3rd Battalion 8th Marines (3/8) was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

battalion in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

, consisting of approximately 1,100 Marines and Sailors. The battalion fell under the command of the

8th Marine Regiment The 8th Marine Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. When last active, it was based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and fell under the command of the 2nd Marine Division and the II Marine Exped ...

and the

2nd Marine Division The 2nd Marine Division (2nd MARDIV) is a division of the United States Marine Corps, which forms the ground combat element of the II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF). The division is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Caroli ...

Subordinate units

* Headquarters and Service Company * Company I * Company K * Company L * Weapons Company

Mission

The mission of the Marine Corps rifle squad is to locate, close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver and/ or repel enemy assault by fire and close combat.

History

World War II

The battalion was activated on November 1, 1940, in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

and was assigned to the 2nd Marine Brigade. The 2nd Marine Brigade was re-designated February 1, 1941, as

. It participated in the action at the

Battle of Guadalcanal The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the ...

, Battle of Tarawa,

Battle of Saipan The Battle of Saipan was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands from 15 June to 9 July 1944 as part of Operation Forager. It has been referred to as the "Pacific D-Day" with the ...

Battle of Tinian The Battle of Tinian was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the island of Tinian in the Mariana Islands from 24 July until 1 August 1944. The 8,000-man Japanese garrison was eliminated, and the island joined Saipan ...

and the Battle of Okinawa. Following the surrender of Japan, they re-deployed during September 1945 to

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole Nanban trade, port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hi ...

, Japan and participated in occupation of Japan from until February 1946. The battalion was deactivated March 26, 1946.

1950s & 1960s

3/8 was reactivated on January 15, 1951, at

Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune () is a United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports ( Wilming ...

, as 3rd and was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division. During the 1960s they participated in the Cuban Missile Crisis from October to December 1962 and

Operation Powerpack The Dominican Civil War (), also known as the April Revolution (), took place between April 24, 1965, and September 3, 1965, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It started when civilian and military supporters of the overthrown democraticall ...

in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

in 1965.

1970s

3/8 went to the Med in January 1979 as part of the 32 MAU. Major Oliver North was 3/8’s S3 officer.

1980s & 1990s

3/8 went to the Med in January 1980 and 1981as part of the 32 MAU. The company first sergeant Lewis G. Lee would eventually become Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps. The battalion was part of the Multi-Nation Peace Keeping Force in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

from October 1982 to February 1983, and February through October 1984. * Participated in

Operation Sharp Edge Operation Sharp Edge was a non-combatant evacuation operation carried out by the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (22nd MEU) and 26th MEU of the United States Marine Corps in Liberia in 1990 and 1991. The MEUs were supported by Amphibious Squadro ...

in Liberia during August 1990. * Participated in

Operation Provide Comfort Operation Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II were military operations initiated by the United States and other Coalition nations of the Persian Gulf War, starting in April 1991, to defend Kurdish refugees fleeing their homes in northern I ...

in northern

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

during April and July 1991. * Participated in

Operation Deny Flight Operation Deny Flight was a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operation that began on 12 April 1993 as the enforcement of a United Nations (UN) no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The United Nations and NATO later expanded the mis ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

, March- September 1993. * Participated in

, Bosnia, April - September 1995. * Participated in Operation Assured Response, Liberia, June - August 1996. * Element Participated in Operation Quick Response, Central African Republic, June 1996. * Participated in

Operation Joint Endeavor The Implementation Force (IFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peace enforcement force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename ''Operation Joint Endeavour''. Background NAT ...

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

October 1996. * Elements participated in security operations Haiti and

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

November 1997 – February 1998 and January – August 1999. * Participated in

Operation Noble Anvil The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until an a ...

, Operation Shining Hope and

Operation Joint Guardian Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Operation (game), ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * Operations (magazine ...

, April 1999-October 1999.

