2nd Battalion 23rd Marines

2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines (2/23) is a reserve infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps located throughout the Western United States consisting of approximately 1000 Marines and Sailors. They fall under the command of the 23rd Marine Regiment and the 4th Marine Division.

Current units

Mission

Provide trained combat personnel and units to augment and reinforce the active component in time of war, national emergency, and at other times as national security requires.

History

World War II

Activated on 20 July 1942 at New River, North Carolina, 23rd Marines was assigned to the 4th Marine Division in February 1943 and relocated during July 1943 to Camp Pendleton, California. 23rd Marines participated in the following campaigns during World War II: Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima.

During the fierce fighting which occurred in the Pacific Theater, four Marines of the 23rd Marine Regiment were awarded the Medal of Honor. In October 1945, the Regiment was again relocated to Camp Pendleton and was subsequently deactivated on 15 November 1945.

For its actions against enemy forces, 23rd Marines received the following awards: Presidential Unit Citation Streamer with one Bronze Star, Asia-Pacific Campaign Streamer with four Bronze Stars, and World War II Victory Streamer.

Vietnam

On July 1, 1962 2/23 was reactivated, reassigned to the 4th Marine Division and relocated to Santa Monica, California on property adjacent to the Santa Monica Airport. As a Marine Corps Reserve unit during Vietnam era, the battalion's weekend drills and annual two week training were often held at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton as well as other Southern California military installations that included Twenty Nine Palms, Coronado, and Point Hueneme.

In January, 1973 the battalion again relocated this time to Encino, California.

Gulf War

Six Marines were activated in late November 1990 from Fox Company in Salt Lake City, Utah. They left within five days to join 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines whose headquarters is in the New Orleans, Louisiana area. From there they proceeded to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune for preparation before deploying to Al Jabail, Saudi Arabia. They proceeded into Kuwait where their final location was Hill 99, just outside Kuwait City. They were released from active duty in May 1991 and returned home.

In December 1990, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines was mobilized by presidential call-up to serve on active duty^[1] 99.2% of those on the rolls reported to their seven separate drill centers for duty. Within two days of activation, this, the largest and most geographically diverse infantry battalion in the Marine Corps, reported to Camp Pendleton, California with 1,015 Marine and Navy personnel. Unlike the standard 180-day forming and training period which most battalions require to prepare for deployment, 2/23 deployed within 16 days of activation and joined III MEF on 25 December 1990 in Okinawa, Japan.

Global War on Terror

After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines was activated initially for one year to respond to any additional terrorist attacks that might occur in the United States. Just before its one-year deactivation date, the battalion's active duty status was extended in order for the unit to deploy to the Middle East to participate in the Iraq War. 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines was the first complete infantry reserve battalion to deploy in support of the Iraq War.

2/23 pushed forward into Iraq on March 20, 2003. Among other locations, the battalion fought in An Nasiriyah assisting Task Force Tarawa's operations in that area after a U.S. Army convoy was ambushed and several soldiers were taken prisoner by insurgent forces. The battalion moved up Route 17 as part of Regimental Combat Team 1 (RCT-1) fighting in Al Gharraf and Al Fajr among other towns. The battalion suffered its only combat fatality in Al Fajr. The battalion continued north with RCT 1 and was part of the tactical feint at Al Kut. Ultimately traveling west to An Numaniyah where the 1st Marine Division crossed the Tigris River. A few days later, on April 8, 2003, the battalion entered Baghdad with the Division. Fox Company found itself engaged in combat with approximately 200 Fedayeen and Iraqi intelligence personnel. A scout sniper attached to Fox company, Sergeant Scott Montoya, was awarded Navy Cross for "extraordinary heroism in combat" during this engagement. The next day Golf company moved to secure the Iraqi intelligence headquarters from which Fox Company had been attacked the previous day. Once Baghdad was largely secure, Golf Company and an anti-tank section from Weapons Company became part of Task Force Tripoli, which was the Marine vanguard into Tikrit.

On December 1, 2008, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines was activated for the Iraq War and deployed near the city of Ar Ramadi. During their deployment, contributions were made to Afghanistan and the withdraw of troops as the last participating Marine infantry force. With over 300 missions successfully completed 2/23 completed their deployment. Weapons company successfully completed missions out of Al-Taqaddum Air Base where they were part of the quick reaction force.

On March 1, 2011, the battalion deployed to Okinawa and served as a quick reaction force in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The unit was attached to the 4th Marine Regiment as Alpha Company. 2/23 deployed all over Southeast Asia and participated in the Korean Incremental Training Program. The unit returned home in September 2011.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2nd Battalion 23rd Marines.

• List of United States Marine Corps battalions
• Organization of the United States Marine Corps

Notes

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

External links

United States Marine Corps
Leadership	Secretary of the Navy Under Secretary of the Navy Commandant of the Marine Corps Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Marine Corps generals United States Congress House Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Senate Subcommittee on Seapower
Major commands	Organization of the Marine Corps Headquarters Marine Corps Marine Forces Command II Marine Expeditionary Force Marine Forces Pacific I Marine Expeditionary Force III Marine Expeditionary Force Marine Forces Reserve Fleet Marine Force Atlantic Pacific
Structure	Marine Air-Ground Task Force Bases Battalions Regiments Brigades Divisions MEF/Corps Marine aviation Marine expeditionary unit Special Operations Marine Raider Regiment Recon Force Division
Personnel and training	Personnel Rank insignia MOS Notable Marines Historical Marines Marine Astronauts Criminal Investigation Division Judge Advocate Division Chaplain of the Marine Corps Associated organizations Training Recruit Training School of Infantry Officer Candidates School The Basic School Martial Arts Program
Uniforms and equipment	Uniforms Awards Badges Weapons Vehicles and aircraft Individual equipment
History and traditions	History Culture Acronyms and terms Birthday Ball Eagle, Globe, and Anchor Marine Band Drum and Bugle Corps Service Numbers Marine Corps War Memorial Flag Marine One Marines' Hymn National Museum Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima Rifleman's Creed Semper Fidelis Silent Drill Platoon History of Hispanics in the USMC History of women in the USMC Women's Reserve Honorary Marine Toys for Tots White House Sentries
Portal Category

4th Marine Division
14th Marines	1st Battalion 2nd Battalion 3rd Battalion 4th Battalion 5th Battalion
23rd Marines	1st Battalion 2nd Battalion 3rd Battalion TOW Platoon
24th Marines	1st Battalion 2nd Battalion 3rd Battalion
25th Marines	1st Battalion 2nd Battalion 3rd Battalion
Other Battalions	4th Combat Engineer 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance 4th Reconnaissance 4th Tank 4th Assault Amphibian Anti-Terrorism