6th Marine Regiment (United States)

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 6th Marine Regiment


caption= 6th Marines Insignia
dates= *July 11, 1917 - August 13, 1919
*Sept. 15, 1921 - March 15, 1925
*March 26, 1927 - March 21, 1929
*Sept. 1, 1934 - October 1, 1947
*October 17, 1947 - October 1, 1949
*October 17, 1949 - present
country=United States
allegiance=
branch= USMC
type= Infantry Regiment
role= Locate, close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver or repel the enemy's assault with fire and close combat.
size=
command_structure=2nd Marine Division 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force
current_commander=
garrison=Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname= Fighting 6th Marines
patron=
motto= Keep Moving
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles= World War I *Battle of Belleau Wood World War II *Battle of Guadalcanal *Battle of Tarawa *Battle of Saipan *Battle of Tinian *Battle of Okinawa Operation Desert Storm Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom
notable_commanders=
anniversaries=

The 6th Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The regiment falls under the 2nd Marine Division and the II Marine Expeditionary Force.

ubordinate units

The Regiment comprises three organic infantry battalions, one attached or "reinforcing" infantry battalion, and one headquarters company:
* Headquarters Company 6th Marines (HQ/6)
*1st Battalion 6th Marines (1/6)
*2nd Battalion 6th Marines (2/6)
*3rd Battalion 6th Marines (3/6)
*2nd Battalion 9th Marines (2/9)

History

World War I

The 6th Marine Regiment was first organized at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, on July 11, 1917 under the command of Medal of Honor holder Colonel Albertus W. Catlin. [Jones (1987), p. 161.] The regiment included three battalions: the 1st (74th, 75th, 76th, and 95th Companies), the 2nd (78th, 79th, 80th, and 96th Companies), and the 3rd (82nd, 83rd, 84th, and 97th Companies). Virtually all of the senior officers and staff non-commissioned officers of the 6th Regiment were long-service professionals while most junior officers and all privates were new joinees. Although the new men were short on experience, they were long on intelligence: Colonel Catlin estimated that 60% of them were college men. [Quote cited in Henry, "U.S. Marine in World War I", p. 5.] Regimental increments arrived in France during late 1917 and early 1918. Upon arrival, the 6th Marine Regiment joined the 5th Marine Regiment and 6th Machine Gun Battalion to form the 4th Brigade, U.S. 2nd Division (Regular),American Expeditionary Force. The early spring was devoted to training under French tutaledge. The "Marine" Brigade [This honorific title was a little misleading since the brigade included both Marines and soldiers and was serving under the Articles of War as a U.S. Army unit.] entered the trenches of the Toulon Sector near Verdun in March 1918 where it suffered its first combat casualties. The regiment had 33 men killed while in the trenches, most lost when the 74th Company billeting area was gassed on April 13, 1917. [George G. Strott, "Navy Medics with the Marines, 1917-1919" (Washington, DC: DON, 1947), p. 38.]

The 4th Brigade was ordered to shore up crumbing French lines near Chateau-Thierry in late May 1918. The 6th Regiment took up positions southwest of Belleau Wood then was ordered to seize the town of Bouresches and to clear the southern half of Belleau Wood itself on June 6. Colonel Catlin was severely wounded not long after the first waves went over the top, his replacement was Lieutenant Colonel Harry Lee who would command the regiment for the rest of the war. These attacks were the beginning of a month-long struggle that eventually became a landmark battle for the U.S. Marine Corps. Gunnery Sergeant Fred W. Stockham voluntarily gave up his own gas mask to a platoonmate and was later awarded a pothumous Medal of Honor for that selfless action, regimental dentist Weeden O. Osborne was also awarded a posthumous Navy Medal of Honor. Regimental losses in this sector were 2,143 over 40 days. [Strott, p. 50.] In recognition of the "Brilliant courage, vigor, spirit, and tenacity of the Marines," the French Government awarded Marine units at Belleau Wood the Croix de Guerre with Palm and renamed Belleau Wood "Bois de la Brigade de Marine." [Edwin N. McClellan, "The United States Marine Corps in the First World War" (Honolulu: University of Pacific Press, 2002), p. 42]

