3rd Battalion 6th Marines is 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

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 ...

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 ...

. Also known as "Teufelhunden", it consists of approximately 1000 Marines and Sailors. They fall under the 6th Marine Regiment 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

* H&S Company * India Company * Kilo Company * Lima Company * Weapons Company

History

World War I

3rd Battalion 6th Marines was activated on August 14, 1917, at

Quantico, Virginia Quantico ( or ; formerly Potomac) is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 480 at the 2010 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, DC, bordered by the Potomac River to the east ...

, as the 3rd Battalion, 6th Regiment. They were quickly deployed during October–November 1917 to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and assigned to the 4th Brigade, American Expeditionary Force. They participated in the following

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

offensive campaigns: Aisne-Marne,

Saint-Mihiel Saint-Mihiel () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Geography Saint-Mihiel lies on the banks of the river Meuse. History A Benedictine abbey was established here in 708 or 709 by Count Wulfoalde and his wif ...

and the Meuse-Argonne. They also participated in the following World War I defensive campaigns: Toulon-Troyon, Chateau-Thiery, Marabache, and Limey. Following the war they took part in the occupation of the

Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

, December 1918-July 1919. They returned during July–August 1919 to Quantico, Virginia. The battalion was deactivated August 20, 1919 3/6 was reactivated June 14, 1922, at Quantico, Virginia, as the 3rd Battalion, 6th Regiment and assigned to the 4th Brigade. They participated in maneuvers at

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Gettysburg (; non-locally ) is a borough and the county seat of Adams County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg (1863) and President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address are named for this town. Gettysburg is home to th ...

, June–July 1922 and attached to the Marine Corps Expeditionary Force. They were shortly thereafter deactivated August 10, 1922, at Quantico, Virginia Again reactivated June 12, 1924, at Santo Domingo,

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 ...

they were relocated during July 1924 to Guantanamo Bay,

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. They moved during January 1925 to Quantico, Virginia and were again deactivated February 1, 1925. Reactivated April 1927 at Norfolk, Virginia, as the 3rd Battalion, 6th Regiment and assigned to the provisional regiment. They deployed during April–July 1927 to

Tientsin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

, China and reassigned to the 3rd Marine Brigade. The Battalion was redesignated October 4, 1927, as the 1st Battalion, 12 Regiment and redesignated again on April 22, 1928, as the 3rd Battalion, 6th Regiment. In October 1928 they moved to

San Diego, California 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 Stat ...

and were deactivated November 10, 1928.

World War II

3/6 was again reactivated on November 1, 1940, in San Diego, California, as the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines and assigned to the 2nd Marine Brigade. In the spring of 1941 they deployed to

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

and were reassigned to the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade. They returned January–February 1942 to San Diego, California and reassigned to the

. Deployed during October–November 1942 to

Wellington, New Zealand Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

they participated in the following World War II campaigns: Guadalcanal, Southern Solomons,

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

Saipan,

Tinian Tinian ( or ; old Japanese name: 天仁安島, ''Tenian-shima'') is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Together with uninhabited neighboring Aguiguan, it forms Tinian Municipality, one of the ...

and

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

. Following the war they were relocated 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. They participated in the Occupation of Japan, September 1945 to February 1946 and arrived back in

Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by O ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

during February–March 1946. They were again deactivated March 27, 1946.

Post-World War II

3/6 was again brought back on October 17, 1949, on board USS Fremont and assigned to the 2nd Marine Division. The battalion relocated during August 1950 to Camp Pendleton, California and once again were deactivated September 11, 1950. 3/6 was quickly reactivated September 12, 1950, at

and assigned to the 2nd Marine Division. They deployed at various times as Battalion Landing Team 3/6 in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

and Caribbean from April 1952 to 1958

1958-2000

* Participated in the Landings in Lebanon, July–October 1958 * Participated in the Cuban Missile Crisis, October–December 1962 * Participated in

Operation Power Pack 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 democratica ...

