1st Battalion 11th Marines (1/11) is an
artilleryOriginally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
battalion comprising four firing batteries and a Headquarters battery. The battalion is stationed at the
Marine Corps Base Camp PendletonMarine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and serves as its prime amphibious training base...
in California. Its primary weapon system is the M777 lightweight howitzer. The battalion is under the command of the 11th Marine Regiment, part of the 1st Marine Division.
Mission
To provide direct support to the 1st Marine Division in time of conflict. That support may come in the traditional fashion of artillery support to maneuver forces, or by providing batteries to serve as temporary rifle companies. It also has the secondary mission of being the primary providers of
civil-military operationsCivil-military operations or CMO are activities of a military force to minimize civil interference on and maximize civil support for military operations to facilitate accomplishing the mission. CMO is conducted in conjunction with combat operations during wartime and becomes a central part of a...
(CMO). CMO is defined as the activities of the commander that establish, maintain, influence, or exploit relations between military organizations, Government and civilian organizations and the civilian population.
Early years
The 1st Battalion, 11th Marines was activated on 3 December 1923 at the
Marine Corps Base QuanticoMarine Corps Base Quantico, sometimes abbreviated MCB Quantico, is a major United States Marine Corps training base located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly in southern Prince William County, northern Stafford County, and southeastern Fauquier County...
,
VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, as the 1st Battalion, 10th Regiment. It participated in mail guard duty in the mid-western United States from October 1926 to February 1927. The battalion deployed during April to June 1927 to Tientsin in China and was assigned to the 3rd Marine Brigade. The unit returned during September 1928 to MCB Quantico and was detached from the 3rd Marine Brigade during December 1928. It were re-designated on 10 July 1930 to the 1st Battalion, 10th Marines.
The battalion was assigned to the
1st Marine BrigadeThe 1st Provisional Marine Brigade was a Marine infantry brigade of the United States Marine Corps that existed periodically from 1912 to 1950. It was an ad hoc unit formed for specific operations and therefore not considered a "permanent" USMC unit....
during September 1935. It was re-designated on 1 September 1940 as the 1st Battalion, 11th Marines. During October 1940, it was deployed to
Guantanamo BayGuantánamo Bay is a bay located in Guantánamo Province at the southeastern end of Cuba . It is the largest harbor on the south side of the island and is surrounded by steep hills creating an enclave cut off from its immediate hinterland....
in
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. On 1 February 1941, the
1st Marine BrigadeThe 1st Marine Brigade could refer to:*1st Provisional Marine Brigade: A US Marine Corps ad hoc formation active in World War II and the Korean War.*1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade permanent US Marine Corps expeditionary brigade....
was re-designated as the 1st Marine Division. The battalion relocated to
New RiverMarine Corps Air Station New River is a United States Marine Corps helicopter base in Jacksonville, North Carolina, in the eastern part of the state. In 1972, the airfield was named McCutcheon Field for Brigadier General Keith B. McCutcheon, one of the fathers of Marine Corps helicopter aviation...
,
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
during April 1941.
World War II
1st Battalion, 11th Marines was reassigned during March 1942 to the 3rd Marine Brigade. It was deployed during March 1942 to Western Samoa. The battalion was again reassigned to the 1st Marine Division in September 1942. The battalion participated in the Guadalcanal and
New BritainOperation Cartwheel was a major military strategy for the Allies in the Pacific theater of World War II. Cartwheel was a twin-axis of advance operation, aimed at militarily neutralizing the major Japanese base at Rabaul...
campaigns; it also carried out operations on Finschhafen,
PeleliuThe Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II, was fought between the United States and the Empire of Japan in the Pacific Theater of World War II, from September–November 1944 on the island of Peleliu, present-day Palau. U.S...
and
OkinawaThe Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
.
After the war the battalion was redeployed in September 1945 to Tientsin, China. It participated in the occupation of North China from September 1945 to January 1947. It was then redeployed during January 1947 to
GuamGuam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, and detached from the 1st Marine Division. While in Guam, the unit constructed Camp Witek, the 1st Marine Brigade base. The battalion was reassigned during June 1947 to the 1st Marine Brigade. It was deactivated on 1 October 1947.
