3rd Battalion 2nd Marines | |
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3/2 Insignia
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Active | 18 January 1941 – 27 March 1946 28 December 1950 – present |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Marine Corps |
Type | Light infantry |
Role | Locate, close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver |
Part of |
2nd Marine Regiment 2nd Marine Division |
Garrison/HQ | Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune |
Nickname(s) | "Betio Bastards" |
Motto(s) | "Unus Supra" (Latin) "One above" "We quell the storm, and ride the thunder!" Most Recently: "Strength and Honor" |
Colors | Red, Black, & Gold |
Engagements | |
Commanders | |
Current commander |
Lt Col Sean P Dynan |
Operation Desert Storm
Somalia Civil War
3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines (3/2) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Consisting of approximately 1000 Marines and Sailors and nicknamed the "Betio Bastards", they fall under the command of the 2nd Marine Regiment of the 2nd Marine Division.
Activated 18 January 1941 at San Diego, California. They were assigned to the 2nd Marine Brigade during February 1941 and deployed to Koro Island with the 2nd Marine Division in June 1942. The battalion participated in the following World War II campaigns:
During the Battle of Tarawa, the battalion participated in the amphibious assault on, and the capture of, the small island of Betio in the Tarawa atoll, earning them the nickname "the Betio Bastards."
Following the war, the battalion stood occupation duty in Kagoshima, Japan until February 1946 when they redeployed to Camp Pendleton, California. The battalion was deactivated on 27 March 1946.
3/2 was reactivated on 28 December 1950 at Camp Pendleton and were again assigned to the 2nd Marine Division. They deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. The battalion deployed to Saudi Arabia in August 1990 and participated in Operation Desert Storm in early 1991. In 1994 they participated in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia and Operation Deny Flight and Operation Provide Promise.