3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, abbreviated as (3/3), was an infantry marines battalion of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) that specialized in close with and destroy the enemy with firepower and maneuver warfare, based out of Kaneohe, Hawaii. Known as either "Trinity" or "America's Battalion", the unit normally fell under the command of the 3rd Marine Regiment of the 3rd Marine Division. When fully manned, the unit consisted of approximately 1000 U.S. Marines and United States Navy Sailors. Traditionally, the United States Navy has, and still does to this day, supply the U.S. Marine Corps with both hospital corpsmen and chaplains. See also Marine Corps Operating Forces. Like most 20th century model infantry marines battalions of the U.S. Marine Corps, 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines was made up of three rifle companies (India, Kilo, and Lima), Weapons Company (Machine Gunners, Mortarman, Assaultmen, Snipers and TOW Gunners) and a Headquarters and Services (H&S) company.
The battalion was originally formed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina in 1942 and saw action on both Bougainville and Guam during World War II, where it was awarded its first Presidential Unit Citation and Navy Unit Commendation. Marines in the battalion were also awarded one Medal of Honor and seven Navy Crosses during the war.
Following World War II, 3rd Battalion was disbanded until 1951, when it was reformed in California. The battalion was alerted for possible deployment during the 1956 Suez War and the 1958 intervention in Lebanon. In 1965, the Marines of 3rd Battalion were deployed to the Vietnam War and participated in Operation Starlite, the first major Marine engagement of that conflict. The battalion continued to see major action through Vietnam and was rotated back to the United States in 1969. Famous alumni from its time in Vietnam include Corporal Robert Emmett O'Malley, the first Marine in Vietnam to be awarded the Medal of Honor, Oliver North, and John Ripley. Around the end of the Vietnam War, the Battalion was deactivated for a second time in 1974.
In 1975, 3rd Battalion was reformed for the third time at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. During this period, the battalion conducted numerous deployments in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. In 1983, 3rd Battalion deployed off the coast of Lebanon for several weeks during a particularly tense period in the civil war. During the 1980s, the battalion was briefly commanded by Charles Krulak, later the 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps, who nicknamed 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines "America's Battalion." 3rd Battalion deployed again in 1990 as part of Operation Desert Shield and saw action at the Battle of Khafji and again during the liberation of Kuwait. In the early 21st century the battalion deployed overseas six times as part of the global war on terror: three times for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and three times for Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. One Marine from the battalion, Dakota Meyer, was awarded the Medal of Honor during the Global War on Terror. After the 3rd Marine Regiment ended combat operations, following 3rd Battalion's final deployment to Afghanistan in 2012, the unit resumed its deployments throughout the Pacific until 2022. As part of Force Design 2030, 3rd Battalion was deactivated in January 2023.
Organization at Deactivation Like most infantry marines battalions in the Marine Corps in the post-Vietnam era, 3rd Battalion consisted of five companies: three Rifle Companies, a Headquarters and Service Company (H&S), and a Weapons Company. During the Vietnam War, infantry marines battalions had a fourth rifle company, which was replaced with Weapons Company in the 1980s.In 3rd Battalion, this was Mike Company.
The rifle companies were designed to act as maneuver elements for the battalion. With attachments they could also be employed independently for short periods of time. Each rifle company ideally consisted of six officers and 176 enlisted personnel and was typically commanded by a Captain, assisted by a First Sergeant. Following the 1980s reorganization, the three rifle companies in 3rd Battalion were Company I, Company K, and Company L. Because the Marine Corps uses the NATO phonetic alphabet, in 3rd Battalion these companies were commonly known as India, Kilo, and Lima.For the sake of clarity, these names are the ones used throughout the article Prior to 1956, under the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet, they were known as Item, King, and Love. During the Korean War era, 3d battalions typically contained G (George), H (How), and I (Item) companies.
H&S Company provided combat service support and consisted of the battalion staff, including the headquarters element, communications, medical, and service platoons. While not a maneuver unit itself, H&S provided the battalion with command and control, surveillance, target acquisition, and service support, making the battalion able to function independently without the direct involvement of a higher headquarters. Weapons Company provided fire support coordination, medium mortars, anti-armor weapons, and heavy machine gun support for the rifle companies. Generally, these elements of Weapons Company were directly employed by the battalion, but could also be attached to the rifle companies.
