- 2nd Battalion 6th Marines
Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment
caption= 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment insignia
dates=August 14 ,1917 - present
country=United States
allegiance=
branch= USMC
type= Infantry battalion
role= Locate, close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver
size=
command_structure=6th Marine Regiment 2nd Marine Division
current_commander=
garrison=Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname= "The Ready Battalion", "Spartans"
patron=
motto= "Never to Quit"
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=World War I
*Battle of Belleau Wood
*Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge
*Meuse-Argonne offensive World War II
*Battle of Guadalcanal
*Battle of Saipan Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom
*Third Battle of Fallujah
anniversaries=2nd Battalion, 6th Marines (2/6) is an
infantry battalion in theUnited States Marine Corps based out ofCamp Lejeune ,North Carolina . Also known as "The Ready Battalion" or "2/6 Spartans", it consists of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors and falls under the command of the6th Marine Regiment and the2nd Marine Division .Subordinate Units
* Headquarters and Services Company
* Echo Company (Mechanized)
* Fox Company (Helo)
* Golf Company (Mechanized)
* Weapons CompanyHistory
World War I
2nd Battalion, 6th Marines was activated on July 11, 1917 to serve as reinforcements during
World War I . OnJanuary 19 ,1918 , the battalion went toLeague Island ,Philadelphia in order to head out toFrance as part of the 4th Brigade,American Expeditionary Force . The battalion fought at theBattle of Belleau Wood for which they were awarded theCroix de Guerre with Palm from the French government. BeginningOctober 3 ,1918 , the 6th Regiment led the offensive to take Blanc Mont Ridge, pushing the Germans out of the Champagne Region ofFrance . In November 1918, 2/6 also took part in theMeuse-Argonne Offensive which was the last major offensive of the war. The battalion returned toMarine Corps Base Quantico onJune 19 ,1919 . They were deactivated shortly thereafter onAugust 20 ,1919 .World War II
From May to July 1941 2/6 reassigned to the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade and deployed to garrison
Reykjavík ,Iceland against possible German invasion. In March 1942 the battalion returned toSan Diego and was reassigned to the 2nd Marine Division. In the fall of 1942 2/6 sailed toWellington, New Zealand where it began advanced combat training. This was followed by movement toGuadalcanal onNovember 21 ,1943 . The 2/6 also took part in the Battle of Tarawa. OnJune 15 ,1944 the battalion landed onSaipan in theMarianas Islands to take part in theBattle of Saipan . Following the end of the war, 2/6 landed at Nagasaki to take part in theOccupation of Japan from September1945 until July1946 . In August 1946 the battalion relocated toMarine Corps Base Camp Pendleton ,California .As part of the post war draw down of forces, 2/6 was deactivated on
October 1 ,1947 .The exploits of the 2/6 were immortalized in the WWII classic novel, Battle Cry, by Leon Uris. Although the characters were fiction, the movements of the 2/6 were historically accurate and were based on Uris' own experiences in the 2/6 during WWII as a Pfc.
The 1960s through the 1990s
From February to June 1983, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines became part of the Multinational Peace-Keeping Force in
Lebanon . They returned onOctober 23 ,1983 as relief for1st Battalion, 8th Marines after the bombing of the Marine barracks. OnMarch 3 ,1989 , 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines was deactivated and placed into a cadre status. 2/6 was reactivated onJuly 23 ,1994 atCuzco Wells , Guantanamo Bay,Cuba . Then took part inOperation Sea Signal , the security and processing of Haitian migrants. In September of that same year the battalion's main force returned to Guantanamo Bay to provide security for Cuban migrants.A year later in September
1995 2/6 was sent to supportUnited Nations andNATO peace keeping operations in the formerYugoslavia . From September 1995 to February1996 , 2/6 served as the tactical reserve for Operation Joint Endeavor Implementation Forces (IFOR) and on numerous occasions as the stand-by TRAP force forOperation Deny Flight . For these actions the battalion received theJoint Meritorious Unit Citation . From April to May 2000, Echo company and elements of Headquarters and Services' (H&S) Surveillance, Targeting and Acquisition(STA) deployed toKosovo and took part inOperation Dynamic Response .Global War on Terror
As of December 2007, the battalion has finished a seven month tour in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom . They operated in the areas around the city ofFallujah as part of Regimental Combat Team 6. [http://usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/7126DCA0151AFA84852571410021B42D?opendocument ]ee also
*
History of the United States Marine Corps
*List of United States Marine Corps battalions
*Organization of the United States Marine Corps Notes
References
:Marine Corps
;Bibliography
* cite book
last = Henry
first = Mark R.
coauthors =
year = 1999
title = US Marine Corps in World War I 1917-18
publisher = Osprey Publishing Company
location = New York
id = ISBN 1-85532-852-6
* cite book
last = Owen
first = Peter F.
coauthors =
year = 2007
title = To the Limit of Endurance - A Battalion of Marines in the Great War
publisher = Texas A&M University Press
location = College Station
id = ISBN 1-58544-599-1;Web
* [http://www.lejeune.usmc.mil/2dmardiv/26/home.html 2/6's official website]
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