5th Marine Regiment/"5th Marines" | |
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5th Marine Regiment insignia
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Active | 1917 – 1919; 1920 - 1930; 1934 - present |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Marine Corps |
Type | Light infantry |
Size | 4,800 |
Part of |
1st Marine Division I Marine Expeditionary Force |
Garrison/HQ | MCB Camp Pendleton |
Nickname(s) | "The Fighting Fifth" |
Engagements | |
Commanders | |
Commander | Colonel George C. Schreffler III |
Notable commanders |
Charles A. Doyen Hiram I. Bearss Wendell Neville Logan Feland Samuel Harrington Julian C. Smith Charles Barrett Alfred H. Noble LeRoy P. Hunt Merritt A. Edson Oliver P. Smith Victor H. Krulak John T. Selden Harold D. Harris Lewis W. Walt Martin Brandtner Thomas V. Draude |
Operation Desert Storm
War on Terror
The 5th Marine Regiment (also referred to as "5th Marines") is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the most highly decorated regiment in the Marine Corps and falls under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF).
The Regiment comprises four infantry battalions and one headquarters company:
The unit was activated on June 8, 1917, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the 5th Regiment of Marines. They immediately deployed to France, arriving on June 26, and were assigned to the 1st Infantry Division of the United States Army. Later that year, in October, they were reassigned to 4th Brigade of Marines under the 2nd Infantry Division.
In spring 1918, the regiment was involved in the fierce battle of Belleau Wood and was given the nickname Devil Dog.
The Fifth subsequently participated in the offensive campaigns at Aisne, Battle of Saint-Mihiel and in the Meuse-Argonne offensive. They also participated in the defensive campaigns at Toulon-Troyon, Château-Thierry, Marbache and Limey. From 1918 until 1919 the regiment participated in the occupation of the German Rhineland. In August 1919 it relocated back to Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. It was inactivated on August 13, 1919.