History 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines

1 history

1.1 founding
1.2 world war ii
1.3 korean war
1.4 gulf war
1.5 global war on terror

history
founding

the origin of 2nd battalion, 24th marines can traced establishment of 9th reserve battalion in 1922. mobilized in november 1940 part of preparation world war ii. many of chicago s reservists became part of newly founded 2nd battalion, 24th marines, 4th marine division, fleet marine force.

the mad ghosts


world war ii

2nd battalion, 24th marines activated on march 26, 1943, part of 4th marine division. first action invasion of marshall islands on february 1, 1944, securing first portion of japanese empire conquered united states in world war ii.

capt.joseph j. mccarthy of 2/24 g co..

on june 15, 1944, battalion landed on saipan in marianas. fifteen days after saipan secured, assaulted island of tinian, securing island in 8 days. 2/24, received first presidential unit citation capture of saipan , tinian.

on february 19, 1945, 2nd battalion, 24th marines landed on iwo jima , fought 35 days until island secured on march 26, 1945. d-day until 24th rct relieved 25th rct seabees of 133rd ncb 2nd battalions shore party. battalion awarded second presidential unit citation participation in capture of iwo jima. captain joseph j. mccarthy, commanding officer, co. g, 2nd battalion, 24th marines, , chief in chicago fire department, awarded medal of honor gallantry during battle. battalion demobilized on october 31, 1945.

korean war

in october 1950, mobilized , sent camp pendleton, california, further transfer korea, chicago marines saw combat during korean war.

gulf war

on november 30, 1990, battalion mobilized result of presidential call in support of operation desert shield. training , final preparation war in desert conducted @ camp lejeune, north carolina, during december 1990. upon battalion s arrival in kingdom of saudi arabia, assigned mission of security critical facilities.

the 2nd battalion, 24th marines assigned mission of protecting marine expeditionary force commander s primary bases in northern saudi arabia, include naval air field @ al jubail, ammunition storage site near abu hadriah , defense of mef headquarters @ ras safanya , marine aircraft group 16 @ tanajib, providing security area on 40 miles wide , 135 miles deep.

as operation desert storm commenced, area of responsibility increased further west kibrit , north al khanjar. during ground war, 2nd battalion, 24th marines provided security largest ammunition supply point in country, @ loss of have critically impaired ground offensive. during liberation of kuwait, elements of 2nd battalion, 24th marines provided security marine expeditionary force command post in kuwait. additionally, took defensive positions @ al jaber airfield south of kuwait city.

while maintaining mission of providing security, 2nd battalion, 24th marines responsible handling , processing of on 10,300 enemy prisoners of war in 96-hour period. battalion returned chicago on 12 may 1991, after 5 months of deployment, 3½ months in southwest asia.

global war on terror

chicago s own mobilized again in june 2004 in support of operation iraqi freedom (oif). battalion trained @ camp pendleton until sept. of year when relocated mahmudiyah, in north babil province of iraq, area known triangle of death . battalion engaged in intense combat operations against members of iraqi insurgency. 2/24 made marine corps history when became first reserve infantry battalion of oif operate independently, isolated on own forward operating base.

two-time pulitzer prize winner john f. burns, chief foreign correspondent of new york times described time spent 2/24 way: week 2/24 marines @ bases 15 30 miles south of baghdad, in heart of area known triangle of death, window on demands being made of reservists, , on resourcefulness , resilience bring challenges. there little cannot do, hard work , improvisation, battalion s officers say, reflecting varied backgrounds of men in chicago-based unit - doctors, policemen, engineers, teachers, carpenters, truck drivers, lawyers, computer specialists, community counselors, college students, name few.

after establishing additional strong points in area, working closely iraqi army , police, providing security first-ever open democratic elections in iraq , arresting on 1,000 suspected insurgents (with incredibly high conviction rate,) 2/24 returned california in march 2005. deactivated in may 2005.

company f, 2nd battalion, 24th marine regiment search field during dust storm weapons caches in khalidiyah, iraq on april 17, 2008.

in march 2006, elements of 2/24 participated in operation shared accord in niger. marines taught basic military tactics groups of soldiers forces armees nigeriennes , provided humanitarian support of niger s neediest citizens. in may 2006, echo company of 2/24 participated in operation noble shirley in israel conducting desert warfare , joint counter-terrorism training israeli defense forces [idf].

on september 10, 2007, 2nd battalion, 24th marines once again activated in support of operation iraqi freedom, , relocated marine corps air ground combat center twentynine palms, california. battalion began tour in iraq beginning in january 2008 , operated in vicinity of habbaniyah, operating out of base formerly known raf habbaniya. on august 10, 2008, turned on area of operations 1st battalion, 2nd marines , returned stateside in late august.