Global War on Terror

USMC parachutist Afghanistan 081208-M-0000J-002a

* Participated in Operation Enduring Freedom,

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, December 2001 - September 2002. During this time companies from 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines guarded the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. * Participated in Operation Secure Tomorrow, Port au Prince, Haiti, March - June 2004. * Participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Karmah,

, January - August 2005. * Participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom,

Ramadi Ramadi ( ar, ٱلرَّمَادِي ''Ar-Ramādī''; also formerly rendered as ''Rumadiyah'' or ''Rumadiya'') is a city in central Iraq, about west of Baghdad and west of Fallujah. It is the capital and largest city of Al Anbar Governorate w ...

, March - mid October 2006 * Served as the ground combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit from February 2007 - February 2008, during which elements participated in Operation Sea Angel II in

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

. * Participated in Operation Enduring Freedom,

October 2008 - May 2009. In December 2008, the Marines of India Company provided security for Operation Backstop — protecting large British logistics convoy that moved equipment and supplies for Coalition combat operations in

Helmand Province Helmand (Pashto/Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering area. The province contains 13 ...

. Mainly

Nawzad, Afghanistan Nawzad ( ps, نوزاد; also Now Zad) is a small town, the centre of Nawzad District in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. It is located at at an altitude of 1221 metres ASL. It was the site of the Battle of Nawzad. Surrounded to the southwest a ...

. * Served as the ground combat element of the

26th Marine Expeditionary Unit The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (26th MEU) is one of seven such units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. It is an air-ground task force with a strength of about 2,400 personnel when at full strength during a deployment. ...

from April 2010 - May 2011, during which elements were deployed into Afghanistan from January–May 2011 in the Nahri Saraj District of Helmand province. * Elements participated in Odyssey Dawn and Unified Protector while deployed aboard 26 MEU * Participated in Operation Enduring Freedom,

Marjah Marjah (also spelled Marjeh; Pashto/ fa, ) is an agricultural town in southern Afghanistan. It has been reported to have a population between 80,000 and 125,000, but some sources argue that its population is much smaller and is spread across 80 t ...

, April 2012 - December 2012. Defense

Deactivation

Commandant Gen. David H. Berger, former Commanding Officer of 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, released a press statement stating,"Developing a force that incorporates emerging technologies and a significant change to force structure within our current resource constraints will require the Marine Corps to become smaller and remove legacy capabilities". In May 2020, 3rd Battalion was listed as one of the units proposed to be deactivated. U.S. Marine Corps Col. John H. Rochford, the commanding officer of 8th Marine Regiment, and Sgt. Maj. Keith D. Hoge, the sergeant major of 8th Marine Reg., both with 2d Marine Division, cased the regimental colors during a deactivation ceremony on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Jan. 28, 2021.

Awards

United States Navy Presidential Unit Citation ribbon

Presidential Unit Citation Streamer with 2

bronze stars The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

Joint Meritorious Unit Award Streamer * Navy Unit Commendation ribbon

Navy Unit Commendation Streamer with 1

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

and 2 bronze stars * Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon

Meritorious Unit Commendation Sreamer with 2 bronze stars * Marine Corps Expeditionary ribbon

Marine Corps Expeditionary Streamer with 2 bronze stars *

American Defense Service Medal Streamer * Asiatic-Pacific Campaign ribbon

Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Streamer with 1 silver star * World War II Victory Medal ribbon

World War II Victory Streamer * Army of Occupation ribbon

Navy Occupation Service Streamer with "Asia" and "Europe" Marine Patrol Helmand Province w

National Defense Service Streamer with 3 bronze stars * Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal ribbon

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamer with 1 bronze star * Southwest Asia Service Medal ribbon

Southwest Asia Service Streamer The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east ...

with 1 bronze star * Kosovo Campaign Streamer with 2 bronze stars * Afghanistan Campaign Streamer with 3 bronze stars * Iraqi Campaign Streamer with 1 bronze star *

Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary ribbon

Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Streamer *

Global War on Terrorism Service Streamer NAVMC 2922, MMMA, 26 November 2019 and the Historical Resources Branch, Marine Corps History Division

Notes

References

: ;Bibliography * Rottman, Gordon L., "U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle: Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939-1945". Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. 2002. ;Web
3/8's official website

External links

CNN report on 3/8 fighting in Ramadi, Iraq
{{2ndMarDiv Infantry battalions of the United States Marine Corps