The U.S. 2nd Division was attached to the French XX Corps to conduct a counterattack near Soissons in mid-July. The 6th Regiment was held in reserve when the initial assault waves went "over the top" on 18 July. The next day, the 6th Marine Regiment stepped off, advancing all alone from Vierzy toward Tigny, but was stopped cold short of the objective by intense artillery and machine gun fire. Casualties were extremely heavy, estimated at 50 to 70% in most units. First Lieutenant Clifton B. Cates (a future Commandant) reported only about two dozen of more than 400 men survived and added "... There is no one on my left, and only a few on my right. I will hold." [Jones, pp. 12-13.] Regimental losses during the Aisne-Marne Offensive numbered 1,431, and 19 July 1918 is the single costliest day of fighting the history of the 6th Marines. Two Navy men attached to the 6th Regiment received Medals of Honor for their actions at Soissons: surgeon Joel T. Boone and corpsman John H. Balch. [Strott, p. 66.]

After a month-long rest, the marines were assigned to the U.S. First Army to participate in the first "all-American" push, a double envelopment to pinch out the St. Mihiel salient. The 6th Regiment was relegated to support of the 3rd Brigade's attack from Limey to Thiaucourt. The push began early on 12 September, and the initial attack carried virtually all of the division's objectives before noon that day. As it turned out, the American attack unknowingly coincided with a German withdrawal. The sharpest action for the 6th Regiment occurred while defending the outpost line of resistance in 15 September. Despite being tagged "a piece of cake" by some historians, the 6th Regiment incurred more than a hundred killed and about five hundred wounded at St. Mihiel; Navy corpsman David E. Hayden earned a Medal of Honor for his heroic actions while attached to the 6th Marine Regiment defending Thiaucourt. [Jones, pp. 15-16.]

For the actions at Belleau Wood, Soissons, and Blanc Mont,the 6th Marine Regiment was awarded the Fourragère (seen in the unit's logo) one of a few units in the Marine Corps so honored (the other being the above mentioned 5th Marine Regiment). The award was a result of receing three Croix de Guerre citations: two in the order of the army and one in the order of the corps — Fourragère and Croix de Guerre with two Palms and Gilt Star. The Fourragere thereafter became part of the uniform of the unit, and all members of the modern 6th Marines are authorized to wear the Fourragere while serving with that organization.

When the armistice on November 11, 1918, ended active hostilities the 6th Regiment was assigned to the U.S. Third Army to spearhead the Allied march from France through Belgium and Luxemburg to Coblenz, Germany. There, the regiment settled into uneventful occupation duty from December 1918 to May 1919. At that time, the regiment once again mounted into tactical formations when the German representatives balked at the terms of surrender. This treat did the trick and the treaties formally ending the war were signed in June 1919. Their mission finally accomplished, the marines sailed for home the following month. [Jones, pp. 18-22.]

The 6th Marine Regiment was deactivated at Quantico on 13 August 1919 after victoriously parading through the streets of New York City and Washington, D.C. The most notable literary work covering the activities of the 6th Marine Regiment during the First World War is Thomas Boyd's novel "Through The Wheat". [Thomas Boyd, "Through The Wheat: A Novel of the World War I Marines" (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press reprint, 2000).]

[
right|thumb|170px|Watercolor_painting_by_Colonel_Waterhouse_of_the_action_at_the_Battle of Belleau Wood]

Between the World Wars

The 6th Marine Regiment was reactivated in 1921 at Marine Base Quantico where was brigaded with the 5th Regiment. Together, these storied units conducted training and made national headlines by participating in a series of much-heralded summer maneuvers that recreated famous Civil War battles (Wilderness, Gettysburg, Antietam, and New Market)using modern tactics and equipment. Elements of the regiment were called on to reinforce occupation forces in Cuba and the Dominican Republic in 1924. The regiment was once again deactivated in March 1925.
Two years later, civil strife tore through China threatening American lives and property. This danger required an increased military presence to forestall violence and disorder. As a result, a new 6th Regiment was activated at Philadelphia for duty with the 3rd Provisional Brigade in China. No major incidents occurred in 1928 so in 1929 the China Marines were either reassigned or sent home. The colors of the 6th Regiment returned to San Deigo where the unit was officially dissolved. [William D. Parker, "A Concise History of the United States Marine Corps, 1775-1969" (Washington, DC: HistDiv, HQMC, 1970), pp. 52 & 55-56. ]

