Military

6th Marines

The Sixth Marine Regiment is one of three infantry regiments in the Second Marine Division. The regiment is comprised of three infantry battalions of about 900 Marines and Sailors each, and a regimental headquarters company of 250 Marines and Sailors. Our mission is to be capable of deploying on short notice, via air, sea or land transport to any spot in the world to fight and win. This deployment may be as a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) headquarters or as the Ground Combat Element of a larger MAGTF. The regimental headquarters also has the task of providing trained and ready battalions for assignment to Marine Expeditionary Units for deployment to the U. S. European Command Area of Responsibility or to the Unit Deployment Program to Okinawa.

The 6th Marines have trained in varied climates and places in recent years. They have participated in unusual and imaginative exercises from fire team to MAF level. Planning continues for the future, utilizing the lessons learned in the past. The regiment has had many Medal of Honor recipients. Those who have received the Navy Cross, Silver Star, or Bronze Star in combat simply are too numerous to list. The same goes for the many who earned the Purple Heart the hard way. This also holds true for those dedicated stalwarts who have won meritorious decorations both in peace and war. Without the devotion to duty of all these people, the fame of the 6th Marines would not exist. In summary, the regiment has been fortunate in the quality of its leadership ever since its inception. In addition to three Commandants, the list of its members who attained general officer rank of one to four stars is again too long to enumerate. Some, who, because of personal reasons, chose to pursue civilian careers have risen in their professions to creditable heights and are still proud of their Marine Corps and 6th Marine heritage.

In 1918, Marines of the 5th and 6th Regiments, by their heroic deeds of valor, inscribed the names of momentous and brilliant battles on pages of Marine Corps history. They have the single honor of being the only two regiments in the American European Forces to receive three citations; two in the Order of the Army and one in the Order of the Corps, the Fourragere and the Croix de Guerre with two Palms and one Guilt Star. The first award of the Croix de Guerre came after the battle of Belleau Wood, "in recognition of the brilliant courage, the vigor and tenacity [of Marines who] overcame all hardships and losses and captured the village of Bouresches and Belleau Wood." The second award of the Croix de Guerre followed shortly after the Battle of Soissons, where Marines of the 5th and 6th Regiments, tired, hungry, and thirsty, without adequate weapons, armed with only a rifle and bayonet, smashed through the enemy positions in one of the most dashing victories of the war, capturing hundreds of guns and thousands of prisoners. The final award came after the battle of Champagne, which opened the Western approaches to the Argonne.