatre during World War II had around 845 men in it, and, as of 2012, with successive rounds of cutbacks after the war, many infantry regiments were reduced to a single battalion. A battalion group or battlegroup consists of a battalion or armoured regiment with sub-units detached from other military units acting under the command of the battalion commander. In the Canadian Forces, most battalions are reserve units of between 100–200 soldiers that include an operationally ready, field-deployable component of approximately a half-company apiece, the nine regular force infantry battalions each contain three or four rifle companies and one or two support companies. Canadian battalions are generally commanded by lieutenant-colonels, though smaller reserve battalions may be commanded by majors, with the Dutch artillery units, the equivalent of a battalion is called an afdeling. Combat companies consist of infantry, combat engineers, or tanks, in the latter case, the unit is called an eskadron, which translates roughly to squadron
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Pacific War
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The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in the Pacific and East Asia. It was fought over a vast area that included the Pacific Ocean and islands, the South West Pacific, South-East Asia, and in China. The Pacific War saw the Allied powers pitted against the Empire of Japan, the formal and official surrender of Japan took place aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945. In Allied countries during the war, The Pacific War was not usually distinguished from World War II in general, or was known simply as the War against Japan. Japan used the name Greater East Asia War, as chosen by a decision on 10 December 1941. Japanese officials integrated what they called the Japan–China Incident into the Greater East Asia War, in Japan, the Fifteen Years War is also used, referring to the period from the Mukden Incident of 1931 through 1945. The Phayap Army sent troops to invade and occupy northeastern Burma, also involved were the Japanese puppet states of Manchukuo and Mengjiang, and the collaborationist Wang Jingwei regime. The official policy of the U. S. Government is that Thailand was not an ally of the Axis, Japan conscripted many soldiers from its colonies of Korea and Formosa. To a small extent, some Vichy French, Indian National Army, Germany and Italy both had limited involvement in the Pacific War. The German and the Italian navies operated submarines and raiding ships in the Indian, the Italians had access to concession territory naval bases in China, while the Germans did not. After Japans attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent declarations of war, mexico, Free France and many other countries also took part, especially forces from other British colonies. Between 1942 and 1945, there were four main areas of conflict in the Pacific War, China, the Central Pacific, South East Asia, U. S. sources refer to two theaters within the Pacific War, the Pacific theater and the China Burma India Theater. However these were not operational commands, in the Pacific, the Allies divided operational control of their forces between two supreme commands, known as Pacific Ocean Areas and Southwest Pacific Area. In 1945, for a period just before the Japanese surrender. By 1937, Japan controlled Manchuria and was ready to move deeper into China, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident on 7 July 1937 provoked full-scale war between China and Japan. In August 1937, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek deployed his best army to fight about 300,000 Japanese troops in Shanghai, the Japanese continued to push the Chinese forces back, capturing the capital Nanking in December 1937 and committed which was known as Nanking Massacre. In March 1938, Nationalist forces won their first victory at Taierzhuang, but then the city of Xuzhou was taken by Japanese in May. In June 1938, Japan deployed about 350,000 troops to invade Wuhan, the Japanese achieved major military victories, but world opinion—in particular in the United States—condemned Japan, especially after the Panay incident
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Fleet Marine Force
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The Fleet Marine Forces provide the National Command Authority with a responsive force that can conduct operations in any spectrum of conflict around the globe. The Fleet Marine Forces consists of Marine Corps operating forces components that constitute the Fleet Marine Forces on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, the subordinate units of the Fleet Marine Forces come under the operational control of the commanders, U. S. Fleet Force Command or United States Pacific Fleet, when deployed, each FMF is equivalent to a U. S. Navy type command and reports to its respective Fleet Commander-in-Chief. The commanding general, a lieutenant general may be either an aviator or a ground officer and his deputy commanding general is from the other community. Each FMF consists of at least one Marine Expeditionary Force consisting of at least one Marine Division, one Marine Aircraft Wing, one Marine Logistics Group, other miscellaneous supporting units may be attached. In addition to one or more MEF, each FMF is further organized into one or more intermediate-sized MAGTFs named Marine Expeditionary Brigades and its predecessor was the Advanced Base Force in the early 20th century. The history of the FMF dates to December 7,1933, for service in the Fleet Marine Force, the United States Department of the Navy issues the FMF Enlisted Warfare Specialist Insignia and the FMF Qualified Officer Insignia
