2nd Battalion, 9th Marines

2nd Battalion, 9th Marines (2/9) was an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Formed during World War I, the unit played an instrumental role in the defeat of the Japanese forces in the Battles of Guam and Iwo Jima during World War II. The battalion distinguished itself in the defense of Khe Sanh during the Vietnam War, and later participated in an ill fated invasion of Koh Tang Island in Southeast Asia, with the intention of rescuing the crew of SS Mayaguez. During Operation Desert Storm, the battalion served as the lead battalion for the III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF). 2/9 also participated in various humanitarian missions. The battalion helped evacuate Americans from Northern China during the Chinese Civil War and in various occasions participated in providing relief to the victims of typhoons. In 1992, the battalion participated in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. 2nd Battalion 9th Marines served until September 2, 1994, when it was deactivated to make room for one of three light armor reconnaissance battalions. It was part of the 9th Marine Regiment and the 3rd Marine Division. On July 13, 2007, 2nd Battalion 9th Marines was re activated again as part of the 6th Marine Regiment and replaced the Anti Terrorism Battalion (ATBN). On April 1, 2015, it was deactivated as part of a post war drawdown from Afghanistan.

A battalion in the Marine Corps is headed by the battalion commander, usually a lieutenant colonel and sometimes a colonel, his staff, headquarters, and the battalion sergeant major. It usually consists of 3–5 companies, with a total of 300 to 1,200 marines. 2nd Battalion 9th Marines comprises a headquarters & service (H&S) company, weapons company and three infantry companies: Echo, Fox, and Golf. During the Vietnam war the battalion comprised headquarters & service (H&S) company, and four infantry companies: Echo, Fox, Golf, and Hotel. Each company had its own weapons platoon with 3 squads of M60 machine guns (7.62) and 60 mm mortars and ether 3.5 inch rocket launchers (super bazooka) or later LAAWS.

With the advent of World War I, the United States expanded the armed forces, to include the United States Marine Corps. The 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines (also known as 2/9) was created and activated on November 20, 1917, at Quantico, Virginia. During this period, there was turmoil in Cuba's sugar producing regions. American companies operated the island's sugar industry, which was vital to the economy of the United States. The battalion's first mission was to keep order in the island and once this was accomplished, it was reassigned. There were rumors that German agents were going to disrupt Mexican oil shipments to Texas. The battalion was sent to Texas to safeguard these shipments. 2/9 was disbanded after the war on April 25, 1919, only to be reactivated in 1925. The battalion's main objective was to train reserve Marines and its headquarters was now transferred to Kansas City, Missouri, with two companies stationed at St. Louis. 2/9 was once again disbanded in 1937. The 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines were part of the reserve forces for the Battle of Iwo Jima and were committed to the action five days after D Day. Among the Marines who distinguished themselves on Iwo Jima was Private Wilson D. Watson who received the Medal of Honor. After the island was secured, the unit was sent back to Guam where they underwent training for a possible invasion of the Japanese mainland. The invasion never occurred since hostilities between Japan and the United States came to an end. The 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines was sent to Camp Pendelton where, in December 1945, it was once again disbanded.

In November 1948, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines was again reestablished. The final stages of fighting between the Nationalists and the Communists, in the Chinese Civil War (also known as the War of Liberation), occurred between 1945 and 1950. When the fighting escalated, the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines were ordered to Northern China to evacuate all Americans. This mission was accomplished by March 1949 and after which the battalion was sent to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and was renamed as the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine. In September 1962, U. S. military forces constructed an airstrip outside the town of Khe Sanh which became known as the Khe Sanh Combat Base. In 1965 the U. S. Special Forces constructed a base next to it. The base's defense was codenamed Operation Scotland and manned by the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines from 1967. It was used as a staging ground for a number of attacks on People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) troop movements down the Ho Chi Minh Trail. In August 1969, 2/9 Marines was ordered to return to Camp Schwab, Okinawa. During this period the unit was assigned to sea duty in and around the waters of Vietnam and continued to receive combat training at Camp Fuji, Japan and Subic Bay in the Philippines. Calling the seizure "piracy", President Ford ordered a military response to retake the ship and its 39 man crew, mistakenly thought to be on Koh Tang Island. On May 13, two A 7D Corsairs saw the 39 man crew board a fishing boat and saw people disembarking fishing boats at Koh Tang Island. They assumed that the Mayaguez crew was on the island. Elements of the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, and the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, were flown to an advanced staging of a joint US Task Force. On May 14, the Marines from Company D, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines boarded the Mayaguez only to find it deserted and raised the American flag. A Thai fishing boat with a Thai crew and the 39 crew members of the SS Mayaguez which had been set free, approached the USS Wilson.