World War II

When the U.S. entered World War II in December 1941, the reactivated 6th Marines was temporarily detached from its parent 2nd Marine Division to defend Iceland while assigned to the 1st Marine Brigade (Provisional). The Brigade was disbanded on 25 March in New York City. The 6th Marines was reassigned to the 2nd Marine Division at San Diego [Rottman, p. 146.] before sailing for the South Pacific. After a brief stay in New Zealand, the 6th Marines landed at Guadalcanal on January 4, 1943 where it was temporarily reunited with the 2nd and 8th Marines. The 6th Marines, fighting as part of a provisional Army-Marine division after the bulk of the 2nd Marine Division departed, participated in the final American offensive on Guadalcanal advancing from Kokumbona to Cape Esperance and eliminating the last remaining enemy forces. The 6th Marines suffered 223 casualties (53 killed in action/died of wounds, 170 wounded in action) during its six weeks on the "Canal. [Jones, pp. 48-54.]

The regiment then returned to New Zealand to refit for the upcoming Operation Galvanic, the capture of the Gilbert Islands in the Central Pacific. This time the target was Tarawa Atoll. The 6th Marines, once again part of the 2nd Marine Division, was the V Amphibious Corps floating reserve. The assault waves stormed ashore on 20 November 1943 but ran into stiff resistance. Casualties were so heavy that the entire division reserve was committed on the first day. The 6th Marines was ordered ashore the following morning. The 1st and 3rd Battalions landed across Betio's Green Beach and were ordered to drive the length of the island, the 2nd Battalion was used as a blocking force on nearby Bairiki Island. Betio was declared secure after 76 bloody hours. The 1st and 3rd Battalions mounted out for a new rest camp in Hawaii, but the 2nd Battalion stayed on to clear the rest of the atoll. The 6th Marines suffered 355 casualties (99 dead, 256 wounded) and received a Presidential Unit Citation for actions at Tarawa. [Jones, pp. 65-78.]

Next on the slate was Operation Forager, the capture of the Marianas Islands, which would put American forces within bomber range of Japan. "Forager" was scheduled for the summer of 1944 with the capture of Saipan and the recapture of Guam set for mid-June and the seizure of Tinian in July. The 6th Marines participated in the Battle of Saipan and the Tinian operation. The regiment landed under heavy fire at Saipan's Red Beach on 15 June. This was the most difficult storm landing in regimental history, two of three battalion commanders were seriously wounded in the first minutes ashore. Early the next morning, the 6th Marines repulsed several tank-supported counterattacks that saved the beachhead. Machine gunner PFC Harold G. Epperson sacrificed his own life by diving on a grenade on 25 June and received a posthumous Medal of Honor for that action. After that, the regiment drove north up the west side of the island through the coastal town of Garapan and on toward Tanapag where the marines mopped up following the largest Japanese "Banzai" attack of the war. The 3rd Battalion conducted a shore-to-shore landing to seize Manigassa Island that dominated Tanapag Harbor. The regiment spent a couple of weeks clearing out bypassed enemy and concurrently prepared to seize nearby Tinian in July. Saipan was the costliest battle of the Second World War for the 6th Marines: losses were 356 killed, 1208 wounded. [Jones, pp. 79-100.]

The 6th Marines landed at Tinian on 25 July and joined the rest of the 2nd Marine Division as it elbowed its way down the island until reaching the escarpment that marked Tinian's southern tip on August 1. It took three days of tough fighting to reduce the final enemy stronghold. During that fighting, PFC Robert L. Wilson covered a live grenade with his body to protect his comrades and earned a posthumous Medal of Honor. The regiment lost 34 killed and 165 wounded in ten days on Tinian. [Jones, pp. 100-106.]