Korean War
The battalion was reactivated on 1 October 1949 at Camp Pendleton and assigned to the 1st Marine Division. It was then reassigned during July 1950 to the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade. The battalion was then deployed in July and August 1950 to Pusan in
KoreaKorea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. The battalion participated in the
Korean WarThe Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, from August 1950 to July 1953, taking part in the actions at the
Battle of the Pusan PerimeterThe Battle of Pusan Perimeter was a large-scale battle between United Nations and North Korean forces lasting from August 4 – September 18, 1950. It was one of the first major engagements of the Korean War...
, at
InchonThe Battle of Inchon was an amphibious invasion and battle of the Korean War that resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations . The operation involved some 75,000 troops and 261 naval vessels, and led to the recapture of the South Korean capital Seoul two...
and the
Chosin ResovoirThe Battle of Chosin Reservoir, also known as the Chosin Reservoir Campaign or the Changjin Lake Campaign ,Official Chinese sources refer to this battle as the Second Phase Campaign Eastern Sector . The Western Sector is the Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River. was a decisive battle in the Korean War...
. Personnel also saw action on the East-Central and Western Fronts.
1st Battalion, 11th Marines participated in the occupation of the
Korean Demilitarized ZoneThe Korean Demilitarized Zone is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula roughly in half, crossing the 38th parallel on an angle, with the west end of the DMZ lying south of the parallel and...
from August 1953 to March 1955. It returned to Camp Pendleton in April 1955.
Vietnam War
The battalion deployed during August 1965 to
Camp HansenCamp Hansen is a United States Marine Corps base located in Okinawa, Japan. The camp is situated in the town of Kin, near the northern shore of Kin Bay, and is the second-northernmost major installation on Okinawa, with Camp Schwab to the north...
, Okinawa and redeployed during January 1966 to
Chu LaiChu Lai is a sea port, urban and industrial area in Dung Quat Bay, Núi Thành district, Quang Nam province of Vietnam. The city is served by Chu Lai Airport.-Vietnam War:...
, in the Republic of Vietnam. It was reassigned to the 3rd Marine Division. During March 1966, the unit was reassigned to the 1st Marine Division.
The battalion operated from Chu Lai,
Da NangĐà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...
,
Quang TriQuảng Trị is a town district of Quang Tri province in the North Central Coastal region of Vietnam. Significantly, it was the only South Vietnamese provincial capital to be captured by the North Vietnamese forces for a limited period in the 1972 offensive....
, Phu Bai,
Ca LuCa Lu was a United States Marine Corps base located at on Highway or Route 9, near Krông Klang, Đa Krông District, western Quảng Trị Province, South Vietnam....
,
Khe SanhKhe Sanh is the district capital of Hướng Hoá District, Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam, located 63 km west of Đông Hà.Khe Sanh Combat Base was a United States Marine Corps outpost in South Vietnam used during the Vietnam War. The airstrip was built in September 1962...
, Cua Viet,
Dong HaĐông Hà is the capital town of Quang Tri province, Vietnam. It is located at around . Dong Ha is situated at the crossroads of National Highway 1A and Route 9, part of the East-West Economic Corridor . It lies on the Reunification Express Railway and is served by Dong Ha Railway Station...
and Quang Nam from January 1966 to March 1971. It was reassigned during 1971 to the 3rd Marine Amphibious Brigade; it returned during March 1971 to Camp Pendleton and reassigned to the 1st Marine Division.
Gulf War and the 1990s
1st Battalion, 11th Marines participated in Operation Desert Storm from September 1990 to March 1991. Elements participated in Operation Sea Angel in
BangladeshBangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
from May to June 1991. Elements also participated in Operation Restore Hope in
SomaliaSomalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
from December 1992 to March 1993.
Global War on Terror
In January 2003 the battalion deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After participating in the
invasion of IraqThe 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
it returned to Camp Pendleton in July 2003. Individual firing Batteries have continued to support the MEU cycle in the war on terror since 2003. The Battalion HQ deployed to Anbar Province Iraq with Battery A, Battery C, and Battery K as a provisional infantry Battalion in June 2007. The unit returned to Camp Pendleton in late spring 2008.
In May 2010 the Battalion deployed to Helmand Province, in Afghanistan in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom 10.1. The Battalion was attached to the 1st Marine Division (Forward) Task Force Leatherneck. The Battalion was reinforced, comprising three gun batteries (Bravo, India 3/12, and Lima 3/12) and a HiMARS rocket Battery (Tango 5/11, later Sierra 5/11). 1/11 was assigned an artillery tactical mission of General Support to Task Force Leatherneck.
The Battalion returned from Afghanistan in November 2011 and began fielding the Expeditionary Fire Support System (EFSS).
See also