World War II (1942–1945)
Formation and Deployment (1942–1943)
3rd Battalion 3rd Marines was activated on 1 June 1942 at New River, North Carolina as the 5th Training Battalion. At that time the Marine Corps was in the middle of an unprecedented wartime expansion, growing from 19,000 men in September 1939 to 100,000 men in February 1942. Because of this, two weeks after the Battle of Midway, the old 3rd Regiment from the Banana Wars was reformed as the 3rd Marine Regiment with three battalions. Initially designated as the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Training Battalions, on 16 June they would later become the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions of the 3rd Marine Regiment. The core of the new 3rd Battalion consisted of officers and enlisted men left behind from the 1st Marine Division shortly before it deployed to the South Pacific in April. The rest were recruits fresh off Parris Island.A Brief History of the 3rd Marines, p. 7 The first two months of 3rd Battalion's existence were spent just getting organized. On 25 July, Admiral Ernest King, the Chief of Naval Operations, ordered the 3rd Marine Regiment to garrison Tutuila, American Samoa, freeing up the 8th Marine Regiment for future combat operations. On 24 August, 3rd Battalion left New River by train for San Diego. On 31 August, the battalion boarded the SS Lurline and began the two-week voyage to Samoa.A Brief History of the 3rd Marines, p. 7
Upon arriving in Samoa, 3rd Battalion had many of its experienced officers and enlisted transferred to the 8th Marine Regiment, prior to that regiment's deployment to Guadalcanal.A Brief History of the 3rd Marines, p. 7 The Marines lived in small wooden huts called fales. It rained constantly, and the rain bred mosquitoes that carried the disease Filariasis, an intense swelling of the arms and legs.A Brief History of the 3rd Marines, pp. 7–8 However, the 3rd Battalion trained constantly and studied the combat reports coming out of Guadalcanal, which led to the 3rd Marine Regiment gaining expertise in jungle warfare by the summer of 1943. An officer candidate school was opened and many Noncommissioned Officers were given the opportunity to become Lieutenants. By the time the 3rd Marine Division arrived in the South Pacific, 3rd Battalion had already been training for eight months and was prepared for its initial entry into combat.A Brief History of the 3rd Marines, pp. 7–8
By this time, 3rd Battalion had left Samoa on 23 May and joined up with the 3rd Marine Division in Papatoetoe, New Zealand. On 25 August, they moved with the division to a staging area on Guadalcanal, which had become the main U.S. base in the Solomon Islands. For the next nine months, 3rd Battalion would conduct advanced training out of Camp Coconut Grove near the Tetere Beach. No fewer than three major amphibious assaults would be planned from here. The invasion of Bougainville, announced on 27 September, was the first.
Bougainville (1943)
On 1 November 1943, the 3rd Battalion landed at Cape Torokina with the rest of 3rd Marines, just east of the Koromokina River. While resistance was extremely light, the rough surf and dense jungle (which in many places extended all the way to the water) resulted in numerous landing craft being lost or damaged beyond repair. For the next two weeks, the battalion helped construct a series of trails that linked the beachhead with the advancing units, and made supply much easier. On 16 November the battalion reached the Numa Numa Trail and began probing for Japanese units.Bougainville and the Northern Solomons, pp. 61–62. On 18 November after a sharp firefight near a Japanese roadblock the battalion recovered a Japanese map with valuable intelligence on Japanese defenses.Bougainville and the Northern Solomons, p. 62. From 19 to 21 November, 3rd Battalion continued probing for Japanese units, which had been identified as elements of the 23rd Infantry Regiment, and engaging in sporadic firefights.Bougainville and the Northern Solomons, p. 63. In the lead-up to the Battle of Piva Forks, 3rd Battalion seized critical high terrain that would give the Marines the advantage in the upcoming fight. The actual battle, from 22 to 26 November, saw some of the most vicious close combat experienced in the Pacific War as of that date.A Brief History of the 3rd Marines, p. 12 3rd Battalion additionally suffered many casualties from unusually accurate Japanese mortar and artillery fire.Bougainville and the Northern Solomons, p. 67.Volume II: Isolation of Rabaul, pp. 255–263. Two days later, after 27 days of continuous action, 3rd Battalion was moved to a relatively quiet sector on the 3rd Division's flank where it remained for the remainder of the operation.
In December, the 3rd Marine Division was relieved by the Army's Americal Division and 3rd Battalion left Bougainville for Guadalcanal on Christmas Day, 1943 with the rest of the division.A Brief History of the 3rd Marines, p. 12 They left behind 36 of their comrades, including Corporal John Logan Jr. and Captain Robert Turnbull (Lima Company), who were both awarded Navy Crosses during the Battle of Piva Forks. 165 other Marines from 3rd Battalion became casualties during the campaign. After Bougainville, 3rd Battalion conducted numerous training exercises on Guadalcanal from January to May 1944 in preparation for the invasion of Kavieng in April (which was cancelled) and the Marianas in June.A Brief History of the 3rd Marines, p. 13 While 3rd Marines was designated as the floating reserve for the initial invasion of Saipan, they were ultimately not landed and returned to Eniwetok for a three-week stay prior to the invasion of Guam. During the interlude, the Marines of 3rd Battalion were primarily confined to their transport ship, the USS Warren.
Guam (1944)