Before the August 2, 1990, invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein's Iraqi forces, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines was deployed to Okinawa, Japan as part of the Unit Deployment Program. In October 1990 the unit deployed to the Republic of the Philippines where it became the Ground Combat Element of Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) 4 90. In November 1990, the island of Cebu, a Philippine providence, was devastated by a typhoon. Members of the battalion provided assistance during the disaster relief efforts. The battalion remained in the Philippines until April 1991 when it returned to Okinawa, Japan. Subsequently, the battalion returned to Camp Pendleton in August 1991.

The 5th Marine Regiment designated 2/9 to participate in the Marine Expeditionary Unit deployment cycle during November 1991. With the successful culmination of the Special Operations Capable Exercise (MEUSOC), 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines became the designated Battalion Landing Team (BLT) for the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (15th MEU). By this time, Somalia had suffered over four years of civil war. Dictator Mohammed Siad Barre had deliberately broken up the armed forces into clan factions in order to maintain his hold on power, starting from 1987. By 1991 there were two dominant factions in the immediate area of Mogadishu, the capital. One of the factions was led by Ali Mahdi Mohamed; and the other, by the warlord Mohammed Farah Aidid. In 1991, the United States initiated Operation Provide Relief (UNOSOM I) which was part of a UN endorsed effort called The Unified Task Force (UNITAF), to provide humanitarian relief. In August 1992, President George H. Bush sent, 25,000 US troops (mostly US Marines from I MEF) to the Republic of Somalia and the mission was renamed Operation Restore Hope, also known as UNOSOM II. Its main objectives were to provide humanitarian relief, initiate 'nation building', disarm the various factions, restore law and order, help the people set up a representative government, and restore the infrastructure. On September 2, 1994, 2nd Battalion 9th Marines was deactivated and redesignated 2nd Battalion 4th Marines.

On December 7, 2006, Headquarters Marine Corps released a message stating that 2nd Battalion 9th Marines would be reactivated during 2007 as part of the continuing Global War on Terror. 2nd Battalion 9th Marines was re activated on July 13, 2007, and replaced the Anti Terrorism Battalion (ATBn). In September 2008, Marines and Sailors from 2/9 deployed to Al Anbar Province in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. They were based in the city of Ramadi and returned in April 2009 without any Marines or Sailors killed in action. July 2010 Marines and Sailors from 2/9 deployed to Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In December 2010 Echo Company from 2/9 were attached to 3/5 in Sangin, Afghanistan where they earned the notorious nickname of "Green Hats." They returned February 2011. They redeployed back to Marjah December 2011 and returned July 2012. Echo and Weapons companies deployed once more to Afghanistan from January through April 2013, participating in combat operations out of Camp Leatherneck. On April 1, 2015, the battalion was deactivated in a ceremony at Camp Lejeune. The following table contains the names of the men who were recipients of the Medal of Honor while serving in 2/9. They are listed in accordance to the "Date of Action" in which the MoH citation was made. indicates that the Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously

Name Rank in 2/9 Unit Place Date of action Ref. Louis H. Wilson Jr. CaptainCompany F, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine DivisionNear Font Hill, Guam July 25, 1944 – July 26, 1944Wilson D. WatsonPrivateCompany G, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine DivisionIwo Jima February 26, 1945 – February 27, 1945Harvey C. Barnum, Jr. First LieutenantCompany H, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division Near Ky Phu, Republic of Vietnam December 18, 1965Thomas P. Noonan, Jr. Lance CorporalCompany G, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Near Quanq Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam February 5, 1969William D. Morgan CorporalCompany H, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division Near Quanq Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam February 25, 1969William K. CarpenterCorporalCompany F, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, 1st Marine Division Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan November 21, 2010

The Commandant of the United States Marine Corps is the highest ranking officer of the United States Marine Corps and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reporting to the Secretary of the Navy but not to the Chief of Naval Operations. Three Marines who served in 2nd Battalion 9th Marines became Commandant of the Marine Corps. They are listed in the table in accordance to the years in which they served as Commandants and their ranks are those which they held while serving in 2/9, they were:
Name Rank in 2/9 Unit served Served as Commandant Ref. Robert E. Cushman, Jr. Lieutenant ColonelCommanding officer of 2/9 from January 2, 1943, to April 20, 1945January 1, 1972, to June 30, 1975Louis H. Wilson Jr. CaptainCompany F, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine DivisionJuly 1, 1975, to June 30, 1979Charles C. KrulakMajorOperations Officer of 2/9 from 1977 to 1978June 30, 1995, to June 30, 1999

Francis J. "Bing" West, an American author and former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs during the Reagan Administration. He served in the mortar platoon during the Vietnam War in 1965.