page_title: 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines
section_title: Global War on Terror
hierarchical_section_title: 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines / History / Global War on Terror
caption_attribution_description: English: M777 howitzer, seen from rear. Original caption: "Artillerymen with Gun 3, Guns Platoon, Battery K, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, based out of Marine Corps Base, Twentynine Palms, Calif., fire-off a round with the newly fielded M777 Lightweight 155-millimeter Howitzer Monday at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. Three lightweight howitzers were fielded to Kilo Battery, which participated in a weeklong Fire Exercise beginning May 23." (The text, like the image, is PD-USGov-Military-Marines)
context_page_description: 3rd Battalion 11th Marines is an artillery battalion comprising three firing batteries, a Liaison Unit, an MP unit and a headquarters battery. The battalion is based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California and its primary weapon system is the M777 lightweight howitzer with a maximum effective range of 30 km. They fall under the 11th Marine Regiment and the 1st Marine Division.
context_section_description: The battalion once again deployed to Southwest Asia from January 2003 to July 2003 to support the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The battalion’s timely and accurate fires proved to be crucial in allowing I MEF to quickly move deep into Iraqi territory and topple the regime in 21 days of major combat operations. Immediately following the fall of Baghdad, the battalion assumed the mission of a Provisional Infantry Battalion and begun assisting in civil/military duties as well as conducting Security and Stability Operation (SASO) patrols in the capital city, securing hospitals and other vital infrastructure.
  In November 2003 the battalion again received orders to deploy to Iraq, but this time as a Provisional Military Police Battalion. The battalion quickly transitioned into its new job and deployed from February 2004 to September 2004. The battalion’s motto of Semper Flexibils, Always Flexible, held true with the battalion participating in missions ranging from convoy escorts, combat patrols, humanitarian assistance, security force training, and controlling a battle space of over 40,000 square kilometers.
  In May 2005, the battalion became the first unit in the world to field the new M777 Lightweight howitzer. Feedback from the artillerymen of 3/11 led to modifications prior to being issued to other Marine and Army units.
  Currently, the battalion supports OIF by deploying individual batteries to fulfill the role of artillery support, as well as provisional MP; as well as supporting III MEF in Okinawa, Japan with the Unit Deployment Program by deploying a battery semi-annually.
  3/11 deployed to southern Afghanistan in the spring of 2009 as part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade. They are part of the 17,000 troop increase announced by President Obama in mid-February. 3/11 operated as part of Regimental Combat Team 3 and was the only Marine artillery battalion in Afghanistan.  The battalion built Fiddler's Green in July 2009 as a fire base for Operation Strike of the Sword.
caption: Artillerymen with Gun 3, Battery K, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment fire-off a round with the newly fielded M777 Lightweight 155-millimeter Howitzer
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