8th Marine Regiment (United States)

8th Marine Regiment
8th Marines Insignia
Active	1917 – 19; 1920 – 25; 1940 – 49; 1950 – present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Infantry regiment
Part of	2nd Marine Division II Marine Expeditionary Force
Garrison/HQ	MCB Camp Lejeune
Motto(s)	More Than Duty
Engagements	World War II * Battle of Guadalcanal * Battle of Tarawa * Battle of Saipan * Battle of Tinian * Battle of Okinawa Beirut Lebanon MNF Operation Urgent Fury Operation Desert Storm Operation Iraqi Freedom
Commanders
Current commander	Colonel Kenneth M. DeTreux
Notable commanders	Henry Louis Larsen Richard H. Jeschke Elmer E. Hall James M. Masters, Sr.

The 8th Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. They are based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and fall under the command of the 2nd Marine Division and the II Marine Expeditionary Force.

The regiment comprises three infantry battalions and one headquarters company:

The 8th Marine Regiment was formed on 9 October 1917, at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia during the buildup for World War I. While training for war, the command was transferred to Fort Crockett, Texas to guard the nearby Mexican oil fields. The regiment was joined there by the 9th Marines to form the 3d Marine Brigade; the first Advance Base Force of World War I. As such, the Marines were held in reserve to establish and defend naval bases in the Atlantic Ocean or the West Indies, if required. The 8th Marines was inactivated at Philadelphia Navy Yard on 25 April 1919.

A year later, the regiment was reactivated for service in Haiti where Marines had been fighting the Cacos bandits since 1914. Through systematic patrolling which culminated in a number of brief, sharp clashes, the 8th Marines eliminated Haitian banditry that had lasted more than a hundred years. The 8th Marines was inactivated again in 1925.

In 1940 the regiment was formed once more, in San Diego, California. It was the first Marine regiment to deploy into the Pacific waters to Samoa. After ten months of jungle training, while defending the Samoan Islands, the regiment sailed to reinforce the engaged 1st Marine Division on Guadalcanal. While there, the 8th Marines won its first Presidential Unit Citation. When the 8th arrived on Guadalcanal they were still wearing the Kelly Transitional helmet according to the book, 'Helmet for My Pillow'.