4th Marine Regiment (United States)

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 4th Marine Regiment


caption= 4th Marine's insignia
dates= *March 10, 1911 - June 24, 1911
*April 16, 1914 - May 6, 1942
*February 1, 1944 - October 17, 1949
*September 2, 1952 - present
country= United States
allegiance=
branch= USMC
type= Infantry regiment
role= Locate close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver
size=
command_structure=
current_commander=
garrison=
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname= The Oldest and the Proudest/"China Marines
patron=
motto=Hold High the Torch
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles= Banana Wars *Occupation of Vera Cruz *Occupation of the Dominican Republic World War II *Battle of Corregidor *Battle of Guam *Battle of Okinawa Vietnam War Operation Desert Storm
notable_commanders=
anniversaries=The 4th Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. Based at Camp Schwab in Okinawa, Japan, it is part of the 3rd Marine Division of the III Marine Expeditionary Force.

Mission

Locate and destroy the enemy within the Pacific Theater, and provide a means of force projection. However it is not limited to this theater, that is its main area of operations. 4th Marines also lends humanitarian aid where directed.

Current units

Currently each of the Regiment's three battalions are part of other Marine infantry regiments in the 1st Marine Division. The regiment in turn hosts battalions stationed in the United States and Hawaii for training in jungle warfare.

*Headquarters Company

History

Early years

The 4th Marine Regiment was first activated on April 16, 1914, in Puget Sound, Washington, under the command of Colonel Joseph Henry Pendleton. This activation was a direct result of deteriorating relations between the United States and Mexico. On April 21, President Woodrow Wilson ordered U.S. Naval Forces to Vera Cruz. Shortly after activation, 4th Marines embarked upon the USS "South Dakota" (ACR-9) headed for San Francisco. Upon their arrival they received four companies (the 31st, 32nd, 34th and 35th) which were to become attached to the regiment. The regiment then sailed for Mexico.

On April 28, 4th Marines arrived in Acapulco harbor. Reinforcements subsequently arrived in Mzatlan a week and half later. The regiment continued to maintain a presence in Mexican waters patrolling the shore through May and June. However by the end of June no landing had been deemed necessary and tensions had eased between Mexico and the United States. Shortly thereafter 4th Marines withdrew from Mexican waters and concluded their first Latin American expedition. The regiment returned to San Diego, California to establish its new home base. Between this time and February 1916 the regiment conducted several missions of force projection off the coast of Mexico. None had required the Marines to actually disembark as diplomatic relations were subsequently smoothed over upon their arrival or shortly thereafter.

The Dominican Republic broke out in civil war in the spring of 1916. American forces were sent to quell the danger posed to Americans and other foreigners there. As the Americans came ashore the rebels withdrew from Santo Domingo, the capital, to Santiago where they had established another rival government. American forces called for reinforcements and 4th Marines was called into action. They left San Diego on June 6 for New Orleans. Three days later they boarded the USS Hancock for the Dominican Republic.

World War II

The 4th Marines had been stationed in North China in the late 1930s, evacuating from Shanghai to Manila on 30 November 1941. With its 3rd Battalion inactivated in China in 1934, and further reduced by unreplaced separations from the service (replacements were instead diverted at the direction of the 4th's commander to the 1st Special Defense Battalion in the Philippines), it consisted of only two battalions, each with only two rifle companies of two platoons each and one machinegun company. The 4th Marines absorbed the Marine Barracks Olongapo on 22 December 1941 to fill out the 1st and 2nd Battalions to three rifle companies of three platoons each, then added the 1st Special Defense Battalion at Cavite to create the 3rd Battalion.

The 4th Marines then were moved to Corregidor where on 10 April 1942 it added the 4th Provisional Battalion composed of U.S. Navy personnel that had previously served during the Battle of Bataan as the Provisional Naval Battalion. After the fall of Bataan, approximately 1,500 U.S. Army and Philippine Scouts personnel reinforced the regiment during the defense of Corregidor, designated the Reserve Battalion. Nearly 4,000 strong, the regiment was composed of troops from 142 different U.S. and Filipino organizations.

Prior to the "old" 4th being captured when Corregidor fell, the unit burned its colors.

In 1944 the four battalions of Marine Raiders were amalgamated into a new "4th Marine Regiment" [The 1st Raiders became the 1st Battalion, the 2nd Raiders the regimental weapons company, the 3rd Raiders the 3rd Battalion, and the 4th Raiders the 2nd Battalion.] which was assigned to the 6th Marine Division, and fought at Guam and Okinawa. Postwar the new "4th" combined with the 22nd Marine Regiment and the 29th Marine Regiments of the 6th Division and then deactivated. In 1951 the 4th Marines were reactivated carrying the honor and lineage of both the old and new 4th Regiments, and later served in Vietnam from 1965 to 1969 as part of the 3rd Marine Division.

Honors and Awards

*Presidential Unit Citation with 1 bronze star: Battle of Okinawa - 1945; Vietnam War - 1965-1967
*Presidential Unit Citation (Army) with 1 bronze oak leaf cluster: Battle of the Philippines (1941-42)
*Navy Unit Commendation with 2 bronze stars: Battle of Guam - 1944; Southeast Asia Evacuations - 1975 ; Southwest Asia - 1990-1991
*Mexican Service Medal
*Dominican Campaign Medal
*Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal with 1 bronze star
*World War I Victory Medal with "West Indies"
*Yangtze Service Medal
*China Service Medal with 1 bronze star
*American Defense Service Medal with 1 silver and 2 bronze stars
*World War II Victory Medal
*Navy Occupation Service Medal with "Asia" and "Europe"
*National Defense Service Medal with 2 bronze stars
*Korean Service Medal
*Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
*Vietnam Service Medal with 2 silver stars and 1 bronze star.
*Southwest Asia Service Medal with 2 bronze stars
*Presidential Unit Citation (Philippines)
*Vietnam Gallantry Cross with palm streamer

ee also

*China Marines
*Organization of the United States Marine Corps
*List of United States Marine Corps regiments

Notes

References

:Marine Corps

;Bibliography
*cite book
last =Condit
first =Kenneth W.
authorlink =
coauthors = Turnbladh, Edwin T.
title = Hold High the Torch - A History of the 4th Marines
publisher = Historical Branch, Headquarters Marine Corps
year = 1960
location = Washington D.C.
pages =
id =

;Web

* [http://www.3div.usmc.mil/sections/4thmar/index.html 4th Marines official website]
* [http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/usmchist/4thMar.txt James S. Santelli. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE 4TH MARINES. Historical Division Headquarters, U. S. Marine Corps, Washington, D. C. 20380, 1970]
* [http://www.chinamarines.com/ China Marines website]
* [http://www.nps.gov/wapa/indepth/extContent/usmc/pcn-190-003143-00/sec1c.htm#4th Surviving members of the 4th Marines dine with new members immediately after WWII]
* [http://users.idworld.net/wlldggr/usmc4-00.htm 4th Marine Chapter-American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor]