2nd Battalion, 1st Marines

The force was active for only a brief period of time, during which it was deployed to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina.

In their last engagement in the Pacific, the unit participated in the decisive Battle of Okinawa, taking part in the capture of Shuri during poor weather conditions.

A North Korean column of hundreds of NKPA troops and five T-34 tanks headed blindly into the ambush set by the Marines.

[1] After the war, in April 1955, the unit was relocated to Camp Pendleton, California, where it participated in the transplacement system between the 1st and 3rd Marine Divisions.

As part of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the battalion deployed to Kuwait in February 2003, and participated in the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

The battalion lost nine Marines and one Navy Corpsman on August 26, 2021, in a deadly suicide bomber attack during the withdrawal from Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport.

The ISIS-K terror group claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing seeking to disrupt the massive evacuation effort of Americans, Afghan allies and third-party nationals outside the U.S.-held airport.

2/1 has been presented with the following awards: Get Results Uphold The Legacy Never Quit Spirited Ethos Mutual Trust Ownership Know Your Stuff Everyday Counts Towards Combat Effectiveness

Two Marines, Davis P. Hargraves with Thompson submachine gun and Gabriel Chavarria with BAR, of 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, advance on Wana Ridge on May 18, 1945.
Lt. Colonel William W. Stickney cuts a Thanksgiving cake with a Japanese officer's sword at Guadalcanal, as marines of 2nd Battalion look on.
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Marines from Echo Company passing the body of an alleged Iraqi insurgent during the First Battle of Fallujah .
Marines with Golf Company of 2nd Battalion conduct physical training on the flight deck of the USS Makin Island during Amphibious Squadron Marine Expeditionary Unit Integration, off the coast of San Diego, California, April 2014.