Military

3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines

The unit was activated on 18 January 1941 at San Diego, CA as the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines and was assigned to the Second Marine Brigade. The unit was reassigned during February 1941 to 2nd Marine Division.

The unit deployed to Koro Island from June through July 1942.

During World War II the unit participated in the campaigns at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian and Okinawa. In December 1945 the unit was redeployed to Kagoshima, Japan and in February 1946 the unit returned to Camp Pendleton, CA.

The 3/2 was deactivated 27 March 1946.

It was later reactivated on 28 December 1950 at Camp Pendleton, CA as 3rd Battalion, 2d Marines and assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force. It was assigned at various times from 1951 to the present as Battalion Land Team in the Caribnnean and Mediterranean. The unit participated in the Cuban Missile Crisis from November through December 1962.

It began taking part in NATO exercises in the 1970s, and continues to do so to this day.

It has been placed under the operational control of the 3rd Marine Division over various times thoughout the 1980s and to the present for deployment to the Western Pacific.

3-2 Marines has participated in numerous exercises during the 1990s to the present including Compined Arms Exercise at Twenty-Nine Palms, CA and Battle Griffin in Trondheim, Norway.

The unit deployed from August 1990 to April 1991, as part of the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade in support of operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

In August 1994 the 3-2 took part in Operation Restore Hope and UNOSOM II in Somalia.

The unit participated in Operation Deny Flight and Provide Promise during 1994 while operating in the Adriatic.

It deployed from July to October 1995 as part of JTF-160 to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in support of Operation Sea Gull.

The unit took part in Operation Dynamic Response 98 in Bosnia-Herzgovina in support of Stabilization Force Joint Guard in March and April 1998.

The unit took part in Determined Falcon 98 in Albania/Montenegro in support of Operation Deliberate Guard in June 1998.

In August through September 2000 the unit fought wild forest fires in Salmon, Idaho.

In July through August 2001 the unit took part in Combined Arms Exercise at Twenty-Nine Palms, Ca.