3rd Battalion 9th Marines

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines


caption= 3/9 Insignia
dates= *N/A — August 12, 1994
*May 21, 2008 - present
country=United States
allegiance=
branch=USMC
type= Infantry Battalion
role= Locate, close with and destroy the enemy with fire and maneuver, and repel the enemy's assault with fire and close combat
size=
command_structure= Active
current_commander= LtCol D.Q. Greenwood
garrison= Camp Lejeune
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname= Shadow Warriors
patron=
motto= "Death in the Dark" (Vietnam Era), "Striking 3/9" (Post-Vietnam Era)
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles= World War II *Battle of Bougainville *Battle of Guam *Battle of Iwo Jima Vietnam War Operation Desert Storm Operation Restore Hope
notable_commanders=
anniversaries=

The 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines (3/9) is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Formed during World War I it served until the early 1990s when it was redesignated as 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines (3/4) during a realignment and renumbering of the Marine Corps' infantry battalions, following the deactivation of the 9th Marine Regiment. The 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines was initially a subordinate unit of the 9th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, but was later operationally transferred to the 1st Marine Division as a subordinate unit of the 7th Marine Regiment where it remained until its redesignation as 3/4.

3/9 was reactivated under the 2nd Marine Division in May 2008 as the Marines expands as a result of the continuing War on Terror.

Current units

The battalion comprised three infantry companies, one weapons company and a headquarters and service company:

* Headquarters & Service Company
* India Company
* Kilo Company
* Lima Company
* Weapons Company

History

Early years

The battalion was deactivated on September 1, 1937.

World War II

3rd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment was reactivated on February 12, 1942, at Camp Elliot, San Diego, California as part of the 2nd Marine Division. The battalion was formed by a nucleus of officers and Marines from the 2nd Marine Regiment. In September 1942, the battalion was relocated to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and reassigned to the 3rd Marine Division. The battalion was initially deployed to Cape Paerata, New Zealand in February of 1943 and then moved to Guadalcanal in July of that year.

3/9 participated in the following campaigns during World War Two: Bougainville, Northern Solomons, Guam, and Iwo Jima. At Iwo Jima, 3/9 had the distinction of making the only battalion size unsupported, non-illuminated night attack against the Japanese in the Pacific War. Attesting to the ferocity of combat on Iwo Jima, all 22 of the battalions officers that landed on D-Day were killed or wounded by the end of the battle. [Hastings (2007), p262] For their service at Iwo Jima, the battalion received the Presidential Unit Citation. The battalion was disbanded on October 31, 1945.

Vietnam War

3/9 became the first battalion-sized ground combat unit to be deployed to Vietnam when they landed on March 8, 1965 in Da Nang, Republic of Vietnam. Over the course of the next four and a half years, the battalion operated from Da Nang, An Hoa and Quang Tri and participated in over 40 combat operations, including Operation Double Eagle, Operation Buffalo and Operation Dewey Canyon. The battalion redeployed in August 13, 1969, after four years of continuous combat operations. [ [http://www.foxco-2ndbn-9thmarines.com/usmc_stats.htm Vietnam Stats for 9th Marines] ]

The 1980s and 1990s

Participated in Operation Desert Shield between August 1990 and January 1991.Participated in Operation Desert Storm between January 1991 and March 1991.Participated in Operation Restore Hope between 1992 and 1993.Deactivated on September 2 1994 and redesignated 3rd Battalion 4th Marines.

2000s

On December 7, 2006, Headquarters Marine Corps released a message stating that 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines would be reactivated during 2008 as part of the continuing Global War on Terror. [cite web
url=http://www.usmc.mil/maradmins/maradmin2000.nsf/37f49138fc3d9c00852569b9000af6b7/1930745bb2d089c18525723d006167c7?OpenDocument
title= MARADMIN 582/06 - PUBLICATION OF FISCAL YEARS 2007 THROUGH 2013 TABLES OF ORGANIZATION AND EQUIPMENT (T/OE)
publisher=U.S. Marine Corps
accessdate=2006-12-12]

On May 20, 2008, 3/9 was reactivated at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina under the 2nd Marine Division.cite news|accessdate=2008-05-22
url=http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/05/ap_newmarineunit_052108/
title=New unit activated at Lejeune
date=May 21, 2008
author=Associated Press
work=Marine Corps Times] cite web
accessdate=2008-05-22
url=http://www.iimefpublic.usmc.mil/public/infolineMarines.nsf/(ArticlesRead)/76EFB3A16405EF8C8525743A005F4F45
title=3/9 Lineage
publisher=3rd Battalion, 9th Marines] They are expected to deploy in support of the Global War on Terror in 2009.cite news
accessdate=2008-05-23
url=http://www.jdnews.com/news/war_56692___article.html/battalion_marine.html
title=Striking 3/9 Reactivated
date=May 20, 2008
author=Kay, Lindell
work=Jacksonville Daily News] cite news|accessdate=2008-05-24
url=http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/05/marine_threenine_052408w/
title=Battalion stands up — but where will it go?
author=Talton, Trista
work=Marine Corps Times
date=May 24, 2008]

Medal of Honor recipients

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself "... conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States ...".cite web|accessdate=2007-10-18
url=http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2002/julqtr/32cfr578.4.htm
title=Title 2, Chapter V, Part 58, Sec. 578.4 "Medal of Honor"
work=Code of Federal Regulations
date=July 1, 2002] The following table contains the names of the men who were recipients of the Medal of Honor while serving in 3/9. They are listed in accordance to the "Date of Action" in which the MoH citation was made.

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. 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines has been presented with the following awards:

ee also

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

References

;Notes

;Web
* [http://www.iimefpublic.usmc.mil/Public%2FIIMEFpublic.nsf/unitSites/3bn9mar Official 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines website]

* [http://www.india39.com/ India 3/9 reunion page]

;Bibliography
*cite book
last = Hastings
first = Max
coauthors =
year = 2007
title = Retribution - The Battle for Japan, 1944-45
publisher = Alfred A. Knopf
location = New York
id = ISBN 978-030726-351-3
*cite book
title=U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle - Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939 - 1945s
author=Rottman, Gordon L.
date=2002
publisher=Greenwood Press
id=ISBN 0-313-31906-5