During October 1926 the Federal government directed the Marine Corps to furnish units to guard the mail because the postal service had experienced several robberies.

Though under-equipped and outnumbered, the Fourth Marine Regiment fought valiantly; they were eventually forced to surrender on 6 May 1942 under orders from Major General Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV, U.S. Army.

Its first mission was to assist in repatriation of Japanese civilian and military personnel, as well as provide security for the American Naval base at Tsingtao.

The first major engagement for the battalion was Operation Starlite (the first regimental sized battle for American forces since the Korean War) in August 1965.

It was a combined amphibious/helicopter borne assault on enemy fortified positions of the Van Tuong Peninsula, 15 miles (24 km) south of the Chu Lai Air Base.

During this period of bloody fighting Sergeant Paul H. Foster (CP) and Lance Corporal Jedh Colby Barker (Fox Co.) were awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumously) for their actions during these battles.

In September General Westmoreland (Commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam) declared that the fighting on the DMZ around Con Thien was the heaviest in conventional firepower in the history of warfare.

On 28 October Lt. General Cushman (head of all marines in Vietnam) sent a message to the battalion that read (last line) "2/4 has met and beaten the best the enemy had to offer.

All were trained in security measures due to the NPA, New People's Army, a communist movement attempting to overthrow the Marcos regime in the Philippines.

Around June 1977 a rifle squad from Echo Co was dispatched by helicopter to provide security for the communications Marine LCPL Circles on Retrans Mountain.

About 2100 hours, PFC Dan Monette and PFC Richard Palafox noticed a formation of green lights moving in from the near the beach into the jungle headed to the bottom of the cliff toward their position, Squad Leader CPL Jaime Chavez radioed to the rear for support while LCPL Steve Parrilla along with the squad fixed bayonets and formed a defensive position after hearing rocks and debris sliding down below the cliff's edge and remained alert till dawn.

When daylight finally broke they were all flown to the rear and briefed by S2 intelligence only to find out 2/4's artillery was zeroed in on the Cliff's edge, a reactionary platoon was on standby and that a Recon Team was inserted and intercepted the green light party found to be village pig hunters, nearly sparking an international incident.

BLT 2/4 made a U-turn and sat in international waters off the coast of the Korean DMZ geared up and ready for action but was called off at the last moment by President Jimmy Carter.

Truly serving in every clime' and place, after returning from Okinawa and rejoining the 2nd Marine Regiment in October 1985, 2/4 immediately began preparing for cold weather operations in Norway about 270 kilometers north of The Arctic Circle by training with II MEF Special Operations Training Group at Camp Lejeune; at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, California; at Camp McCoy, Sparta, Wisconsin, and; in late February and early March 1986, deploying to Nordland and Troms counties of Norway, near Evenes and Brøstadbotn, as the main US ski-mobile maneuver element of the 4th Marine Amphibious Brigade commanded by then Brigadier General Carl E Mundy, Jr, taking a leading role in the multi-national NATO winter exercise, "Anchor Express".

The wintry, subfreezing weather, unprecedented snow accumulations, and the rugged terrain in the operating area of "Anchor Express" astride Salangenfjord, Faksfjorden and Lavangenfjord tested 2/4's ski-borne Marines to their limits.

Despite "Anchor Express" being terminated before its scheduled conclusion, many valuable lessons were learned about surviving, maneuvering and fighting in such harsh conditions, providing first-hand observations and experiences related to winter warfare gear, tactics, techniques and procedures.

Having endured and excelled operating in tropical, subtropical and Arctic weather conditions within a six month period, by the late 1980s 2/4 was reassigned to the 8th Marine Regiment at Camp Lejeune, NC, to participate in deployments to more temperate climates in The Mediterranean.

The battalion, as the ground combat element (GCE) for the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit set sail from Toulon, France for Operation Sharp Edge.

The marines embarked on amphibious shipping on 21 August after having successfully completed a Non-combatant evacuation operation of 1,650 Americans and foreign nationals.

Before the Gulf War, in August 1990, elements of 2/4 were deployed ashore to the US Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia as part of Operation Sharp Edge.

The operation, named "Desert Fox", was a retaliation to Saddam Hussein's refusal to comply with U.N. Security Council Resolutions that led to a coalition air bombing campaign.

Leaving shortly after this mission for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in Okinawa, 2/4 was called upon to give humanitarian aid to East Timor and served in country from October to November 2002.

In February 2004, "The Magnificent Bastards" deployed to Ramadi, Iraq, the provincial capital of the Al Anbar Province in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

From then on until their departure in October, insurgent activity was still sporadic and nearly equal in ferocity as the initial battle of 6 and 7 April, therefore the deployment focused on counter-insurgency operations for the remainder of the tour.

Tragically, in February 2007, Battalion Sergeant Major Joseph Ellis was falsely reported to have been killed in a helicopter crash that occurred northwest of Baghdad.

In May 2008, the 31st MEU supported Operation Response off the coast of Burma, due to the Cyclone Nargis making landfall in the Irrawaddy Delta.

In September 2011, the battalion deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, as part of Regimental Combat Team 6 (RCT-6), assuming responsibility for the districts of Now Zad and Musa Qal'ah.

In late June 2013, BLT 2/4 embarked on ships from Task Force 76 and began a three-month patrol in the Western Pacific Ocean.

In June 2014, marines with 2/4 and 2/7 conducted fast-rope and rappel training during a two-and-a-half-week Helicopter Rope Suspension Technique course aboard Camp Pendleton.

[6] In July 2014, 2/4 participated in a Battalion Field Exercise at the Infantry Immersion Trainer (IIT) aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.