3rd Battalion, 6th Marines (3/6) is an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

battalion in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

based out of Camp Lejeune,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. Also known as "Teufelhunden" ( Devil Dogs), the battalion consists of approximately 1000 Marines and Sailors. 3/6 falls under the command of the 6th Marine Regiment and the 2nd Marine Division.

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 (; formerly Potomac) is a town in southeastern Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 578 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., bound ...

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

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and assigned to the 4th Brigade,

American Expeditionary Force The American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) was a formation of the United States Armed Forces on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I, composed mostly of units from the United States Army, U.S. Army. The AEF was establis ...

. They participated in the following

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

offensive campaigns: Aisne-Marne, Saint-Mihiel 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, 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, 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 they were relocated during July 1924 to Guantanamo Bay,

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. They moved during January 1925 to Quantico, Virginia and were again deactivated February 1, 1925. Reactivated April 1927 at

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

, as the 3rd Battalion, 6th Regiment and assigned to the provisional regiment. They deployed during April–July 1927 to Tientsin,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

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 coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

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 city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

and were reassigned to the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade. They returned January–February 1942 to San Diego, California and reassigned to the 2nd Marine Division. Deployed during October–November 1942 to

Wellington, New Zealand Wellington is Capital of New Zealand, 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 List of cities in New Zealand, third-largest city ...

they participated in the following World War II campaigns: Guadalcanal, Southern Solomons, Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian and Okinawa. Following the war they were relocated during September 1945 to Nagasaki,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. They participated in the Occupation of Japan, September 1945 to February 1946 and arrived back in Camp Pendleton,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

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 Camp Lejeune,

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 east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

and

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

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, Dominican Republic, 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,

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

, December 1989-January 1990 * Participated in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, Southwest Asia, December 1990-April 1991 * Participated in Operation Restore Hope,

Mogadishu Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

, January–March 1994 * Participated preparations for

Operation Uphold Democracy Operation Uphold Democracy was a multinational military intervention designed to remove the military regime led and installed by Raoul Cédras after the 1991 Haitian coup d'état overthrew the elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The op ...

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

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

, January–March 1995 * Participated in Operation Southern Watch / Operation Desert Thunder, Southwest Asia, February–March 1998

Global War on Terror

The battalion participated in Operation Enduring Freedom in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

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 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. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

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, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

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 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. 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, 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. (

) 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; yellow, Second Battalion; and blue, third battalion.

Notable former members

* Joseph F. Dunford, Jr. * Daniel Daly * Jared Golden * Julian D. Alford

Honors & awards

The unit has received the following awards: * Presidential Unit Citation Streamer ** Tarawa 1943 ** Operation Moshtarak, Marjah 2010 * Navy Unit Commendation Streamer with four bronze stars ** Dominican Republic 1965 **

1989-1990 ** Southwest Asia 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 with two bronze stars * Armed Forces Expeditionary streamer with two bronze stars * Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two bronze stars * Iraq Campaign Medal with four bronze stars * Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal * Global War on Terrorism Service Medal *French Croix de Guerre with two palms and one gilt star *French Fourragère

References

Sources

Bibliography

Web

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