1st Marine Division (United States)

1st Marine Division
1st Marine Division insignia
Active	Full division active 1 February 1941 – present. 5th Marine Regiment served in World War I
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Marine ground combat element forces
Role	Command and control organization containing four Marine regiments and several separate combat support battalions
Size	Marine Division (Approximately 22,000)
Part of	I Marine Expeditionary Force
Garrison/HQ	Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
Nickname(s)	The Old Breed Blue Diamond
Motto(s)	No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy
March	"Waltzing Matilda"
Engagements	World War I Third Battle of the Aisne Battle of Belleau Wood Battle of Château-Thierry (1918) Battle of Saint-Mihiel Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge Meuse-Argonne Offensive World War II Guadalcanal Campaign Battle of Cape Gloucester Battle of Peleliu Battle of Okinawa Korean War Battle of Pusan Perimeter Battle of Inchon Second Battle of Seoul Battle of Chosin Reservoir First and Second Battles of Wonju Battle of the Punchbowl Cold War Cuban Missile Crisis Vietnam War Operation Starlite Operation Piranha Operation Hastings Operation Union Operation Union II Operation Swift Operation Allen Brook Tet Offensive Gulf War Battle of Khafji Battle of Kuwait International Airport Liberation of Kuwait Somali Civil War Operation Restore Hope Iraq War Invasion of Iraq Battle of Baghdad First Battle of Fallujah Second Battle of Fallujah War in Afghanistan (2001–14) Helmand province campaign Operation Strike of the Sword Operation Moshtarak
Commanders
Current commander	MajGen Daniel J. O'Donohue
Notable commanders	Holland Smith Alexander Vandegrift William H. Rupertus Oliver P. Smith James M. Masters, Sr. Edwin A. Pollock James Mattis Pedro Del Valle

World War I

World War II

Korean War

Cold War

Vietnam War

Gulf War

Somali Civil War

Iraq War

War in Afghanistan (2001–14)

The 1st Marine Division is a Marine infantry division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF).

It is the oldest and largest active duty division in the United States Marine Corps, representing a combat-ready force of more than 19,000 men and women. It is one of three active duty divisions in the Marine Corps today and is a multi-role, expeditionary ground combat force. It is nicknamed "The Old Breed".

The division is employed as the ground combat element (GCE) of the I Marine Expeditionary Force or may provide task-organized forces for assault operations and such operations as may be directed. The 1st Marine Division must be able to provide the ground amphibious forcible entry capability to the naval expeditionary force (NEF) and to conduct subsequent land operations in any operational environment.

The 1st Marine Division is currently organized around four regiments:

The division's regiments were in existence as early as 8 March 1911, when the 1st Marine Regiment was formed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The 5th Marines were created in Vera Cruz, Mexico on 13 July 1914 and participated in 15 major engagements during World War I, including Belleau Wood, Chateau Thierry, and St. Mihiel. On 7 August 1917,7th Marines were activated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and spent the duration of World War I in Cuba and were disbanded after the war. The 11th Marines was formed in January 1918 at Quantico, Va., as a light artillery regiment. The regiment went to France as an infantry unit, providing a machine gun company and a guard company. Decommissioned and reactivated twice between the world wars, the regiment was re-formed in 1940 as a full-fledged artillery unit.