The 3rd Dental Battalion is a unit of the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
that supports
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 ...
forces on
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 ...
,
Japan. The battalion includes nine dental clinics, approximately 77
Dental Officers, 4
Medical Service Corps officers, 181
Dental Technicians
A dental technologist (dental laboratory technician) is a member of the dental team who, upon prescription from a dental clinician, constructs custom-made restorative and dental appliances.
There are four major disciplines within dental technol ...
, and 26 civilians. The unit is based out of
Camp Foster
Camp Foster, formerly known as Camp Zukeran ( ja, キャンプ・フォスター), is a United States Marine Corps camp located in Ginowan City with portions overlapping into Okinawa City, Chatan town and Kitanakagusuku village in the Japane ...
and falls under the command of the
3rd Marine Logistics Group
The 3rd Marine Logistics Group (3rd MLG) is the Logistics Combat Element (LCE) for III Marine Expeditionary Force currently headquartered on Camp Kinser, Marine Corps Base Smedley D. Butler, Okinawa, Japan. 3rd MLG provides combat service sup ...
and the
III Marine Expeditionary Force
III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) is a formation of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force of the United States Marine Corps. It is forward-deployed and able to rapidly conduct operations across the spectrum from humanitarian assistance and ...
.
Mission
Ensure dental readiness and optimize dental health for all beneficiaries while supporting operational and humanitarian mission.
Subordinate units
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Headquarters and Services Company
*
3rd Dental Company
*
11th Dental Company
*
21st Dental Company
*
U.S. Naval Dental Center.
History
The 3rd Dental Battalion was activated on November 1, 1979, at
Camp Kinser
Camp Kinser is a United States Marine Corps logistics base in Okinawa, Japan.
Overview
Camp Kinser is a major logistics base for Marine Corps Forces on Okinawa. Its flagship command is the 3rd Marine Logistics Group. It sits adjacent to the Ea ...
, Okinawa, Japan and assigned to the 3rd Force Service Support Group, Fleet Marine Forces, Pacific. 3rd Dental Company and 11th Dental Company were activated in 1955. Both companies served in the
Republic of Vietnam
South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of t ...
from June 1965 to November 1969 and were awarded the
Presidential Unit Citation, the
National Defense Service Medal
The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four ...
,
Vietnam Service Medal
The Vietnam Service Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces established on 8 July 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The medal is awarded to recognize service during the Vietnam War by all members of the U.S. Arm ...
and the
Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with palm. 3rd Dental Battalion headquarters relocated from Camp Kinser to Camp Foster in April 1992.
See also
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List of United States Marine Corps battalions
This is a list of current United States Marine Corps battalions, sorted by the mission they perform.
__TOC__
Active units
Ground Combat Element battalions
The ground combat element (GCE) consists of those combat and combat support units whose ...
*
Organization of the United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is organized within the Department of the Navy, which is led by the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV). The most senior Marine commissioned officer is the Commandant of the Marine Corps, responsible for organizing, recr ...
External links
3rd Dental Battalion's official website3rd Dental Battalion on the Marines website
{{US Marine Corps navbox
Medical battalions of the United States Marine Corps
Naval dentistry