The 6th Marines returned to Saipan once Tinian was secured. There, the regiment alternated searching for Japanese holdouts, conducting small unit training, and improving habitability while preparing for Operation Iceberg, the seizure of Okinawa which would serve as the final stepping stone on the long road to Tokyo. The 2nd Marine Division was designated the Tenth Army reserve. In April 1945, elements of the 6th Marines were part of the diversion force at Okinawa but returned to Saipan without actually going ashore. Most of the time at Saipan was devoted to preparation for Operation Downfall, the invasion of Japan. The 6th Marines were slated to land on Kyushu in the fall of 1945. Fortuitously, that operation was not needed when Japan surrendered in August. The 6th Marines made an administrative landing in Japan for occupation duty in September 1945 and remained there for almost a year before returning stateside. [Jones, pp. 101-124.]

The most notable literary work about the 6th Marines during the Second World War is probably Leon Uris's best-selling 1953 novel "Battle Cry" which was also made into a film of the same name in 1955. [Leon Uris, "Battle Cry" (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1953)]

Cold War

The Regiment returned to the United States and joined the Second Marine Division in 1949. Since that time, it has frequently deployed units to the Mediterranean and Caribbean areas. When trouble broke out in Lebanon in July 1958, the Third Battalion, and Sixth Marines landed within fifteen hours after receipt of orders. Early in the Cuban Missile Crisis, the 2nd Battalion landed at Guantanamo Bay to supplement the defense of the naval base. In 1965, the Regiment landed to protect American lives and property in the Dominican Republic during Operation Powerpack.

In 1983, 2nd Battalion 6th Marines participated in the Multinational Peacekeeping Force in Beirut, Lebanon. December 1989 saw elements of the Sixth Marines in Panama for Operation Just Cause. From September 1990 to April 1991 the regiment deployed to Southwest Asia to participate in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. The 6th Marines conducted the northern-most breach of the infamous Saddam Line on 24 February 1991 then advanced to a key objective known as the Ice Tray. There, the regiment repulsed an Iraqi mechanized force during an early morning action dubbed the "Reveille Counterattack." The cease fire found the 6th Marines securedly lodged at the base of Mutla Ridge blocking a major exit from Kuwait City. The regiment received a Meritorous Unit Citation for its actions during the liberation of Kuwait. [Dennis P. Mroczkowski, "With the 2d Marine Division in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm" (Washington, DC: Hist&MusDiv, HQMC, 1993).]

Global War on Terrorism

During the first part of 2004, Headquarters Company 6th Marines deployed to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

In January, 2007, Headquarters Company, 6th Marines, deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, under the operational title Regimental Combat Team 6. The regiment took operational control of three infantry battalions:
3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines and 1st Battalion, 24th Marines.

Additional subordinate commands include: 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, Company C, 2nd Tank Battalion, Company B, 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, Company C, 1st Combat Engineer Battalion and Battery I, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marines.

In Spring 2007, these units were replaced by 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines.

Honors and Awards

* Presidential Unit Citation Streamer
** World War II Tarawa - 1943
* Navy Unit Commendation Streamer
** Southwest Asia 1990-1991
** World War I Victory Streamer With One Silver Star
* Army Of Occupation Of Germany streamer
* Yangtze Service Streamer
* Marine Corps Expeditionary Streamer With Three Bronze Stars
* China Service Streamer
* American Defense Service Streamer With One Bronze Star
* European - African - Middle Eastern Campaign Streamer
* Asiatic - Pacific Campaign Streamer With One Silver And One Bronze Star
* World War II Victory Streamer
* Navy Occupation Service Streamer With "Asia" And "Europe"
* National Defense Service Streamer With Two Bronze Stars
* Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamer With Two Bronze stars
* South West Asia Service Streamer With Two Bronze Stars
* French Croix De Guerre With Two Palms And One Gilt star, allowing the members to wear a Croix de Guerre Fourragère.

ee also

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

References

;Notes: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
* LtGen Jones, William K., "A Brief History of the 6th Marines". Washington, DC: Headquarters Marine Corps, History and Museums Division. 1987.
* Rottman, Gordon L., "U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle: Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939-1945". Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. 2002.
* George G. Strott. "Navy Medics With the Marines, 1917-1919". Washington, DC: Department of the Navy. 1947.

;Web
* [http://www.iimefpublic.usmc.mil/public/iimefpublic.nsf/unitsites/6thmarreg 6th Marine Regiment's official website]