2nd Battalion 6th Marines

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment


caption= 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment insignia
dates= August 14, 1917 - present
country= United States
allegiance=
branch= USMC
type= Infantry battalion
role= Locate, close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver
size=
command_structure= 6th Marine Regiment
2nd Marine Division
current_commander=
garrison= Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname= "The Ready Battalion", "Spartans"
patron=
motto= "Never to Quit"
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles= World War I
* Battle of Belleau Wood
* Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge
* Meuse-Argonne offensive
World War II
* Battle of Guadalcanal
* Battle of Saipan
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Iraqi Freedom
* Third Battle of Fallujah
anniversaries=

2nd Battalion, 6th Marines (2/6) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Also known as "The Ready Battalion" or "2/6 Spartans", it consists of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors and falls under the command of the 6th Marine Regiment and the 2nd Marine Division.

Subordinate Units

* Headquarters and Services Company
* Echo Company (Mechanized)
* Fox Company (Helo)
* Golf Company (Mechanized)
* Weapons Company

History

World War I

2nd Battalion, 6th Marines was activated on July 11, 1917 to serve as reinforcements during World War I. On January 19, 1918, the battalion went to League Island, Philadelphia in order to head out to France as part of the 4th Brigade, American Expeditionary Force. The battalion fought at the Battle of Belleau Wood for which they were awarded the Croix de Guerre with Palm from the French government. Beginning October 3, 1918, the 6th Regiment led the offensive to take Blanc Mont Ridge, pushing the Germans out of the Champagne Region of France. In November 1918, 2/6 also took part in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive which was the last major offensive of the war. The battalion returned to Marine Corps Base Quantico on June 19, 1919. They were deactivated shortly thereafter on August 20, 1919.

World War II

From May to July 1941 2/6 reassigned to the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade and deployed to garrison Reykjavík, Iceland against possible German invasion. In March 1942 the battalion returned to San Diego and was reassigned to the 2nd Marine Division. In the fall of 1942 2/6 sailed to Wellington, New Zealand where it began advanced combat training. This was followed by movement to Guadalcanal on November 21, 1943. The 2/6 also took part in the Battle of Tarawa. On June 15, 1944 the battalion landed on Saipan in the Marianas Islands to take part in the Battle of Saipan. Following the end of the war, 2/6 landed at Nagasaki to take part in the Occupation of Japan from September 1945 until July 1946. In August 1946 the battalion relocated to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California.

As part of the post war draw down of forces, 2/6 was deactivated on October 1, 1947.

The exploits of the 2/6 were immortalized in the WWII classic novel, Battle Cry, by Leon Uris. Although the characters were fiction, the movements of the 2/6 were historically accurate and were based on Uris' own experiences in the 2/6 during WWII as a Pfc.

The 1960s through the 1990s

From February to June 1983, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines became part of the Multinational Peace-Keeping Force in Lebanon. They returned on October 23, 1983 as relief for 1st Battalion, 8th Marines after the bombing of the Marine barracks. On March 3, 1989, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines was deactivated and placed into a cadre status. 2/6 was reactivated on July 23, 1994 at Cuzco Wells, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Then took part in Operation Sea Signal, the security and processing of Haitian migrants. In September of that same year the battalion's main force returned to Guantanamo Bay to provide security for Cuban migrants.

A year later in September 1995 2/6 was sent to support United Nations and NATO peace keeping operations in the former Yugoslavia. From September 1995 to February 1996, 2/6 served as the tactical reserve for Operation Joint Endeavor Implementation Forces (IFOR) and on numerous occasions as the stand-by TRAP force for Operation Deny Flight. For these actions the battalion received the Joint Meritorious Unit Citation. From April to May 2000, Echo company and elements of Headquarters and Services' (H&S) Surveillance, Targeting and Acquisition(STA) deployed to Kosovo and took part in Operation Dynamic Response.

Global War on Terror

As of December 2007, the battalion has finished a seven month tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. They operated in the areas around the city of Fallujah as part of Regimental Combat Team 6. [http://usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/7126DCA0151AFA84852571410021B42D?opendocument ]

ee also

* History of the United States Marine Corps
* List of United States Marine Corps battalions
* Organization of the United States Marine Corps

Notes

References

:Marine Corps

;Bibliography
* cite book
last = Henry
first = Mark R.
coauthors =
year = 1999
title = US Marine Corps in World War I 1917-18
publisher = Osprey Publishing Company
location = New York
id = ISBN 1-85532-852-6
* cite book
last = Owen
first = Peter F.
coauthors =
year = 2007
title = To the Limit of Endurance - A Battalion of Marines in the Great War
publisher = Texas A&M University Press
location = College Station
id = ISBN 1-58544-599-1

;Web
* [http://www.lejeune.usmc.mil/2dmardiv/26/home.html 2/6's official website]