3rd Battalion 10th Marines

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 3rd Battalion 10th Marines


caption= 3/10 Insignia
dates= June 14, 1943 - November 18, 1947 October 17, 1949 - present
country= United States
allegiance= flagicon|United States United States
branch= USMC
type= Artillery
role= Provide fires in support of 2nd Marine Division
size=
command_structure= 10th Marine Regiment 2nd Marine Division
current_commander= LtCol Lance A. McDaniel
garrison=Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto= "Seven for One"
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles= World War II *Battle of Tarawa *Battle of Saipan *Battle of Tinian *Battle of Okinawa Operation Desert Storm Operation Iraqi Freedom
* 2003 invasion of Iraq
notable_commanders=
anniversaries=

3rd Battalion 10th Marines (3/10) is an artillery battalion comprising three firing batteries and a headquarters battery. The battalion is stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and its primary weapon system is the M198 howitzer with a maximum effective range of 30km. The battalion is currently transitioning to the M777 lightweight howitzer. They fall under the 10th Marine Regiment and the 2nd Marine Division.

Mission

Provide direct support of the 2nd Marine Division in time of conflict. That support may come in the traditional fashion of artillery support to maneuver forces, or by providing batteries to serve as provisional rifle companies. They also have the secondary mission of being the primary providers of Civilian Military Operations (CMO). CMO is defined as the activities of the commander that establish, maintain, influence, or exploit relations between military organizations, Government and civilian organizations and the civilian populace.

Current units

* Headquarters Battery
* Battery I (currently attached to 2nd Battalion 10th Marines)
* Battery K (currently attached to the 26th MEU)
* Battery L (currently attached to 2nd Battalion 10th Marines)
* Battery S
* Battery T (Deployed in support of OIF)
* Battery A 1/10
* Battery E 2/10

History

World War II

The battalion was activated on 14 June 1943 at Pahautanui, New Zealand, as the 5th Battalion, 10th Marines and assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force.

The 5/10 participated in the following World War II Campaigns:
*Tarawa
*Saipan
*Tinian
*Okinawa

The battalion was redesignated March 1, 1944 as the 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines (3/10). 3/10 participated in the occupation of Japan from September 1945 to June 1946. They relocated during July 1946 to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and were deactivated on November 18, 1947.

The Cold War & the 1990s

Reactivated October 17, 1949 at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force. The battalion participated in the Lebanon Operation, July-October 1958 and the Cuban Missile Crisis, October-December 1962. Elements of the battalion participated as part of the Multinational Peace-Keeping Force in Lebanon, August 1982 - February 1984

Parts of the battalion took part in the invasion of Grenada in October 1983. Elements Participated in Operation Sharp Edge, Liberia, in August 1990and in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in Southwest Asia, December 1990 - April 1991. This was followed by Operation Provide Comfort in Northern Iraq in April 1991. Elements of the battalion also participated in Operation Safe Harbor in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in November-December 1991

The Global War on Terror

Kilo Battery (Battery K) served as the Marine artillery attachment for the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit from September 2001 to April 2002. During which time the battery participated in Operation Enduring Freedom in Pakistan and Afghanistan and served as the security detail for the American Embassy in Kabul.

Additional Detachments have subsequently participated in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and continued operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Unit awards

A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited. Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the awarded unit citation. 3/10 has been presented with the following awards:

ee also

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

Notes

References

:Marine Corps

;Web
* [http://www.iimefpublic.usmc.mil/public/iimefpublic.nsf/unitsites/3rdbat_10thmar 3/10's official website]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgTk5-JX8qI Video: Marine Artillery Crew conducting training exercise]