, April–May 1965 * Participated in reinforcement of naval base, Guantanamo Bay,

, October–November 1979 *1982 3/6 Became the First Reorganized Rifle Bn. (SOC) Special Operations Capable in The Marine Corps. * Kilo company participated in

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

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 ...

, December 1989-January 1990 * Participated in

Operation Desert Shield The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

and

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

Southwest Asia Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...

, December 1990-April 1991 * Participated in

Operation Restore Hope The Unified Task Force (UNITAF) was a United States-led, United Nations-sanctioned multinational force which operated in Somalia from 5 December 1992 until 4 May 1993. A United States initiative (code-named Operation Restore Hope), U ...

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Oc ...

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

, January–March 1994 * Participated preparations for

Operation Uphold Democracy Operation Uphold Democracy was a military intervention designed to remove the military regime installed by the 1991 Haitian coup d'état that overthrew the elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The operation was effectively authorized by t ...

, Haiti, July–August 1994 * Participated in Operation Sea Signal, Guantanamo Bay,

, January–March 1995 * Participated in

Operation Southern Watch Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from Summer 1992 to Spring 2003. United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of mon ...

/ Operation Desert Thunder,

, February–March 1998

Global War on Terror

The battalion participated in Operation Enduring Freedom in

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 ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

from November 2001 until February 2002. During this time they assisted in the capture and defense of Kandahar Airfield and as well as the defense of the American Embassy in

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 ...

in December 2001. From the summer of 2002 to March 2004, the battalion functioned as the Marine Corps Anti-Terrorism Battalion known as the 4th MEB deploying forces in support of Combined Joint Task Force-180 to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, Joint Task Force-GTMO in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and in support of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa in Djibouti. In March 2004 the battalion resumed their function as an infantry battalion and deployed to eastern Afghanistan from April 2004 to December 2004 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Operation Iraqi Freedom

In August 2005, 3/6 made their first deployment to

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 ...

in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. They returned from Iraq in late March 2006 having served in the Al-Anbar province in the Al-Qaim region, an insurgent staging area for travel south to disrupt regional stability. In October 2005, the battalion performed Operation Ironfist and successfully swept and cleared the cities of Sadah and Eastern Karabilah taking minimal casualties. They also operated as the main effort under RCT-2 alongside

2nd Battalion 1st Marines 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines (2/1) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Horno on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. Nicknamed "The Professionals," the battalion consists of approximately 1,200 Mar ...

during Operation Steel Curtain during which they raided, swept, and cleared the cities of Husaybah and Karabilah. Marines from the battalion also took part in Operation Northern Forge and Operation Murfreesboro. In January 2007, 3/6 deployed to the Al Anbar province at Camp Habbaniyah; operating from western Ramadi to eastern/southern Fallujah. They returned from a 7-month deployment on August 12, 2007, In April 2008, 3/6 deployed to the Al Anbar province at Camp Baharia; near Fallujah, under

Regimental Combat Team 1 The 1st Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. The regiment is under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force. The 1s ...

. They returned from a 7-month deployment on October 27, 2008.

Operation Enduring Freedom

In January 2010, 3/6 deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. During this time the battalion participated in

Operation Moshtarak Operation Moshtarak (Dari for ''Together'' or ''Joint''), also known as the Battle of Marjah, was an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) pacification offensive in the town of Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. It involved a comb ...

, securing and operating in the north of Marjah. They returned from this deployment in August 2010. In June 2011, 3/6 re-deployed again to Marjah and its surrounding areas. In December 2014, 3/6 deployed to the Mediterranean in support of the 24th MEU. They returned from this deployment in June 2015.

Operation Inherent Resolve

In February 2017, 3/6 deployed again on the 24th MEU. A platoon from each company deployed to Syria in support of Operation Inherent Resolve in order to clear IS militants from Ar Raqqah, Syria.