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Attack transport
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Attack transport is a United States Navy ship classification for a variant of ocean-going troopship adapted to transporting invasion forces ashore. Unlike standard troopships – often drafted from commercial shipping fleets – that rely on either a quay or tenders and they are not to be confused with landing ships, which beach themselves to bring their troops directly ashore, or their general British equivalent, the Landing ship, infantry. A total of 388 APA and AKA attack transports were built for service in World War II in at least fifteen classes, depending on class they were armed with one or two 5-inch guns and a variety of 40 mm and 20 mm anti-aircraft weapons. Some of these were outfitted with heavy boat davits and other arrangements to enable them to handle landing craft] for amphibious assault operations. In 1942, when the AP number series had extended beyond 100. Therefore, the new classification of attack transport was created and numbers assigned to fifty-eight APs then in commission or under construction, the actual reclassification of these ships was not implemented until February 1943, by which time two ships that had APA numbers assigned had been lost. Another two transports sunk in 1942, USS George F. Elliott and USS Leedstown, were configured as attack transports. In addition, as part of the 1950s modernization of the Navys amphibious force with faster ships, as a result, only attack transport ships were assigned for the assault, without support from any companion attack cargo ships. This created extreme logistics burdens for the force because it resulted in considerable overloading of the transports with both men and equipment. To compound problems, these forces were not able to assemble or train together before executing the Aleutian invasion on 11 May 1943, lack of equipment and training subsequently resulted in confusion during the landings on Attu. By the end of the 1950s, it was clear that boats would soon be superseded by amphibious tractors and helicopters for landing assault troops. These could not be supported by attack transports in the numbers required, by 1969, when the surviving attack transports were redesignated LPA, only a few remained in commissioned service. The last of these were decommissioned in 1980 and sold abroad, the APA/LPA designation may, therefore, now be safely considered extinct. Nearly identical ships used to transport vehicles, supplies and landing craft, Landing Ship Infantry This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. APA/LPA -- Attack Transports by the US Naval Historical Center
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Destroyer
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Before World War II, destroyers were light vessels with little endurance for unattended ocean operations, typically a number of destroyers and a single destroyer tender operated together. After the war, the advent of the missile allowed destroyers to take on the surface combatant roles previously filled by battleships. This resulted in larger and more powerful guided missile destroyers more capable of independent operation, the emergence and development of the destroyer was related to the invention of the self-propelled torpedo in the 1860s. A navy now had the potential to destroy an enemy battle fleet using steam launches to launch torpedoes. Fast boats armed with torpedoes were built and called torpedo boats, the first seagoing vessel designed to fire the self-propelled Whitehead torpedo was the 33-ton HMS Lightning in 1876. She was armed with two drop collars to launch these weapons, these were replaced in 1879 by a torpedo tube in the bow. By the 1880s, the type had evolved into small ships of 50–100 tons, in response to this new threat, more heavily gunned picket boats called catchers were built which were used to escort the battle fleet at sea. The anti-torpedo boat origin of this type of ship is retained in its name in other languages, including French, Italian, Portuguese, Czech, Greek, Dutch and, up until the Second World War, Polish. At that time, and even into World War I, the function of destroyers was to protect their own battle fleet from enemy torpedo attacks. The task of escorting merchant convoys was still in the future, an important development came with the construction of HMS Swift in 1884, later redesignated TB81. This was a torpedo boat with four 47 mm quick-firing guns. At 23.75 knots, while still not fast enough to engage torpedo boats reliably. Another forerunner of the torpedo boat destroyer was the Japanese torpedo boat Kotaka, designed to Japanese specifications and ordered from the London Yarrow shipyards in 1885, she was transported in parts to Japan, where she was assembled and launched in 1887. The 165-foot long vessel was armed with four 1-pounder quick-firing guns and six torpedo tubes, reached 19 knots, in her trials in 1889, Kotaka demonstrated that she could exceed the role of coastal defense, and was capable of accompanying larger warships on the high seas. The Yarrow shipyards, builder of the parts for the Kotaka, the first vessel designed for the explicit purpose of hunting and destroying torpedo boats was the torpedo gunboat. Essentially very small cruisers, torpedo gunboats were equipped with torpedo tubes, by the end of the 1890s torpedo gunboats were made obsolete by their more successful contemporaries, the torpedo boat destroyers, which were much faster. The first example of this was HMS Rattlesnake, designed by Nathaniel Barnaby in 1885, the gunboat was armed with torpedoes and designed for hunting and destroying smaller torpedo boats. Exactly 200 feet long and 23 feet in beam, she displaced 550 tons, built of steel, Rattlesnake was un-armoured with the exception of a 3⁄4-inch protective deck
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Reserve fleet
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A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed, and thus partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is said to be in mothballs or mothballed. In earlier times, and especially in British usage, these ships were said to be laid up in ordinary and they may be modified, for instance by having rust-prone areas sealed off or wrapped in plastic or, in the case of sailing warships, the masts removed. While being held in the fleet, ships typically have a minimal crew to ensure that they stay in somewhat usable condition. If for nothing else, their bilge pumps need to be run regularly to reduce corrosion of their steel, the British Reserve Fleet was a repository for British decommissioned warships from c.1800 until c. The United States National Defense Reserve Fleet, consists of about fifty World War II ships that have been moored in Suisun Bay near San Francisco since the 1950s or 60s, the fleet includes military troopships and tankers. In practice most reserve ships rapidly become obsolete and are scrapped, or used for experiments or target practice, or are sold to other nations, exporting the vessels for shipbreaking or dismantling are alternatives to reserve fleets. More recently, the U. S. Navy has established a program to allow ships, such as Oriskany, to be sunk in selected locations to create artificial reefs. Recycling is another option, as in the case of the United States National Defense Reserve Fleet, the ships of which are set to be stripped of their paint, cut into pieces, the practice of exporting and dismantling ships has caused international protests as they contain toxic materials. In 2007, following studies that found that 20 tons of lead paint had flaked off the ships of the NDRF, environmentalist groups sued to have them removed. The federal Maritime Administration has agreed to more than 50 of the ships as a result,25 of which has been removed by 2012. Aircraft boneyard National Defense Reserve Fleet Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet United States Navy reserve fleets Daniel Madsen
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LCVP (United States)
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The landing craft, vehicle, personnel or Higgins boat was a landing craft used extensively in amphibious landings in World War II. The craft was designed by Andrew Higgins based on boats made for operating in swamps, more than 20,000 were built, by Higgins Industries and licensees. Typically constructed from plywood, this shallow-draft, barge-like boat could ferry a platoon-sized complement of 36 men to shore at 9 knots. Men generally entered the boat by climbing down a cargo net hung from the side of their troop transport, they exited by charging down the boats bow ramp. Satisfactory in most respects, the major drawback appeared to be that equipment had to be unloaded. However, it was put into production and service as the craft, personnel. The LCP had two gun positions at the bow. The LCP, commonly called the U-boat or the Higgins boat, was supplied to the British, to whom it was known as the R-boat. Within one month, tests of the ramp-bow Eureka boat in Lake Pontchartrain showed conclusively that successful operation of such a boat was feasible and this boat became the Landing Craft, Personnel or LCP. The machine gun positions were still at the front of the boat, the design was still not ideal, because the ramp was a bottleneck for the troops, as was the case with the British Landing Craft Assault of the year before. The next step was to fit a full-width ramp, now troops could leave en masse and a small vehicle such as a Jeep could be carried, this new version became the LCVP, or simply, the Higgins boat. The machine gun positions were moved to the rear of the boat, at just over 36 ft long and just under 11 ft wide, the LCVP was not a large craft. Powered by a 225-horsepower Diesel engine at 12 knots, it would sway in choppy seas, since its sides and rear were made of plywood, it offered limited protection from enemy fire. The Higgins boat could hold either a 36-man platoon, a jeep and its shallow draft enabled it to run up onto the shoreline, and a semi-tunnel built into its hull protected the propeller from sand and other debris. The steel ramp at the front could be lowered quickly and it was possible for the Higgins boat to swiftly disembark men and supplies, reverse itself off the beach, and head back out to the supply ship for another load within three to four minutes. If Higgins had not designed and built those LCVPs, we never could have landed over an open beach, the whole strategy of the war would have been different. Only a few Higgins boats have survived, often with modifications for post-War use. A remarkably preserved Higgins boat, with the original Higgins motor, was discovered in a yard in Valdez, Alaska
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7th Marine Regiment (United States)
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The 7th Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California. Nicknamed the Magnificent Seventh, they fall under the command of the 1st Marine Division, conduct mechanized, combined-arms operations and other expeditionary operations in order to support theater engagement plans and contingency operations. During World War I, the 7th Marine Regiment immediately deployed to Cuba for two years and they were deactivated in the demobilization that followed the war. When the Marine Corps was once called upon to provide peacekeepers in the Caribbean. At the end of the crisis, 7th Marines was once again inactivated, on 1 January 1941, the 7th Marine Regiment was re-activated at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The regiment moved to what is today Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, on 18 September 1942 the regiment landed in the Solomon Islands on Guadalcanal. For four long months the regiment relentlessly attacked the Japanese defenders and repulsed banzai charges, again and again the regiment was called upon to storm the Japanese-held islands in the Pacific. The Seventh Marine Regiment fought in places as Eastern New Guinea, New Britain, Bloody Peleliu. After the surrender of Japan, 7th Marines took part in the Occupation of Northern China from 30 September 1945 through 5 January 1947 and they returned to MCB Camp Pendleton, California in January 1947 and were reassigned to the 1st Marine Division. The regiment was deactivated on 6 March 1947 as part of the Marine Corps draw down of forces after the war, 7th Marines however was quickly reactivated on 1 October 1947 but only as a shell of its former self as it consisted of only four companies. Company C deployed to China from 2 May through 23 June 1949 to safeguard the withdrawal of Americans and was the last element of Fleet Marine Force to depart China. On 17 August 1950, after the outbreak of the Korean War, the Regiment was reactivated, the regiment fought from Inchon to the Yalu, at The Frozen Chosin Reservoir and in the long defense of South Korea until the armistice. In fall of 1962, substantial parts of the regiment embarked for the Caribbean and possible action in Cuba, as the Cuban Missile Crisis subsided, The Seventh Marines returned to Camp Pendleton, California. In 1965, the regiment was deployed to South Vietnam, the last elements of 7th Marines departed the Republic of Vietnam 13 October 1970. They were part of the attack into Kuwait and eventual victory, in December 1992, RCT-7 deployed on Operation Restore Hope to relieve famine and return order to Somalia, remaining there for five months. On 13 August 1993, on the eve of the regiments 76th anniversary, in August 1996, organizational changes once again designated 3rd LAR Battalion and 1st Tank Battalion as separate battalions in direct support of the 7th Marines MPF Mission. Also in direct support is Delta Company 3rd AA Battalion who returned to 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, in January 2003, the 7th Marines deployed to Kuwait as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. On 21 March, the regiment crossed the line of departure into Iraq as it moved to seize, during the course of the next few weeks, the regiment continued the offensive to capture Baghdad and collapse the regime of Saddam Hussein
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Holland Smith
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Holland McTyeire Howlin Mad Smith, KCB was a general in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. He is sometimes called the father of modern U. S. amphibious warfare and his nickname, Howlin Mad Smith, had been given to him by his troops in the Dominican Republic in 1916. On the eve of World War II, General Smith directed extensive Army, Navy, and Marine amphibious training, during the Marianas operation, besides the V Amphibious Corps, he commanded all Expeditionary Troops, including those that recaptured Guam. He then served as the first Commanding General of Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, and headed Task Force 56 at Iwo Jima, Holland Smith was born on April 20,1882 in Hatchechubbee, Alabama to John V. Smith and his wife Cornelia Caroline McTyeire. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Auburn University in 1901 and he had already decided on a military career and had become first sergeant of a cavalry company in the Alabama National Guard. However, he obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Alabama in 1903 and practiced law in Montgomery and he then sought a commission in the Army, but as none were then open he was appointed a Marine second lieutenant on March 20,1905. He returned to the United States the following month and was stationed at the Marine Barracks, Annapolis, until December 1909 and he remained with the 1st Brigade until April 1914, when he took command of the Marine Detachment aboard USS Galveston. He served in capacity in Asiatic waters until July 1915. He returned to the United States the following month for duty at the Navy Yard, New Orleans, from there, he was ordered to the Dominican Republic in June 1916, as a member of the 4th Marine Regiment. During that units operations against rebel bandits, he saw action in the march to Santiago and engagements at La Pena and Kilometer 29. Returning to the United States on May 30,1917, he sailed for France, Smiths 8th Machine Gun company was assigned to the French Chasseurs Alpins to learn from the experienced French troops on the tactics of the War. After this time the 8th was assigned to a camp to off load arriving American vessels where Smith became second in command of the camp, on 25 November 1918 Smith was promoted to the temporary rank of major. Smith was detached from the 5th Marines and sent to the Army General Staff College at Langres and he was the first of only six Marines ever to complete this course. He was then named Adjutant of the 4th Marine Brigade, which was a part of the US Armys 2nd Infantry Division, during the fighting in and around Belleau Wood, he played a vital though undramatic role as Brigade liaison officer, overseeing internal communications within the Brigade. For his service at Belleau Wood, Smith was awarded the Croix de Guerre with palm by the French government. C, with the War Plans Section of the Office of Naval Operations. There, he was the first Marine officer to serve on the Joint Army-Navy Planning Committee, leaving Washington in May 1923, he served aboard the battleships Wyoming and Arkansas as Fleet Marine Officer, U. S. Scouting Fleet, until September of that year, in April 1931, Smith began another tour of sea duty, this time aboard the USS California as Aide to the Commander and Force Marine Officer of the Battle Force, U. S. Fleet. After the latter assignment, General Smith assumed command of the 1st Marine Brigade at Quantico, taking that unit to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in February 1941, when the brigade was redesignated the U. S
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1st Battalion, 5th Marines
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1st Battalion, 5th Marines is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California consisting of approximately 800 Marines and sailors. Nicknamed Geronimo, it falls under the command of the 5th Marine Regiment, the battalion was formed in 1914 and has served in every major conflict that the United States has been involved in since then. The battalion was disbanded upon their return to Norfolk, Virginia, on 25 May 1917, the battalion was activated and deployed to France on 1 June 1917. 1/5 participated in the following World War I campaigns, Aisne, Aisen-Marne, St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, Toulon-Troyon, Chateau-Thierry, Marabache, and Limey. 1/5 made its most notable contribution at the Battle of Belleau Wood on 6 June 1918, in a battle that claimed 325 1/5 lives, Gunnery Sergeant Ernest A. Janson became the first Marine to earn the Medal of Honor in World War I. From December 1918 to July 1919, the participated in the occupation of the German Rhineland. It then re-deployed to Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia and de-activated in August 1919, in July 1920 the battalion re-activated to provide security for the U. S. Mail. In March 1927, the Battalion deployed to stabilize the government of Nicaragua against overthrow attempts by rebel forces. For the next six years, they aided the Nicaraguan government until peace was finally restored, 1/5 was deactivated in January 1933. Shortly thereafter the battalion was re-activated in September 1934 in Quantico, Virginia, in November 1934, the 1st Battalion was reactivated for the fourth time, only to be deactivated in March 1935. Shortly before World War II in April 1940, 1st Battalion was again reactivated, the fighting in World War II found the Marines of 1st Battalion at Guadalcanal, New Guinea, Peleliu, and Okinawa. Landing at Orange Beach 1 and Orange Beach 2 on D-Day, September 15,1944 and this costly maneuver of Japanese tanks and a company-sized infantry element would be the sole instance of open Japanese maneuver during the months-long Battle of Peleliu. In April 1946, their mission accomplished, 1st Battalion was disbanded, during October 1949, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines was reactivated in Camp Pendleton, California. During August 1950, the Battalion deployed to fight the Communist force invading the Republic of Korea, names such as the Pusan Perimeter, Inchon, Seoul and Chosin Reservoir were added to the Battalions battle vocabulary. At the close of hostilities, the 1st Battalion returned to the United States, from June 1966 to March 1971, 1/5 was deployed to Vietnam. The battalion participated in action around Chu Lai, Danang, Quang Nam, Que Son Valley, Hoi An, Phu Loc, the unit was deactivated in June 1974 but once again was quickly reactivated in March 1975. The battalion played a role in the Battle of Hue City during February 1968. Engaging the enemy in the famous Citadel on the side of the Perfume River
United States