Battalion Indian head patch

During

the Fifth and Sixth Marines fought in France as the Fourth Marine Brigade of the US Army's 2nd Infantry Division were forced to wear the Army's uniform. The Marines had only the eagle, globe, and anchor on their soft covers to distinguish themselves from their Army brothers-in-arms. As this did not sit well with the Marines, a patch was designed to distinguish them from their counterparts. A black shield with one five-pointed star and an Indian head with full war bonnet was selected. It is said that the black was for mourning and respect for their casualties, the shield for defense, and the star for the Second Division Commander, Brigadier General John A. Lejeune, and the Indian for General Lejeune's nickname "Old Indian." Another source says the patch was derived from a U.S. Coin in circulation at the time. General Lejeune himself gave a somewhat different history as to the origin of the patch in his 1930 autobiography "The Reminiscences of a Marine." He states; "There was no inferiority complex about the Second Division. We knew that we were second to none, but also that we were better than any! So we adopted the star and Indian head as Division Insignia, the Indian head representing its fighting ability, and the star its spirit or espirit de corps. It was, I think, the First Division of the A.E.F. ( American Expeditionary Force) to wear insignia." "We carried the idea out, too, to its logical conclusion by providing a different background for each regiment, each Battalion, and each separate detachment." The Sixth Marine Regiment used the same design in a diamond shape instead of a shield. The color of the background on which the star was placed shows the battalion: black, headquarters; green, supply; purple, machine-gun company; red,

First Battalion ''Panzer Elite Action: Fields of Glory'' (sometimes just ''Panzer Elite Action'') is a video game, developed by ZootFly and published by JoWooD Productions. It was released in Europe in 2006, but was not released in North America. Gameplay ''Pa ...

; yellow,

Second Battalion The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds each ...

; and blue, third battalion.

Notable former members

Joseph F. Dunford, Jr. Joseph Francis Dunford Jr. (born December 23, 1955) is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general, who served as the 19th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1, 2015, until September 30, 2019. He was the 36th commandant ...

* Daniel Daly

Honors & awards

The unit has received the following awards: * Presidential Unit Citation Streamer **

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

Operation Moshtarak, Marjah 2010 * Navy Unit Commendation Streamer with four

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 ...

1965 **

1989-1990 **

1990-1991 **

2001-2002 **Husaybah/Fallujah 2007 * Meritorious Unit Commendation Streamer with two bronze star **Guantanamo Bay 1979, 1985–1987 **LF5F Med. Deployment 1999-2000 * World War I victory streamer with one silver star * Army of Occupation of Germany streamer * Marine Corps Expeditionary streamer with two bronze stars * Yangtze Service streamer * American Defense Service streamer with one bronze star * European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign streamer * Asiatic-Pacific campaign streamer with one silver and one bronze star * World War II Victory streamer * Navy Occupation Service streamer with "Asia" and "Europe" * National Defense Service streamer with two bronze stars *

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 two bronze stars * Armed Forces Expeditionary streamer with two bronze stars *

Afghanistan Campaign Medal The Afghanistan Campaign Medal (ACM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created by Executive Order 13363 of President George W. Bush on November 29, 2004, and became available for general distribution in June 2005. Th ...

with two bronze stars *

Iraq Campaign Medal The Iraq Campaign Medal (ICM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created by Executive Order 13363 of U.S. President George W. Bush on 29 November 2004, and became available for general distribution in June 2005 ...

with four bronze stars *

Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal The Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (GWOT-EM) is a United States Armed Forces award created by George W. Bush on 12 March 2003, through Executive Order 13289. The medal recognizes those military service members who have deployed ove ...

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (GWOT-SM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created through Executive Order 13289 on 12 March 2003, by President George W. Bush. The medal recognizes those military service ...

*French Croix de Guerre with two palms and one gilt star *French

Fourragère The ''fourragère'' () is a military award, distinguishing military units as a whole, in the form of a braided cord. The award was first adopted by France, followed by other nations such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, and Luxembourg. Fou ...

References

Sources

Bibliography

Web

3/6's official website
{{2ndMarDiv Infantry battalions of the United States Marine Corps